... First Contact is the eighth Star Trek movie in the series, the second featuring the "Next Generation" crew, and one of the greatest sci-fi films ever made. Yes, I know that's a fairly bold and sweeping statement to make, particularly about a "limited appeal" film, but it's true. A masterful ... Read review
Production Year: 2007 - Science Fiction - Director: Francis Lawrence - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Alice Braga, Charlie Tahan, Dash Mihok, Will Smith, Salli Richardson, Willow Smith
Advantages: The Borg are in it. Disadvantages: None. Zip. Nil. Nada.
...First Contact is the eighth Star Trek movie in the series, the second featuring the "Next Generation" crew, and one of the greatest sci-fi films ever made. Yes, I know that's a fairly bold and sweeping statement to make, particularly about a "limited appeal" film, but it's true. A masterful piece of cinema, ST:FC proved to be the most popular Star Trek film ever when released, as it gained admiration from outwith the Trekkie clique. ... ...couple of cameos from other Star Trek actors: the Doctor from Voyager makes a brief appearance, as does Ethan Phillips (Neelix in Voyager), without makeup, as a 1930s nightclub maitre'd. As usual the acting is excellent - the Trek actors by now very used to their characters after 10 years or so. Top performances go to Patrick Stewart for showing Picard having trouble facing his greatest fear; James Cromwell as the eccentric Zefram Cochrane; Alice ... more
Apologies for the poor joke in the op title there.
Right, down to business. First Contact is the eighth Star Trek movie in the series, the second featuring the "Next Generation" crew, and one of the greatest sci-fi films ever made. Yes, I know that's a fairly bold and sweeping statement to make, particularly about a "limited appeal" film, but it's true. A masterful piece of cinema, ST:FC proved to be the most popular Star Trek film ever when released, as it gained admiration from outwith the Trekkie clique. And if you're not bored of me and my gushing enthusiasm by now, I'll tell you why.
PLOT: Set in the mid 24th century, the film ties in with a continuing storyline that featured prominently in the Next Generation series. The film opens with an establishing shot of Captain Picard on board a huge space vessel, apparently zombified and definitely at the mercy of some alien power. As it turns out, this is a dream flashback of Picard's showing us what happened six years earlier when he was captured and assimilated by the Borg (more on them later). Cut to the present, and we discover that Earth is under attack from the Borg, and the Enterprise has to intervene. During the battle, a Borg ship escapes back in time to Earth in the late 21st century - their intention, to prevent the first warp-drive (faster-than-light)spaceflight, and in the process prevent Earth's first contact with an alien race, and change the course of history in the favour of the Borg. Naturally, the crew of the Enterprise has to intervene, and I'm spoiling things for no-one when I tell you that they emerge victorious. Honest.
CAST AND CHARACTERS: I'm not about to give a detailed list of the Next Gen cast here - suffice to say that all are present and correct, with a nifty plot device seeing the return of Worf from Deep Space 9. Also, there are a couple of cameos from other Star Trek actors: the Doctor from Voyager makes a brief appearance, as does Ethan Phillips (Neelix in Voyager), without makeup, as a 1930s nightclub maitre'd. As usual the acting is excellent - the Trek actors by now very used to their characters after 10 years or so. Top performances go to Patrick Stewart for showing Picard having trouble facing his greatest fear; James Cromwell as the eccentric Zefram Cochrane; Alice Krige for bringing seductive menace to the role of Borg Queen; and the ever-reliable Brent Spiner, obviously enjoying the expanded role given to his character, Data, in this film.
SETS, DIRECTION, EFFECTS: The effects in ST:FC are some of the best ever seen in sci-fi movies. For the first time in a Star Trek film we see a HUGE space battle between the Borg and Starfleet - which is entirely CGI. The new Enterprise-E is shown as both a model and as CGI, but you'll never know which one at which point. The costume design, especially for the Borg, is excellent, and the sets, while little more than futuristic control rooms and corridors, are flawless, helping to set an at times intentionally uncomfortable backdrop to the action. The major plus in this area, however, is the direction. You would never know from watching this well-paced, superbly-shot film that it was the director's first feature-length movie. The fact that it is one of the main actors in the film, Jonathan Frakes (aka Commander Riker)who is behind the lens, is even more surprising. Or is it? Frakes had been working on Star Trek series and films for 10 years beforehand, so he would understand better than most the dynamics of the Star Trek universe - how things should look, the best methods and timings for to get optimum performance from cast and crew, etc. He does well here, and it is no surprise he was asked back to direct the next film, Insurrection.
THE BORG: I couldn't write an op on this film without sticking in a paragraph about the Borg. Created by Mike Piller and Rick Berman, the Borg (name: adapted from the word "cyborg") were first encountered in the ST:TNG episode "Q Who". They are a humanoid race with a collective conciousness - there are no individual Borg, they have designations, not names. They are part humanoid, part machine, and they have the ability to adapt to any weapon used against them: hit them with a weapon they haven't encountered before, then you can hurt them with with it once, maybe twice, before they adapt to it and it is rendered useless. They are also hostile - their goal is to "assimilate" (i.e. turn into Borg) the entire universe. They are Starfleet's most lethal nemesis, and are, in my opinion, the best "bad guys" ever created. Ever. In ANY medium. Their "catchphrase" has become synonymous with Star Trek these days - RESISTANCE IS FUTILE. They are evil, unstoppable, cannot be negotiated with, and if all of them die in the process of getting what they want, then so be it. They are THAT hard!
When First Contact went into pre-production and Patrick Stewart announced to the Trekkie world that "the Borg are back!", the Star Trek community went haywire with anticipation - and it wasn't disappointed. With a big-screen budget, the Borg could finally be brought to life the way it had originally been envisioned. I can't really describe it in words, you need to see what I'm talking about - if you can, watch the TNG episode "The Best Of Both Worlds" (the best ever episode of Star Trek TNG, where Picard is captured and assimilated by the Borg), and compare the Borg therein with the Borg in this movie. Much more sinister in the film.
PLUSSES: The hardest task for any Star Trek film is to remain faithful to the storylines that have gone before it, incorporating past "Trek events" into the new story, while still maintaining a stand-alone position as a unique work, where the viewer doesn't need to see what has gone before to understand what's going on. It's done brilliantly here. Trekkies don't need told of past battles with the Borg, or even who the Borg are, but new viewers do. The necessary info for Trek newcomers is expertly tucked away in the dialogue without patronising the avid fans, or confusing the uninitiated. The action is slick, the character depictions and development top notch.
MINUSES: Some of the techno-jargon might be over the heads of non-Trekkies, but it's a necessary evil, and all techno-stuff is usually explained anyway. Other than that - no minuses whatsoever.
OVERALL: ST:FC is the best Trek film, and unless the Borg feature in a future film, I can't see it being bettered. It's excellent family fun, with action, space battles, scary tension, great effects - need I go on? If you're a sci-fi fan and you haven't seen this, then you're missing out on a lot, so go hire it now - you won't be disappointed.
Advantages: The Borg are back Disadvantages: The film is not long enough
...the best of all the Star Trek films, certainly the best outing from the "Next Generation" cast so far (Hopes are high for the forth coming tenth entry “Nemesis” though). The crew of the Enterprise faces up to the threat of the evil Borg, a cybernetic race hell-bent on "assimilating" all in their path, in this thrilling adventure.
The crew of the Next Generation were introduced to the Borg in a season 2 episode of the TV series “Q Who?”, way back ... ...film which is reminiscent of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan –although the subject is handled with a more restrain here –reflecting the obvious differences in the characters of Picard and Khan! Khan was unashamedly out for revenge where as Picard tries to deny that he could be consumed by such an emotion (A fact that has to be bluntly pointed out to him ultimately - by the 21st century character of “Lilly” –played with great gusto by Alfre Woodard).
...
rikardo 19.07.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Star Trek - First Contact (DVD)
Advantages: SFX, good plot premise, acting generaly good, some of the humour works... Disadvantages: ... while some doesn't, cheesy while trying not to be, implausible plot
...were expecting this, the eight Star Trek film, to be a lot better. (In case you managed to miss it or haven't seen many of the films, all the off numbered Star Trek films up to 7 were awful, while the even-numbered films were good - strange but true…) Fortunately, we were right - First Contact, while it certainly has its flaws, is well worth seeing and Star Trek: The Next Generation fans were certainly not left feeling disappointed again. If you ... ...of course decides (in true Star Trek fashion) to disobey orders and go to fight the Borg. Data says "I think I speak for everyone when I say…. to hell with orders" - just one of many extremely corny lines in the film. (Not as bad as Worf's "Assimilate this!" as he dispatched some Borg… probably the worst line (and the least convincingly delivered) since Arnie played the icy baddy in Batman & Robin…) But anyway… the Enterprise goes back, Picard takes ...
CaptainDisaster 24.04.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Star Trek - First Contact (DVD)
Advantages: story, direction, sfx, sound quality Disadvantages: overlong, female crew members become just optional extras again
First Contact is my favourite ST movie of all, beit the old or the next generation. And is a definate improvement over the disappointing STNG:Generations movie as well.
One of the bonuses with this film is the growing maturity of director Jonathan Frakes, who also plays Commander William Thomas Riker (Captain Picard's Number One). Frakes cut his directing teeth on a few STNG episodes back in the early 90s during the 7 season run. And all that patience ... ...you're not a Trekkie fan then this film will probably lose some of its drama since you have to know who the evil Borg are and why Picard is just a trifle hesitant getting too involved with them again.
Of course to Trekkie fans everything just slips into place & totally understood. The Borg & the USS Enterprise go back in time to Earth 2063, just after WW3. The Borg hope to assimilate Earth before Man can travel through space faster than the speed ...
dreamstar70 05.01.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Star Trek - First Contact (DVD)
Advantages: Great effects and best story for a Trek film since Wrath of Khan. Disadvantages: None.
Star Trek... boldly going with dazzling effects, big budget and those ‘Bionic Zombies,’ the Borg – what a creation, my favourite Star Trek enemy of all time. Obvious, really, seeing as my user name is Borg! No, I am not a Swedish tennis fan, after all…
Now you all know what Star Trek is, right? If you haven’t, then (very quickly) it was a sci-fi series first shown in the 60s. It starred William Shatner as Captain Kirk and Leonard Nemoy as Spock. ... ...I am reviewing now. AKA Star Trek 8… where the crew are pitted against their biggest enemy for the first time on the big screen.
The Borg are attacking Earth, but Captain Picard and his crew of the Enterprise E have been told to stay on the neutral zone to look out for any Romulan activity – but this is just an excuse. The Borg are a race of beings that are half man and half machine. They travel the galaxies assimilating worlds, conquering and taking ...
Borg 01.06.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Star Trek - First Contact (DVD)
...beat the original series of Star Trek despite it’s creaky set’s and not too convincing aliens. This 1979 film was the first time Star Trek crossed over to the big screen and big budget. The crew were probably about 10 years older since they’d last been seen on the Enterprise but they were still believable. The plot revolves around an alien spacecraft that is heading towards earth intent on destruction after earth’s non-response to it’s friendly signals. ...
andybain 17.07.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Star Trek - First Contact (DVD)
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Advantages: Tons, 'YES TONS' of SPECIAL FEATURES! Toatally Amazing Sound Through 'DTS' 5.1. Superb Quality Picture In Anamorphic Widescreen of 2.35:1. Ratio. Disadvantages: NONE
Before we start on the StarTreks ?Epic?, FirstContact, it is important to point out that the Special Edition of this movie isn?t available on region two until the 25th of April this year. The review I am giving is on the region one version that is available to buy NOW. All the special features of the movie etc are listed below ?The Movie? section.
~THE MOVIE~
(Some parts below may spoil your viewing if you have not seen the movie before).
The movie starts with a wonderful opening sequence of titles and an amazing opening score, as usual written by Gerry Goldsmith. This eventually pans out to Captain Picard?s, (Patrick Stewart), eye, and what appears to be a drill piercing the membrane of his eye. Picard is has become ?Locutus of Borg?. He gets further away as we start to see that he is inside a Borg ship. Picard wakes up ...
Advantages: Excellent acting, good story, great effects Disadvantages: None from me or hubby
From the title of this review some of you may have thought I was going to review Moby Dick but if you have watched this film then you will understand the reference or if you have not watched it yet then do look out for it.
FirstContact is part of the StarTrek series and we see Patrick Stewart playing the role of Captain Jean Luc Picard. At the start of the film he is having a dream about when he was taken by the Borg and turned into one of them. He soon awakes from this dream and finds Star Fleet are asking him to take his ship to an area where they would like them to watch that things are still quiet. When they arrive in this area they find a problem.
They arrive to find Wharf and his new ship fighting and trying to destroy a Borg ship, the Enterprise helps and the ship is destroyed and we see Wharf?s ship badly damaged so he ...
Advantages: Picard, Data, the Borg, what else could you possibly need Disadvantages: the Direction is a little naivety
:9 (widescreen)
Languages - English (Dolby 5.1)
Subtitles - English, Bulgarian, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, German, Norwegian, Swedish, Turkish
Disks - 2
Year of Release - 1996
--- Special Features ---
Disc 1:
- Audio Commentary: Jonathan Frakes (Director), Brannon Braga, Ronald D. Moore (screenwriters)
These commentaries are really interesting and informative. They definitely add something to the film, and give an inside look at what is behind the film.
Disc 2:
- Featurettes
1. The StarTrek Universe:
- 'Jerry Goldsmith: A Tribute'
- 'The Legacy of Zefram Cochrane'
- 'FirstContact: The Possibilities'
2. The Borg Collective:
- 'Unimatrix One'
- 'The Queen'
- 'Design Matrix'
The first two featurettes are great, they're really informative and explain several ...
Dolby Digital 5.1 English German Dolby Digital Surround Czech Hungarian Polish
Professional reviews
Review
"...A zippy new energy and a sleek, confident style....Witty, pleasurable..." -- Rating: B+ (Entertainment Weekly, p.51, 06/12/1996)
"...A smashingly exciting sci-fi adventure that ranks among the very best....Stewart once again comports himself with all the gravity and panache you would expect from a Shakespearean-trained actor..." (Variety, 18/11/1996)
DVD Description
The Borg have once again targeted the Federation; this time, their devious plot threatens not only the present, but Earth's past as well. While Commander Riker, Deanna Troi, and Geordi La Forge work hard on the surface of 21st-century Earth to keep history on schedule, the rest of the crew plays a desperate game with the genetically-networked attackers above the planet, matching former Locutus Jean-Luc and cybernetically-naive Data against the erotic, mechanized cunning of the Borg queen. Resistance is futile. Academy Awards nominations: 1--Best Makeup.
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