Star Trek - First Contact | LeVar Burton, James Cromwell | The beginning of the Star Trek story...

Star Trek - First Contact | LeVar Burton, James Cromwell | A Return To Action

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Star Trek - First ...

	Star Trek - First Contact LeVar Burton, James Cromwell Paramount, 1997 average customer review:based on 309 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Even-numbered Star Trek movies tend to be better, and First Contact (#8 in the popular movie series) is no exception--an intelligently handled plot involving the galaxy-conquering Borg and their attempt to invade Earth's past, alter history, and "assimilate" the entire human race. Time travel, a dazzling new Enterprise, and capable direction by Next Generation alumnus Jonathan Frakes makes this one rank with the best of the bunch. Capt. Picard (Patrick Stewart) and his able crew travel back in time to Earth in the year 2063, where they hope to ensure that the inventor of warp drive (played by James Cromwell) will successfully carry out his pioneering warp-drive flight and precipitate Earth's "first contact" with an alien race. A seductive Borg queen (Alice Krige) holds Lt. Data (Brent Spiner) hostage in an effort to sabotage the Federation's preservation of history, and the captive android finds himself tempted by the queen's tantalizing sins of the flesh! Sharply conceived to fit snugly into the burgeoning Star Trek chronology, First Contact leads to a surprise revelation that marks an important historical chapter in the ongoing mission "to boldly go where no one has gone before." --Jeff Shannon

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The beginning of the Star Trek story line.....

I watched the original episodes and watched most of TNG and when they ended. I felt DS9, Voyager and Enterprise were nothing but a bunch of spin off meaning the title (star trek being used in each of them). I didn't understand DS9 and Voyager at the time and didn't follow Enterprise.
It wasn't until later when I've collected them all! Every single star trek episode and movie to date that I realized it's telling one big story.
Which bring me to this movie. I now consider this film being the first episode in the story I mean. I'm sure a lot of you have seen it already if you haven't you won't understand the series Enterprise. I HOPE THIS GRABS YOUR GUYS ATTENTION!! I'll continue with my review on Enterprise season one

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A Return To Action

After chasing God in Star Trek V, reenacting the Cold War in IV, and being offered an ultimate "fantasy life" in Generations (all very philosophically-themed films), Star Trek: First Contact shifted its focus to action/adventure, and was better served for it. Plus, not only was the film a rousing adventure, but also containted the emotions to back it up.

In this film, the Next Generation crew is reunited with the Borg (whom, perhaps with the exception of Klingons, are the most compelling villain race in the Star Trek cannon). This reunion touches an extremely raw nerve in Captain Jean-Luc Picard, who once was captured and tortured by the Borg, setting up the emotional drama of the film. The "Picard meltdown" scene is one of the best in the entire Star Trek series as far as emotional conflict is concerned. While trying to stop the Borg from changing the entire course of human space travel (the main plot of the film), Picard must balance his intense hatred of the one-eyed automatrons with the safety and well-being of himself, his crew, and the entire human race.

Besides that strong emotion, though, the other aspect of the film that succeeds is its ability (much like the II-IV movies) to give all the Enterprise crew something important (and interesting) to do. Worf tries to secure the ship from the Borg, Data is heavily drawn into the Borg's plan (being a cybernetic being himself), while Riker, Geordi, and Troi must help Zefram Cochrane gain the confidence to lift off on the most important of all manned space flights. Each story is just as compelling as the other, with Worf providing the bulk of the action, Data adding more emotional conflict, and Riker/Geordi/Troi pushing the main plot forward as well as adding doses of humor.

To conclude, Star Trek: First Contact is easily the best Star Trek film featuring the Next Generation cast, and I would argue rivals movies II and IV as the best in the entire series. With its combination of action, emotional drama, time-travel plot (those always keep you thinking!), and sly humor, this film combines all the positive aspects of the Star Trek cannon and tops things off with a great script and spot-on acting. If you have never seen a Star Trek movie and could care less about the "old guys" (The Original Series cast), this is the movie to start with. If you were introduced (albeit rather poorly) to the Next Generation crew in Star Trek: Generations, this movie will properly aquaint you to the show.

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First Contact-The best of the New Gen Flicks!

Another of my "retro-reviews","Star Trek:First Contact" is by far and away the best of the new generation movies made.
The movie sets the mood and pace almost right from the get go.The Earth is being assaulted by a Borg cube ship but the Enterprise is told to stand down and is sent to a remote section of the quadrant to do some star mapping.This step has been apparently taken by the Earth governing hierarchy due to Picards' assimilation by the Borg years before.
The battle is listened to closely by the bridge crew and all is not going well.When Picard cannot take anymore he hurries back to Earth to help.They arrive in the nick of time and help to destroy the cube ship.But a Borg escape pod gets away and hurls earthward.The Enterprise pursues and goes through the same time portal the escape pod creates.They are taken back to the year 2063 and it seems the Borg are here to stop Zephram Cochran(inventor of warp drive)from taking his first flight(due to be the next day) and conquer Earth itself;to change the future for their own purposes.
The Enterprise closes in on the pod which is firing Earthward and destroys it.Unbeknownst to the crew though,a party of Borg transported aboard the ship,seconds before its' destruction.The Enterprise crew lands on Earth and meets the warp drive inventor and assists him in every way possible so he makes the all important flight.Besides the flight being a first test for warp drive it will also lead to a first contact situation with intelligent alien life which in turn will lead the Earth on its' path towards permanent space exploration.
During all this time with Cochran the crew slowly realizes and starts to come to grips with the Borg threat aboard the Enterprise.
Several crew members are taken hostage and assimilated including Data.Picard eventually gives himself to the Borg who are lead by a queen.
It's touch and go but Picard with Data's help,eventually defeats the queen and her coterie.The ship is saved from destruction and Cochrans' historic flight takes place as it should with the positive resultant effects.
The movie rarely stops for a moment as the pace is relentless and it keeps you focused all the time.All of the new gen crew are there who do a good job playing the characters to a tee from the TV show and even DS9 is given a nod as Worf comes aboard after having lead an almost fatal attack against the Borg on the Defiant.The queen Borg is played by Alice Krige who gives a great performance with just the right amount of omnipotence and menace coupled with a good measure of faux sincerity in her voice and body language.
There are some very minor drawbacks here and there in this film.The biggest one however is Zephram Cochran himself.Anyone in the least familiar with Star Trek,and the original series in particular,knows about Cochran.Captain Kirk met Cochran on a far away planet in one of the better known eps.There are slight differences in detail from the Cochran of Picard and the one of Kirk.Not the least of which being their physical appearances and mannerisms.There is very little if anything one can match up between the two actors or their characters,only that we are supposed to believe that they are one and the same Cochran.The writers knew they were taking a chance with this aspect and while over-all plot wise it works,with me there's always that thing in my head that keeps saying:"No,these are just NOT the same people".And that always creates that "bump" in an otherwise smooth ride.
Technically the print is crisp and clear and the transfer was very good.The two disc set here has alot of features to offer and should satisfy all the Trek fans.
In conclusion this is overall a really good movie and a worthy entry in the Star Trek cannon.Its' plot is quick and well thought out and the acting is spot on throughout and Ms.Kriges' performance as a Borg queen is a standout.If your a Star Trek fan this movie deserves a spot on your shelf.It's just too bad the follow ups to this didn't come close in script and execution.

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Lots of fun, but not for the uninitiated

Enjoyable, action-filled, but if you haven't watched the series, you might be a bit at sea.

So let's see: um, Picard once got bitten by a cyborg race called the Borg and developed Space Lime Disease, and oh yeah, Warf is on that spin-off show Deep Space Nine, so that's why he's on that little ship (with nobody else from that show, apparently). Oh, and there's this guy named Zephram Cochrane from the ORIGINAL series who created warp drive, and later became immortal, sort of.

But if you can chew through that or ignore it, there's the nasty Borg queen, played by Alice Krige with scene-stealing glee, nifty space battles, fun with the holodeck, mercy killing, and the always effective Alfre Woodard. And don't forget James Cromwell, just a few years after that little piggy movie got him a much better agent.

Jonathan Frakes, (Commander Riker) directed, quite capably. The film moves along at a nice pace, rarely stalling (usually only when Patrick Stewart is having a "SERIOUS ACTING!" moment). There's the story on the ship, battling the Borg, and the story on the planet, where half the crew is trying to get the reluctant Cochrane up in the air in his rickety warp ship, on schedule. Balancing the two stories is really quite a feat.

Compare the editing and cutting between the two stories with Lucas's dismal Episode One: I would have gladly killed little Anikin, Jar-jar, Amidala and her bully-boys myself just so we could get back to the climactic light saber duel.

This Trek movie is enjoyable, but if the second paragraph above make you go "huh?", better get a trekkie on the couch to ask questions when you watch this.

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Fight For Humanity Or A Madman's Revenge?

That's the key question one should ask himself when viewing "Star Trek: First Contact." In this first solo outing for the TNG crew, Picard and the gang find themselves facing off against the highly popular villains called the Borg. Having been defeated every time they've battled the Enterprise, the Borg devise a plan to travel back in time to stop a key event in Earth's history and then (big shocker) assimilate everybody. In a heated and action-packed space battle, the Borg jump through time with the Enterprise E hot on their tale. The Borg cube is destroyed almost immediately, but this is only the beginning of a fast-paced and highly enjoyable action/dramatic yarn that goes so far as to question a particular crewmember's sanity.

While he isn't at the helm of the Enterprise in this film, Jonathan Frakes does call the shots behind the camera. He takes the screenplay crafted by Brannon Braga and Ronald D. Moore and blends just enough action into the script to keep the story moving at a good clip. As much as I enjoy TNG, I do have to say that the series was often weighed down by long and drawn out moments of dialogue. Frakes puts the brakes on these sequences at just the right time.

Patrick Stewart delivers a solid performance as Picard. Matching him scene-for-scene is Alfre Woodard in an excellent performance as a fish-out-of-water aboard the Enterprise. James Cromwell proves once again that he deserves bigger roles than the ones he usually gets. Brent Spiner is sufficient as always as Data and the rest of the crew do an excellent job as well.

The music and special effects are also very good. As stated before, the space battle sequence is amazing. There's also some zero-gravity action as well.

This two-disc set is an excellent addition to any Trek fan's collection (or, in this case, collective). The special features are a nice treat, and I personally enjoyed the audio commentary from Frakes. I highly recommend this action-packed space yarn to Trek fans as well as fans of excellent science fiction.

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