Movie Review: Star Trek: Nemesis

This time around it was decided to step outside of the immediate galaxy to find a director and writer for the latest Star Trek film Nemesis. The writer also wrote Gladiator and the director has been at the helm of Lethal Weapon and Die Hard films. This may or may not be a wrap-up film for the "Next Generation" cast. Buzz has it that the next Trek film may include characters from "Voyager" or the new series "Enterprise".

In Star Trek: Nemesis, the crew of the Enterprise is celebrating the wedding of Will Ryker and Deanna Troi when they get a distress signal from a distant world. The away team is led into a trap by Shinzon (Tom Hardy) a young Romulan Praetor warlord who has destroyed a peaceful council on Romulus and wishes to rule the galaxy with a radioactive doomsday weapon. Killing all the pesky humans on Earth is a good start. Seems Shinzon spent his childhood in a horrible slave labor camp when a plan against the Federation (a plan that centered on Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) was trashed.

Shinzon and Picard must go face to face and ship to ship in a final battle that puts Earth and the future relations with the Romulans at stake.

You might label this film "The Wrath of Clone".This new addition to the Star Trek pantheon is packed with more action and clever CGI stunts (at one point Picard drives an alien shuttlecraft right through the halls of his enemy's large ship!) There is also a huge scale game of "chicken" at the end of the film that is pretty wild and fun to watch.

If you've ever watched the t.v. series, the film also is emotionally satisfying in that old-time lovers Ryker and Troi get hitched and Ryker will finally get to be the captain of his own ship. Even if you aren't a "trekkie", there are some very well-acted confrontations between Patrick Strewart who is commanding as Picard, and newcomer Tom Hardy as the tortured and twisted Shinzon.

Brent Spiner is back as Data and his lesser model B-4 and their android exchange is rather touching. Data also emerges as the true hero of the piece. Ron Perlman (of the popular t.v. series Beauty and the Beast) plays a Reman viceroy who is Shinzon's right-hand man and the character is both powerful and pitiful at times.

Dina Meyer (of the late Birds of Prey series) plays a feisty and friendly Romulan Commander and Geordi (LeVar Burton), Worf (Michael Dorn) and Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) are all back even if their roles are limited. Jerry Goldsmith's music is familiar but he's added some nice, softer pieces as well as the horns and fanfares. I'd say this one is more fun than the last couple of Trek films and more suited to the big screen as well.

For galaxy-bustin' action and familiar faces 4 out of 5 stars..

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Lynn Barker is a Hollywood-based entertainment journalist and produced screenwriter.