Star Trek: Insurrection Blu-Ray Review

Rated PG (Sci-Fi Action Violence, Mild Language and Sensuality)

Running Time: 1 Hour & 43 Minutes

Cast:

Patrick Stewart-Captain Jean-Luc Picard

Jonathan Frakes-Commander William Riker

Brent Spiner-Lieutenant Commander Data

LeVar Burton-Chief Engineer Geordi La Forge

Michael Dorn-Lieutenant Commander Worf

Gates McFadden-Doctor Beverly Crusher

Marina Sirtis-Counselor Deanna Troi

F. Murray Abraham-Ad'har Ru'afo

Donna Murphy-Anij

Gregg Henry-Subahdar Gallatin

Anthony Zerbe-Vice Admiral Matthew Dougherty

Daniel Hugh Kelly-Sojef

Michael Welch-Artim

Majel Barrett-Ship's Computer

Directed by Jonathan Frakes

Lock and load: Captain Picard and his crew abandon their uniforms in "Star Trek Insurrection."

Note: Part of the "Star Trek The Next Generation Motion Picture Collection" Blu-Ray set. 

After the excellent “Star Trek First Contact,” another installment featuring the TNG cast was a no-brainer for Paramount. With Ronald D. Moore and Brannon Braga busy working on the television series “Deep Space Nine” and “Voyager,” writer/producer Rick Berman teamed up with Michael Piller and set out to make the ninth film much lighter in tone. Released on December 11, 1998 and now available on Blu-Ray, “Star Trek Insurrection,” despite its action-oriented tagline, definitely features a few comedic scenes that borders on cheesiness but is saved thanks to its allegorical plot.

As the Federation is embroiled in a bloody conflict with the Dominion (recounted in DS9), the USS Enterprise-E are on a diplomatic mission when Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) receives a disturbing message from Admiral Matthew Dougherty (Anthony Zerbe): Data (Brent Spiner) has malfunctioned while observing a peaceful agrarian race known as the Ba’ku, attacking Starfleet officers and their ally, the Son’a. Although Dougherty rejects the Enterprise’s assistance, Picard becomes suspicious and orders the ship to set a course for the Briar Patch, where the Ba’ku home planet is located. After a harrowing chase, Picard and Worf (Michael Dorn) manage to capture Data and learn that the Ba’ku have warp capability and were a formerly technologically advanced race, but abandoned it to live in harmony with nature. As the Enterprise crew investigates what caused Data to malfunction, they discover a cloaked Federation ship that is home to a gigantic holodeck. Picard concludes that the Ba’ku is to be forcibly removed from the planet but does not know why. Later that night, he beams down to the planet and learns from Anij (Donna Murphy) that the planet’s rings contain metaphasic radiation particles, which allows the Ba’ku to be constantly rejuvenated and lead long lives but blocks communication to outside space. Picard now knows that corrupt Federation officials and the Son’a, led by Ahdar Ru'afo (F. Murray Abraham), are planning to harvest the particles and forcibly remove its people and immediately confronts Dougherty about this blatant violation of the Prime Directive. Dougherty orders the Enterprise to leave immediately but Picard decides to take matters into his own hands and abandons his uniform, and along with his crew, defends the Ba’ku from the villainous Son’a. 

“Star Trek Insurrection” is without a doubt a weaker film compared to “First Contact” and the overall tone is rather cheerful, so there’s a lack of tension even during the space battles. You just know that the Enterprise is going to save the day once again! Some may find the film’s comedic elements groan-inducing but for the most part, I wasn’t bothered and some of them were chuckle-worthy, especially the chase scene where Picard subdues Data with a sing-along to “A British Tar” from the musical “HMS Pinafore” by Gilbert and Sullivan. This time, the theme is an allegory about the forceful relocation of a less advanced race, recalling our violent past with Native Americans when we pushed toward the west. There’s also the idea about the ‘Fountain of Youth’ and our culture’s obsession with trying to look younger. Of course, when such a thing exists, you can guarantee that some people will kill, even annihilate an entire people, to obtain it. Once again, a subplot involves Data learning what it’s like to be a child, reinforcing the film’s friendly tone. ‘The best Star Trek stories are allegorical—in addition to telling an involving story, they're about something other than going into space and blowing up enemy ships’ (James Berardinelli, ReelViews) and this helps “Insurrection” from becoming another “Final Frontier.” 

The acting continues to impress and Patrick Stewart once again delivers an impressive performance as Starfleet’s consummate captain. He plays a less serious role compared to “First Contact” and seems to enjoy it very much (he also had story input and serves as associate producer). Brent Spiner’s Data returns to his more Pinocchio-like quest to learning to be more human and gets some lessons on having fun from a child, played by Michael Welch (whom you might recognize from last year’s “Twilight”). The rest of the cast are in fine shape but some of the TNG cast, like Gates McFadden, Marina Sirtis and even Jonathan Frakes don’t have too much screen-time. Granted, Frakes was also doing double duty as director but this marks a disturbing trend where the TNG films are increasingly focused on Picard and Data. F. Murray Abraham is Ru'afo, who definitely pales in comparison to the Borg Queen and even though he carries out his threats, you never feel like he’s a serious threat. He does sport a weird wrinkly face; there was this scene where he was undergoing a face-lift and the skin is held tight with a staple gun! 

“Insurrection” continues the use of digital effects began in the previous film but due to the change in visual effects studios (Industrial Light & Magic was busy with “Star Wars Episode I The Phantom Menace”), the results are not as good. Still, the design of the Son’a ships look detailed and unique, resembling boomerangs. The only ship battle is the one between the Enterprise and two of the Son’a battle cruisers in the Briar Patch but it’s all too brief. The Blu-Ray is the weakest out of the TNG box set so far but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing. Close-ups look great but sometimes the depth of field is too excessive, making the background look fuzzy. At its best, you’ll get some excellent wide shots that show off the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the green colors are very vibrant in the Ba’ku village, creating a sense of a simple, idyllic paradise. The extra clarity sometimes make the digital effects more obvious, such as the Son’a drones which have a slight black outline to them. Although “Insurrection” is the quietest TNG film, audio is strong and dialogue is always crisp. Phaser blasts still have some oomph to them and while Jerry Goldsmith’s score doesn’t reach the epic heights of “First Contact,” this Blu-Ray still makes for an engaging listen despite the subdued sound mix. Special features include a new commentary from director Jonathan Frakes and co-star Marina Sirtis (Frakes generally agrees this is not on par with “First Contact”) and various featurettes detailing the production process such as the visual effects and the makeup for the Son’a, ported from the Collector’s Edition DVD. Once again, Paramount packs quite a large amount of extras so fans won’t be disappointed. 

Released on December 11, 1998, “Star Trek Insurrection” received mixed reviews from critics as they found the film ‘sluggishly paced [and] plays like an extended episode of the TV series,’ averaging a 54% on Rotten Tomatoes. The film made $70 million domestic and $113 million worldwide, a moderate success though Paramount viewed it as a disappointment, leading to the four-year gap with “Star Trek Nemesis.” “Star Trek Insurrection” features a lighter, more optimistic tone in line with Gene Roddenberry’s vision and though some may find it cheesy, this is still a great TNG film due to the allegorical plot, which has always been Star Trek’s greatest strength.

Final Rating: 3.5 out of 5

"And here you are, closing those eyes, trying not to see what bitterness has done to the Son'a, how its turned Ru'afo into a madman. And you, turned you into a coward, a man who denies his own conscious. A coward without the moral courage to prevent an atrocity. You offend me!"