Ive never really got Star Trek, and to be honest I still havent! For despite Nemesis being the tenth movie in the series and not withstanding the fact that its a great action film, I had to have Trekkie (sorry - fan!) Luke Ashmead there to explain to me what the hell was going on!  | | This must be a baddie |
On the way there I felt quite confident. Because even though I had never been a fan, Star Trek is part of popular culture. We all know the familiar phrases, and the characters have been satirised and spoofed for years. I was even quite looking forward to it. But soon my heart sank. "Leonard Nimoy must be getting on a bit now" I offered, trying to look like I knew what I was talking about, only to be informed to my horror that Dr Spock wasnt in it any more and worse - there was no more Captain Kirk and the Klingons were no longer the enemy. In fact, one was even on the staff of the Enterprise. It was Star Trek alright - but not as I knew it. With a heavy heart, I took my seat. Things started to look up when they started off in romantic comedy stylee with a nice wedding of two characters who I was told were called Riker and Troi. But of course this wasn’t going to last because the Enterprise crew were suddenly (and obviously) diverted on an unexpected diplomatic mission to a planet called Romulus, whose residents were apparently long time enemies of the ‘Federation’. It took about half an hour for me to work out that Romulans wanted to negotiate unity in the galaxy and another 30 minutes to realise that they didn’t. Because eventually Picard meets his nemesis, who could not only be his most dangerous enemy yet, but whose actions could also lead to the destruction of Earth. Of course! Isn't the Earth always in danger in Star Trek?! It turns out that in the past, Picard was cloned with stolen DNA, but this clone, known as Shinzon was left on another planet called Remus when the plan was abandoned. Years later, this clone escapes and becomes the first human ruler of the Romulan empire! With me so far? The already creaking plot (the bits that I understood anyway!) got increasingly shakier because Picard's clone actually doesn't look much like him! Although this is explained away by a story of his experiencing serious facial injury in the past. So let the battle commence. And thats about the gist of it really except to say that in the ensuing all action part of the film there are some superb special effects and an ending that will surprise true fans. These real fans, with their knowledge of all the previous films and endless TV series and spin-offs will, I'm sure, be able to discuss the good and bad points at length, and enjoy doing so. (See Lukes's review >>) For the uninitiated, as a stand alone film it's OK if you like explosions and fights, but if not, and you don't want to endure endless stretches of meaningless conversation, I'd seriously suggest doing some research first. Oh yes, I nearly forgot - there is also the customary message, in this case we learn what it is that separates the human from the android. Something about free will and the desire for self-improvement. To all involved with Star Trek - please take note if you ever do another one! Read a Trekkie view >>
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