Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)

 

Time for the last cinematic adventure for the crew of 'The Next Generation', but somehow it doesn't amount to the bang that most people would have hoped for. There is fun to be had with this installment, to be sure, but nevertheless, 'Nemesis' is a film that is a bit uneven and it could have done a little more to satiate Trekkies across the globe. 

But ah well, you get a very young Tom Hardy going up against Patrick Stewart. No, it is not as awesome as you might think. 

In the past, we've had the Klingons and the Borg as main antagonists, so this time they focus on another classic opponent: the Romulans. However, after the near complete massacre of the Romulan senate, the planet is now in the hands of a Reman praetor called Shinzon. The Enterprise is dispatched deep within the neutral zone in order to start talks, something the Federation really wants to do as the conflict with the Romulans has gone on for far too long. However, when they get there, it turns out Shinzon isn't what anyone expected, as he is human. 

Now how could a human possibly be the new Praetor? Turns out the Romulans had Picard cloned and wanted to replace him with this clone. But when politics decided this plan was going nowhere, Shinzon was dropped on Remus to die in the mines. He was more or less saved by the Reman he now calls his viceroy and from then on they plotted to take over the Empire. 

How can you do this as mere slaves? No one knows. No one explains it either, just go with it. 

Shinzon's main power stems from his massive Bird of Prey called the Scimitar, which houses a source of radiation that is capable of genocide on a  massive scale (because of course). But Shinzon himself is dying, as the cloning process left somewhat to be desired and he needs Picard's DNA in order to survive. So of course he wants to take it with force. Not only that, but he wants to annihilate Earth with this weapon so that he can rule supreme. 

Go figure: you discover you have a much younger version of yourself running around, turns out he is evil and wants to kill everyone. Don't you just hate it when that happens?

Naturally, Picard isn't too anxious to let this happen and together with a few Romulan captains, they try to stop the Scimitar and Shinzon, which in turn might lead to peace between the Federation and the Romulan Empire. 

This film has a lot of issues, alas. The main one being that it focuses so much on talking and especially on Picard and Data that there isn't much room for anything else. The plot threads are resolved almost haphazardly, which is how they are introduced in the first place. It's a shame, as for example 'First Contact' also focused more on Picard, yet gave everyone enough to do and it felt a lot more balanced. 

The antagonists are also a little bland. Tom Hardy was still very young and it shows. Shinzon isn't the most compelling villain and it feels more like they inserted a whiny version of Picard into it all. You honestly have no idea how he came to be such a master at strategy or rose through the ranks in swift fashion. It truly makes no sense. His viceroy is also just there. Try and recognize Ron Perlman underneath all those layers of makeup. He has this sort of psychic ability and is able to link to counsellor Troy, but they only use it twice and it doesn't do a whole lot for the story. They could have dropped it, where it not for the final act where Deanna uses this link to find the cloaked Scimitar. 

That is not the only thing they randomly introduce and do little with. They bring a sibling of Data into the fold (B-4), who is more akin to a child, but again: why? Sure, it sets up some sort of sequel bait, but still. It feels more like they wanted to give the fans something to hang onto after Data's demise.

Sorry, spoiler. What's that? Too late? 

What does work, is the final space battle, which is actually fun and feels fairly exhilarating. You get the Enterprise and two Romulans going head to head with the Scimitar and it is fun and shot well. It's just too bad that the rest of the film is quite a slog to get through. 

Hardcore fans will of course lap this one up and I must admit that I too find some enjoyment here, but of all the films concerning 'The Next Generation', this one is by far the least memorable. If you want, you can skip it and you wouldn't miss a thing.