It was interesting to rewatch and reevaluate "Insurrection" because at the time when I saw it in the theater I was extremely disappointed. I even felt a little ripped off, because the whole affair felt to me like a pretty standard Star Trek episode stretched like the skin of the alien villains in the film well past the point of integrity. I also felt disappointed that Berman and the other Paramount decision makers had further abandoned any attempt at character development or continuity between films in the series.
There just seems to be a lack of ambition and imagination surrounding the entire project. Although I definitely enjoyed it much more this time around maybe it's just that an extended ST:TNG episode is more appealing now in 2007 than it was in 1998 the show has been off the air for a few years now and is barely syndicated at this point. But I also noticed some positive qualities Geordi LaForge was always my favorite supporting character in the show and he gets his best scene in the series here watching a sunset with Picard after gaining his vision. F. Murray Abraham is as good as the script will let him be and the makeup effect is pretty striking (I love how he starts bleeding from pores in his face when he gets angry). There are some excellent set pieces like the bit with Picard and Worf chasing down a renegade Data and singing Gilbert and Sullivan to pacify him. The first time I saw it I was confused by the characters departing so much from their established personalities, but this time I realized it was due to the sci-fi element, the effects of the planet's healing properties on the crew. From that perspective it's very nice to see characters reverting back to earlier behavior and I like seeing the clean-shaven Riker again though I never bought his relationship to Troi.
But the essential reality hasn't changed. The sets and locations look and feel exactly like a dozen episodes of the Next Generation show, and the costumes for the aliens are downright mundane. It's impossible not to be reminded of little Wesley Crusher (thank the gods of ST that he and Alexander did not make film appearances) getting in trouble for throwing a ball in the bushes, when you see these perfect and mellow people in their "paradise." The direction by Frakes is standard TV direction just like in "First Contact." Too much of the story revolves around the 2 central plot twists, and you can almost feel the commercial break coming on. Abraham's villain is fun to look at and the concept is good, but he never really confronts Picard or the Enterprise in such a way that the conflict feels personal. Donna Murphy is a fine actress and it's great to see Picard "hook up", but their love affair is too gentle to be believable, totally lacking in drama, and then it's dispensed with at the conclusion far too easily . Again, just like a TV episode in which the consequences of the episode cannot intrude into the flow of the series.
One thing I did like, however, was the central concept the search for immortality is universal and compelling, and tying it into the history of "forced relocations" adds the kind of real-world resonance that "First Contact" and the first 3 films in the original series were lacking. The fact that members of the Federation are in a conspiracy and that their motives remain ambiguous even after the conspiracy is uncovered is also very much in the spirit of the best qualities of the Next Generation show with its increased emphasis on political intrigue, another element missing from previous Star Trek films (with the notable exception of "The Undiscovered Country." Another interesting story element of note on the commentary for "1st Contact" regular series writers Brannon Braga and Ronald Moore discuss an original draft in which Picard remains on the planet and is involved in a love affair while Riker fights the aliens in space as a "B plot" (btw, it's telling how even now the screenwriters discuss plot mechanics exactly like a TV episode). Here we have a different credited writer, but the resulting plot is very similar to what was originally conceived for "First Contact" but changed apparently on Patrick Stewart's request.
In the final analysis, I feel the film is actually more pleasing to me as a fan because it's more true to the tradition of Star Trek than "First Contact." At least this one actually utilizes science-fiction ideas, as opposed to simply doing an action movie in space. But the film isn't as ambitious as it should be, and I feel the central problem is that the alien culture was made too simple and earth-bound, the melodrama between Picard and his love interest was non-existent, and overall there's just not enough meat on this story's bones. But what we do get is pretty well done and pleases me as a fan of the show.
There just seems to be a lack of ambition and imagination surrounding the entire project. Although I definitely enjoyed it much more this time around maybe it's just that an extended ST:TNG episode is more appealing now in 2007 than it was in 1998 the show has been off the air for a few years now and is barely syndicated at this point. But I also noticed some positive qualities Geordi LaForge was always my favorite supporting character in the show and he gets his best scene in the series here watching a sunset with Picard after gaining his vision. F. Murray Abraham is as good as the script will let him be and the makeup effect is pretty striking (I love how he starts bleeding from pores in his face when he gets angry). There are some excellent set pieces like the bit with Picard and Worf chasing down a renegade Data and singing Gilbert and Sullivan to pacify him. The first time I saw it I was confused by the characters departing so much from their established personalities, but this time I realized it was due to the sci-fi element, the effects of the planet's healing properties on the crew. From that perspective it's very nice to see characters reverting back to earlier behavior and I like seeing the clean-shaven Riker again though I never bought his relationship to Troi.
But the essential reality hasn't changed. The sets and locations look and feel exactly like a dozen episodes of the Next Generation show, and the costumes for the aliens are downright mundane. It's impossible not to be reminded of little Wesley Crusher (thank the gods of ST that he and Alexander did not make film appearances) getting in trouble for throwing a ball in the bushes, when you see these perfect and mellow people in their "paradise." The direction by Frakes is standard TV direction just like in "First Contact." Too much of the story revolves around the 2 central plot twists, and you can almost feel the commercial break coming on. Abraham's villain is fun to look at and the concept is good, but he never really confronts Picard or the Enterprise in such a way that the conflict feels personal. Donna Murphy is a fine actress and it's great to see Picard "hook up", but their love affair is too gentle to be believable, totally lacking in drama, and then it's dispensed with at the conclusion far too easily . Again, just like a TV episode in which the consequences of the episode cannot intrude into the flow of the series.
One thing I did like, however, was the central concept the search for immortality is universal and compelling, and tying it into the history of "forced relocations" adds the kind of real-world resonance that "First Contact" and the first 3 films in the original series were lacking. The fact that members of the Federation are in a conspiracy and that their motives remain ambiguous even after the conspiracy is uncovered is also very much in the spirit of the best qualities of the Next Generation show with its increased emphasis on political intrigue, another element missing from previous Star Trek films (with the notable exception of "The Undiscovered Country." Another interesting story element of note on the commentary for "1st Contact" regular series writers Brannon Braga and Ronald Moore discuss an original draft in which Picard remains on the planet and is involved in a love affair while Riker fights the aliens in space as a "B plot" (btw, it's telling how even now the screenwriters discuss plot mechanics exactly like a TV episode). Here we have a different credited writer, but the resulting plot is very similar to what was originally conceived for "First Contact" but changed apparently on Patrick Stewart's request.
In the final analysis, I feel the film is actually more pleasing to me as a fan because it's more true to the tradition of Star Trek than "First Contact." At least this one actually utilizes science-fiction ideas, as opposed to simply doing an action movie in space. But the film isn't as ambitious as it should be, and I feel the central problem is that the alien culture was made too simple and earth-bound, the melodrama between Picard and his love interest was non-existent, and overall there's just not enough meat on this story's bones. But what we do get is pretty well done and pleases me as a fan of the show.