I quite enjoyed 'Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)', to be honest. Once it's properly underway, it's a fair bit of fun. Of course, it has its issues. It's often oddly goofy, seems preoccupied with being lighter than its predecessor and its characters - aside from Picard and, arguably, Data - are all pretty bland overall. The piece also struggles through several supposedly romantic sequences that end up coming across as anaemic and, even, quite cringe-worthy. It features plenty of really bizarre scenes. This includes a sequences in which Picard and Worf sing classical karaoke in order to calm a malfunctioning Data, a moment in which Picard storms into his chambers and demands "something Latin" before he does a little dance in front of his bathroom mirror, and a scene in which Troi sensually shaves Riker's signature goatee as they share a candle-lit bubble bath. These parts are all as weird as they sound and they aren't the only eyebrow-raising moments in the movie. Still, they're more funny than frustrating, which pretty much mitigates even the most head-scratching of them. The plot is peppered with more serious problems, but its pacing is mostly snappy and it centres around some interesting ideas. I don't think Picard's position on the central conflict is quite as misguided as most others seem to, as the displacement of one group of people for the benefit of another (even if that one is larger) is an inherently iffy idea. Neither of the two extremes are ideal but they're the only options posited, which does create a legitimate ethical crisis and is worth exploring. The flick doesn't quite have the gumption to do this in an incredibly effective way, but it uses its philosophical underpinning as an intriguing way to propel its plot forward while affording some insight into its central characters. Putting its heroes alongside the people they're trying to protect goes a long way in making you care about both, allowing the affair to avoid the 'faceless stakes' issue that plagued some of its predecessors. Still, the picture is fairly clunky overall. Something feels slightly off about it, too. It's enjoyable enough for what it is, but it's far from the best in its series. It's fairly fun fluff. 6/10.
Review of Star Trek: Insurrection
