With the success of the second feature film from The Next Generation
crew of Star Trek, a third was certainly on the way. After
all, the original crew had made six by the end of their run and Trek fans certainly
wouldn’t mind another six great movies in the franchise. Unfortunately
what Trekkies found as they entered theaters was the sub-par Star Trek:
Insurrection. While it will never hold its own against the Trek movie
greats, it is still getting the royal treatment in this Special Collector’s
Edition.
Thus far, the Special Collector’s Edition DVD sets for the Star
Trek movie catalogue have been fantastic. The entire concept and amount
of material that go into these sets truly do make them worthy of their titles.
Don’t be fooled by the plethora of other collections out there that boast
the title of “Special Edition.” Some only include a widescreen version
of the film accompanied by a few “making of” documentaries. But
these Star Trek Special Collector’s Editions include
that and much more. Even though Star Trek: Insurrection proved
not to be that great of a movie, the special features still make it a set for
any Trek fan to own.
THE MOVIE: Insurrection finds the crew of the Enterprise-E coming to an
uncharted region of space outside of the great Federation’s jurisdiction
to retrieve their android crewman Data (Brent Spiner), after he malfunctions
during an undercover reconnaissance mission. Known as “The Briar Patch,”
the area is home to a peaceful race known as the Ba’ku who inhabit the
only known planet. The world however, is home to more than the small civilization
of 600, its rings are the source of a form of radiation with “fountain
of youth” properties. The Ba’ku have not aged in 309 years.
Data’s malfunction does more than introduce the Ba’ku to outsider’s
presence however. When he reveals a hidden base placed on the planet to watch
the Ba’ku, a plan that violates the very heart of the Federation’s
ideals, The Prime Directive, begins to be uncovered. A conspiracy orchestrated
by Starfleet’s Admiral Dougherty (Anthony Zerbe) and Ru’afo (F.
Murray Abraham), the leader of a race known as the Son’a, is blown wide
open. Their plan: to collect the radiation from the planet’s rings and
exploit its properties. The Son’a are a dieing race, plagued by a decaying
aging process…their skin needing literally to be stretched back over and
stapled to their bodies to keep it from just falling off. But the spoils of
the radiation are not meant for the Son’a alone. Even the Federation could
share in its wealth. The price for immortality however is high, as it usually
is. Since the process of collecting the radiation would destroy any life on
the planet, the Ba’ku needed to be moved. Preferably without their knowing.
Now, with Commander Riker (Jonathan Frakes) taking the Enterprise back out of
the Briar Patch to send word of the transgressions to Starfleet, it’s
up to Picard and the rest of the TNG crew to keep the Ba’ku safe –
against the orders of Admiral Dougherty.
In the end, Star Trek: Insurrection seems to play out more
like an extended episode of The Next Generation than a feature
film. It doesn’t have the feel that Generations and First
Contact had. For me, the story didn’t seem big enough for a movie.
However, the film remains entertaining for what it is. If there’s one
thing that Insurrection has more of, it’s humor. The
lighthearted humor that showed up often in The Next Generation
television series is ever present here in Insurrection. Another thing the two
previous Trek movies did not have which give them an upper hand was the clichéd
love story. In Insurrection, Captain Picard of course becomes
attracted to one of the Ba’ku, Anij (Donna Murphy). I mean, even though
I don’t like forced love stories, I have to give Picard credit because
she’s pretty damn good looking. Anyway, it’s a low point of the
story. High points of the story include a fairly decent, but short, battle between
the Enterprise and two Son’a warships, and Counselor Troi’s and
Dr. Crusher’s boobs firming up. Finally, if someone can’t find anything
good to say about the story, they can certainly agree that Star Trek:
Insurrection has some of the most gorgeous scenery and location shoots
ever put on film. From the mountains and frigid lakes to the constructed Ba’ku
village, it truly is a movie full of scenic eye candy.
The collection itself is a fine piece of DVD creationism. The movie looks excellent
in its 16:9 widescreen format, and sounds just as good with multiple options
for Dolby 5.1 and DTS surround. I know I could appreciate it even further if
I had an HD TV, or, well, a TV that wasn’t as old. But for those of you
with some good home theater systems, as all Trekkies are sure to have assuming
they’ve moved from their parent’s basement, you’ll thoroughly
enjoy the look of the transfer to DVD. The case itself is the standard double-width
two-disc case the previous Special Collector’s Editions have. The discs
have nice art, and the case’s cover-art is equally as pleasing. All the
menus are nicely constructed and animated. All in all, the only thing this set
truly lacks is a fantastic movie!
THE EXTRAS:
The staple of a Special Collector’s Edition is the amazing amount, not
to mention quality, of extras. Insurrection comes with a number of special features,
most of them specifically aimed at the movie. Here’s a run down of what’s
included.
Production:
-It Takes A Village: Cast, crew, and producers talk about the movie, it’s
ideas, it’s ideals, and the making of the film.
-Location, Location, Location: A look at the stunning scenery and landscapes
where Insurrection was filmed. It’s short, but it’s really beautiful.
-The Art Of Insurrection: A detailed look from the design team at the landscapes,
buildings, and especially the starships of Insurrection. Always worth a look.
-Anatomy Of A Stunt: Watch how a scene where Data punches some enemies off a
cliff is filmed. The funny part is the scene never made it into the final cut
of the film.
-The Story: The cast, particularly Patrick Stewart, writers, and producers talk
about the meaning of Insurrection, and where the ideas came from. A good watch.
-Making Star Trek: Insurrection: Go behind the scenes with everyone and see
how the movie was filmed, the fun of everyday shooting, the special effects
and many other aspects of making the movie.
-Director’s Notebook: Jonathan Frakes gives viewers a good look at his
daily jobs, and actions as the film’s director. I really like Frakes,
he’s a great guy, and really funny. Seems to be a pretty good director
too.
Creating The Illusion:
-Shuttle Chase: Watch the step by step process of how the shuttle chase is constructed
and filmed. Since most of it is CGI, it’s cool to see how everything is
put together.
-Drones: Explore the process of using CGI and miniatures to create the scenes
where the computerized drones fly through the Ba’ku mountains.
-Duck Blind: Special Effects producers explain the steps behind creating the
illusion that Data and the other characters are invisible, and hiding the Duck
Blind.
NOTE: All of these are kind of short, but are pretty thorough. Definitely worth
a look.
The Star Trek Universe:
-Westmore’s Aliens: Take a short journey with Michael Westmore through
decades worth of creating aliens for Star Trek. It’s amazing to see just
how many Westmore has designed.
-Star Trek’s Beautiful Alien Women: Take another journey through the annals
of Trek history and see all the extremely hot woman Trekkies have no doubt pinned
up around their computer workstation.
Archives & Advertising:
-Storyboards: Flip through the sketches and storyboards for the movie. I find
this rather dull.
-Photo Gallery: Useless.
-Trailers: Watch the teaser and theatrical trailers.
Commentaries:
Sadly, the only commentary included is a text commentary by Michael and Denise
Okuda. I’m not sure why a director commentary or producer’s commentary
was not included. Frankly, I enjoyed Frakes’ commentary on First
Contact.
The Special Collector’s Edition of Star Trek: Insurrection
definitely belongs in every Trek fan’s collection. If you’re like
me, you’ve already sold the copies of the movies in regular release DVD,
and have added the SCE’s to your collection instead. While Insurrection
is not the best of Star Trek movies, the special features are
definitely worth the purchase price of the set. I’m glad to have it as
part of my ever-growing Trek collection. Bring on Nemesis!
Movie Score: C+
Extras Score: A
Overall DVD Score: B-
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