Star Trek Nemesis

A nasty looking baddy out for revenge, some big space ships, some even bigger explosions and Patrick Stewart providing the serious acting credentials. Star Trek : Nemesis has all the ingredients required for a successful science fiction flick.

Now I don't want anyone going round repeating this ... But I'm a bit of a star trek fan ...shhhh!!! So any of you who know the series should know that it has most of best bits from series with a few extra explosions added in . For those of you thinking "Star Trek....errr no thanks !!!" this is one of the best films to have come from the franchise . It easily accessible with no knowledge of the series required for an understanding of what's going on.

The crew of the Enterprise is called to Romulus to aid a peace negotiations and are greeted by the leader of the Romulans who has more than a passing resemblance to Patrick Stewart's Captain Picard, and the fun and games begin. For those of you requiring your sci-fi to contain some aliens and some explosions rest assured that Nemesis delivers , for those who want a little more than that Nemesis is also about who we are and whether we become more than our genes and history.

Whatever you're looking for in a sci-fi film Nemesis is a good bet for finding it , I thoroughly enjoyed watching it ...

Set a course for the uniplex and see if you agree

Sarah Kent

***************

I also wrote a review, and as a fellow Trekkie, I hope Sarah doesn't mind if I add...

Right, Star Trek. Very serious stuff.

On the one side: the continuing, emotional story of human development and crisis management set in a far futuristic time. There is no selfishness, war or greed, and mankind, of every creed and colour, has managed to unite in the quest to reach the stars and beyond. All this with full co-operation between human and alien species, proving that bigotry is also a thing of the past. The ships are large and clean-lined, bespeaking a grace of mind and design that takes new light and beauty into the void of space. Even the uniforms have undergone an enlightenment, and are no longer the spine-cracking lyrca of yester-yore, and lie instead in flattering lines and slimming black across the shoulders and bellies of command. The great starship 'Enterprise' is manned by the finest that Starfleet (the Earth space agency) has to offer. The senior staff sets the benchmark, consisting of an equimonious mixture of both men and women, human and alien. The Captain is a cultured and diplomatic man of breeding, distinction and a superbly shiney dome (a British actor, of course, and an ex-Royal Shakespeare Company thesp).

Or: Star Trek is a long-running, cheesy TV and film series that began the whole nerdy fanboy behaviour thing, and continues to be the benchmark of all things cliche and commercial.

Well, I am a Star Trek... 'appreciator', so I make no excuses for writing this review. In this, the tenth film of the long-running franchise, Star Trek is steered by a new director into more deep and dramatic waters, and turns towards the former description and far away from the latter. This is a dark film, shot through with moody overtones of paranoia and deception.

The story begins at a wedding. I won't say whose, but it's been a long time coming, and it's about time, too. This is taking place just after a great war has ravaged the Star Trek universe (a war that was covered in the TV series, but basically it was the Federation- a bunch of allied planets including Earth- vs. some very nasty Dominion aliens). Just as everyone is getting themselves back on their feet, the Romulans (pointy-eared, looking a bit like scary elves with basin haircuts), previously the trouble-makers, are preparing to make a decision that could lead to a historic peace with the Federation. Right before they can, an internal coup led by large and angry Remen (butt-ugly cousins of the Romulans) brings in a new leader to power who is not all he seems... literally. After inviting Captain Picard to Planet Romulus on the pretext of continuing the peace talks, Praetor Shinzon begins to reveal some startling facts about his life and birth that could have serious repercussions for Picard. On a course of self-destructive revenge, Shinzon will pit himself against the might of the Federation, against Picard and the loyal crew of the 'Enterprise' in what could be the final battle for all of them.

Seeing the return of a number of favourite characters, and billed as 'A Generation's Final Journey', this is a sometimes uneasy ride of spectacular setpieces, tremendous space battles (but no joysticks this time, thank goodness), stirring scenery, epic dialogue and above all, two British actors chewing up the scenery. The tone of the film is one of fond farewell, and it stands as a fitting testament to how far Star Trek can come, and what it has achieved in nearly 40 years of existance. So sit back, relax, and disengage your mind for some rip-roaring adventure with our Thursday Sci-Fi double bill finale.

Kate 'Gizmo' Onyett