Popular Mechanics reviews Nemesis
David B.
The Voyage Continues
Newest "Star Trek" adventure will please longtime fans and film buffs
alike.
BY JIM WILSON
"Star Trek: Nemesis," the latest journey of the starship Enterprise, is
an unexpected holiday surprise. The wrapping is familiar: A puzzling
sensor reading from the edge of the Neutral Zone lures Captain Jean-Luc
Picard to detour from an interstellar milk run, thereby setting into
motion a chain of events that threatens humanity. What unfolds is,
happily, more than a variation on the basic "Star Trek" theme.
It would be unfair to reveal details in advance of the opening of the
film on Dec. 13. What can be said is that the drama revolves around the
re-emergence of a weapon that was built, discarded and forgotten.
As a good film should, "Nemesis" offers rewards commensurate with what
viewers personally bring to the show. Trekkies will be pleased to see
that director Stuart Baird--best known for "Executive Decision" and
"U.S. Marshals"--has remained true to the faith in his first "Star Trek"
film. "Even though Stuart knew less about 'Star Trek' than any director
we'd ever worked with, I was immediately impressed with him," says Rich
Berman, the film's producer. "He got what 'Star Trek' is about and he
came in and gave this movie a look and feel that we hadn't had before."
"At first I wasn't well acquainted with the 'Star Trek' universe," Baird
says." In doing some research I found myself quite taken with it." He
did his homework well. There is enough star fleet jargon to assure
viewers who have Klingon costumes hanging in their hall closets that
Baird is indeed one of them. For those of us who have trouble keeping
track of the people and plots of the many post-Kirk sequels and
spinoffs, Baird has neatly trimmed and knotted the strings left hanging
when those series ended. Commander William Riker is getting his own
starship. Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge finally bought contacts.
Smooth Action
As with previous "Star Trek" films, special effects play a strong
supporting role. Terry Frazee, special effects coordinator, and Mark
Forker, visual effects supervisor, have done a much better job of
integrating the action into the story than the snippets in movie
previews suggest. In the trailer, the scene of an ATV driving off a
cliff and into a waiting shuttlecraft seems absurd. In the context of
the film, though, it is the perfect conclusion to an imaginative desert
chase scene.
People who enjoy films that are technically well crafted will find much
to appreciate in "Nemesis." Director of photography Jeffrey L. Kimball's
camera work combined with Herman Zimmerman's production design give the
film a feeling of contemporary realism. If you have ever been curious
about how an editor contributes to a film, pay especially careful
attention to the way Dallas Puett has the camera cut momentarily to
Deanna Troi, just as Picard perfectly annunciates the word "bountiful"
in the toast scene at the start of the film. Counselor Troi should wear
dresses more often.