By now every Star Trek fan deserving of the name is familiar with the "odd/even" rule: the second, fourth, sixth and eighth "Trek" features were thoroughly entertaining; the first, third, fifth and seventh, not so much. Star Trek: Insurrection, the Enterprise's ninth feature voyage, doesn't do much to change that conventional wisdom. It's an average story competently told, the tale of Picard (Patrick Stewart) and company trying to save the inhabitants of a planet which has fountain-of-youth qualities from a genetically-deteriorating race (led by F. Murray Abraham). Like most of the films in the series, Insurrection is designed to appeal to the Trek faithful first, leading to a fragmented narrative in which every crew member gets a showcase sub-plot (this lack of focus unfortunately means less screen time for the charismatic Stewart). Actually, the film may end up working better on your television screen, since it feels more like a solid episode of the series (complete with in-your-face allegory) than a grand-scale theatrical film. Maybe there just aren't that many really good "Trek" film ideas to support a biannual franchise. If they wait four years next time around, they could perhaps end this "odd/even" business once and for all. Optional. (S. Renshaw)[DVD Review--June 14, 2005--Paramount, 2 discs, 103 min., PG, $19.98--Making its second appearance on DVD, Star Trek: Insurrection--Special Collector's Edition sports a solid transfer with DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 sound. DVD extras on this double-disc set include a text commentary by Michael and Denise Okuda, a 25-minute “making-of” featurette, the “Location, Location, Location” featurette (20 min.), a video director's notebook (19 min.), and “It Takes a Village” featurette on the sets (17 min.). Other featurettes include “The Story” (17 min.), “The Art of Insurrection (15 min.), and the six-minute “Anatomy of a Stunt.” “The Star Trek Universe” section includes “Westmore's Aliens” on costumes and design (18 min.), “Star Trek's Beautiful Alien Women” on the women of the Star Trek universe (13 min.), while the “Creating the Illusion” special effects featurettes touch on a shuttle chase (10 min.), the “drones” (5 min.) and the duck blind sequence (5 min.). In addition, there are seven deleted scenes (13 min.), a five-minute original promotional featurette, photo galleries, storyboards, and trailers. Bottom line: a typically excellent extras package for one of the lesser entries in the Star Trek feature film franchise.]
Star Trek: Insurrection
(Paramount, 103 min., PG, avail. May 11, <b>DVD</b>) Vol. 14, Issue 3
Star Trek: Insurrection
Star Ratings
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