Star Trek Nemesis
It’s rare that a movie can earn the label of “Franchise Killer”, but this 10th in the cinematic run of the revered science fiction series managed to do just that, even as it was originally intended to only be the end of the line for one key character: Brent Spiner’s Data, 53 at the time of filming and requiring more gallons of makeup every time out in order to achieve the “ageless” android look, took home a story co credit and exited the storyline itself in what was supposed to be Spock like fashion, albeit without the emotional foreshadowing used in Wrath Of Khan, as Data’s inner conflict here appears to be more of an existential crisis rather than a desire to finally terminate once and for all, but terminate he does (in what feels more like a spontaneously put together scenario), saving the bacon of Picard and the rest of the crew with the expected crying and pouting over the loss of their android friend, but still putting in the hint that Data will live on in the form of a prototype droid who is also played by Spiner even as it’s pretty obvious that the actor had finally freed himself from his most famous role. However, it’s the whole Next Generation crew who would be 86ed from their breadwinning efforts, and it’s almost appropriate given what we’re served here, starting with the disastrous wedding of Riker and Troi, highlighted by Wil Wheaton’s Wesley Crusher returning only to be reduced to background detail while Data sings a wedding song so badly that it nearly makes the mighty Worf vomit up his guts. And sadly, that would be the highlight of Michael Dorn’s performance with his lack of having anything remotely important to do besides serving as the resident source of comic relief (as usual) causing a large amount of tension on the set between Dorn and director Stuart Baird (a legendary editor turned journeyman director who reportedly came onto set knowing next to nothing about Star Trek including the character names which is especially insulting considering that cast member and resident go to franchise director Jonathan Frakes was spurned from even being allowed to helm this entry even though he had done an excellent job on First Contact). As for LeVar Burton as ship engineer / Scotty stand in Geordi LaForge, it’s business as usual provided that business is the least important in the film as is the case with Gates McFadden as Beverly Crusher and as far as Frakes’ Riker and Marina Sirtis’ Troi are concerned, chemistry never seemed so far away as when the film’s villain finds a way to perform psychic rape on her as Riker huffs and puffs his way to an average husband lovemaking performance. And then there is that villain: Tom Hardy on the cusp of his stardom playing what we are TOLD is an exact DNA clone (albeit younger) of Patrick’s Stewart’s Picard as was created by the Romulans (although how the still villainous and distrusted Romulans happened upon Picard’s DNA itself is never quite explained) in a master plan to eliminate Picard and replace him with a duplicate clone which they would then control since Picard is considered such a highly respected Starfleet Captain (sounds somewhat familiar), but upon another regime change (which is something The Romulans are said to experience quite often), the poor sad clone was tossed into the garbage pit planet of Remus, whose native species was completely enslaved by The Roms and made to mine for precious minerals in order to keep them in business. But there’s some dirty work afoot as the film opens with the entire Romulan Senate being murdered in most gruesome fashion as key ranking members of the Romulan military install as the new leader (or “Prefect”) that very same clone who has now grown into adulthood and goes by the handle “Shinzon”. Unfortunately, Stewart must have balked at playing a dual role here as both hero and villain, so here we get Hardy as Picard’s Mini Me who must be destroyed, with Hardy’s performance (supposedly a recreation of a younger Stewart) instead harboring unhealthy undertones of both Richard O’Brien’s reptilian Mr. Hand from Dark City and (worse) Mike Myers’ over the top Dr. Evil, all the while assisted by his second in command played by a completely wasted Ron Perlman covered in heavy monster makeup while taking on a role that could have been essayed by anyone willing to sit in that makeup chair. Hardy also develops a perverse fascination with Troi, completely understandable since she remains the prettiest of all Star Trek characters in a situation where obsession is simply natural. Sadly, Hardy became disconnected from the other cast members during shooting, dabbling in drug use and the general malaise of mental illness in a toxic situation which led Stewart to later state that he believed that Hardy would have had a short lived career, a statement proven false as Hardy would go on to score one high profile casting coup after another from Venom to Bane to Max Rockatansky, but here the reviews were so scathing that he nearly quit acting altogether. But this remains a perfect storm to kill a major franchise to the point where the next major production would be a reboot / rehash of Kirk And Company with a new cast, a desperation move from the franchise shotcallers which paid off very well. Riker (who may well have been called Kirk Jr. due to his cockiness and swagger even as he was regularly shown up by the more intellectual Picard) finally gets to be the captain of his own ship by the end, taking his psychic wife off with him on their very own love vessel, but en route to their honeymoon of endless sex, they must first ride with Picard and the gang one last time in order to deal with the threat of Hardy’s Picard clone, in truth the new de facto ruler of the Romulan empire who just so happens to hate Romulans with a passion due to their treatment of him growing up, but for some unknown reason has decided to target Earth instead and blow it to smithereens with a planet killing superweapon which he alone possesses (while leaving the demonic Romulan planet alone) and also requiring a full transfusion of Picard’s blood in order to stay alive (i.e. killing Picard) with the irony being that having him in the Romulan driver’s seat would truly allow him to have the power and greatness he seeks by making all kinds of peace treaties with The Federation (the initial bait used to lure Picard in), but it turns out that we see him make the curious decision instead to bond with Picard all while telling him that it was the life he has lived and endured that transformed him into an erratic yet genocidal madman, the same fate which would have befallen Picard himself had he gone through the exact identical treatment as Picard seems to regard him with an almost beatific expression (the son he never had?), almost seeming to be reluctant to do his sworn duty to take out this even prissier version of his own self. The idea of using The Romulans for the first time in a movie setting has mixed results, as The Roms (essentially a rogue offshoot of the Vulcans with the same ears but with a much more progressive, liberal outlook, acting more enlightened while not being reluctant to enslave an entire lower race) tend to give off different vibes, particularly a female Senator (Dina “Dizzy” Meyer) who serves as a traitor helping to wipe out her colleagues during the opening massacre only to attempt a seduction on Hardy later on before being spurned (he hates both genders of Romulans even as the pussycat like Troi drives him crazy which still doesn’t explain why he wants to destroy Earth and kill all of the other human women like her) before finally standing side by side with Picard as a fully fledged good guy character, coupled with the final insult (although seemingly appropriate) of the dredging up of Whoopi Goldberg for a cameo as the ship’s bartender who’s allowed to be a guest at the Riker / Troi wedding, as we can see that Spiner’s attempt from a creative standpoint to finally jettison himself from the franchise would ultimately result in the entire Next Generation crew following him right out the door, not turning up again in anything Trek related until the revival series Picard nearly 20 years later as the complete and absolute critical and financial failure from this 2002 release finally managed to kill the momentum once and for all (with entire scenes being staged to seem like a spoof / homage to Spaceballs of all things), further cementing the perception that the Next Generation gang were but pale, second tier shadows of the legendary James Kirk and his Crew Of Immortals…
3/10