Star Trek: Generations (1994)

Very disappointing...

That was an excellent one.

A Major Disappointment

It's one of the most original films you'll likely see all year, which, depending on your threshold for certifiably crazy storylines, could be a rewarding experience or one that frustrates you.

This a great movie. It is better then the TV show. It is also better then the first 6 movies. It has a great story line. It also has great acting. Star Trek first contact is better. Star Trek insurrection is also better. Star Trek nemesis is also better.

The "Star Trek" Franchise did Not have to Fuse the Original and the "Next Generation" On the Big Screen in the First Film from the New TV Series...but THEY DID! So Fans of both Incarnations of the Never Ending Saga of Gene Roddenberry's Creation Waited to See, and the Nervous, Anxious, and Nerdy Fans were Ultimately Mixed....from Disappointment to outright Rage (hardly surprising).Objectively and Viewed Outside the Trek "Bubble", it's Not a Bad Movie but Far from Great. There are Highlights that Entertain. Kirk and Picard's On Screen Meeting, Data's Emotion Chip, the Klingon Confrontation, and some Outstanding SFX.The Film is Extremely Corny in Spots and as a Whole it doesn't Mesh very Well, but Overall it is Certainly Worth a Watch for Hardcore Fans (in fact a must see considering the series transition) and Casual Observers can have some Fun with the Iconic Display.There would be Better "STNG" Films to come and there were Better "Star Trek" Movies before.It could Never Capture the Old Crew without the Presence of Spock, Bones, and Sulu and given what was here to Work With, it can be Considered Worthy.This was a Challenging Ploy that Didn't quite Come Together and could be Termed a "Misfire", and it is, but the Tricky Trek Transfer from One Generation to the Next is at Least Done with a Modicum of Honor and Respect.

In short Star Trek Generations is simply a big missed opportunity. Considering that just 3 years earlier Undiscovered Country came out and was hands down among the best Star Trek movies. This is a very weak follow-up of that film.The opening of the film is quite OK but from there it just goes downhill. There is a lot of boring screen time filler scenes that simply do not serve a purpose and while the movie is redeemed by some really great scenes and some elements that make Star Trek so great. Sadly this is just a film with so much missed opportunity.Considering they managed to bring together Kirk and Picard into one film you would expect so, so much more. Even if it was a film with just Picard it would have been quite mediocre.It just lacks focus and direction in the script writing and in general it just feels like they really had to pull out all movie clichés just to get the story to work.It is watchable and it can be entertaining at times so I would still say to give it a watch especially if you are doing a Star Trek Bluray marathon (like I am doing) but just be prepared to experience a mediocre Star Trek film.

Sometimes a franchise and its characters have run its course to a point where new faces and fresh ideas are needed. Though the Star Trek franchise as a whole was at a high in 1994 with two acclaimed TV series airing and the films coming off a great finale in 'The Undiscovered Country', to me, 'Generations' wasn't the proper next step to take.Sure, it's hard to let go of beloved characters, but 'The Undiscovered Country' felt like the perfect send off for all of the original cast members, including Captain Kirk. Nonetheless he was brought back to past the torch to the next crew to man the Enterprise. Of course, that group being the cast from The Next Generation. Which is exactly where the film has most of its problems.Attempting to balance both timelines, Kirks being 75 years or so earlier, and Captain Picard's (Patrick Stewart) being present day, sometimes the film feels jumbled and bunched together. In other words, there's plenty of set up with the main antagonist played by Malcom McDowell, but the pay-off takes a great deal of time and exposition to get to. It's a much different universe, but Star Wars did an impeccable job blending both casts into The Force Awakens, so that's more along the lines of what I was hoping for.With all that being said, the new cast from the TV series definitely deserve their own individual film (which is obviously what they got a few years later). It's impossible to top the original crew, but there's enough personalities and likable characters, including Stewart's stern but sympathetic Picard.As far as the actual plot itself goes, it pretty much follows the same Star Trek formula, except for the trippy Nexus sequence where Picard and Kirk are stuck in a time loop. It's the most talked about and controversial scenes from the film, and for good reason. I don't necessarily think the sequence works the way it supposed to, but it is where we end up getting the most emotional pay off. So overall, Generations is a middle of the road Star Trek adventure, but at the very least, it gives the new crew some time to shine.+Picard & Kirk+Nexus+Beautiful score-Choppy first half-Formulaic6.3/10