Well, November 22 marked the premiere of the long awaited Star Trek movie, First Contact. To avoid the long lines and the sold-out theaters, I decided to see this movie the following day at a quieter, cheaper time of day and avoid some of the more fanatic fans. Not being a "trekkie," I went to see it mostly out of curiosity and for some entertainment that only a movie in digital surround sound can provide. I was not disappointed in my excursion.
I have watched The Next Generation before so I was not completely out of tune with the main plot of the movie. I was well aware of what the Borg was and have come to appreciate Patrick Stewart's portrayal of Captain Picard. The movie is basically about a huge cuboidal ship which contains the Borg. The Borg is a race which travels throughout the universe assimilating, and thereby destroying, whole civilizations. Needless to say, the human race was next, and who else was to try and stop them but the crew of the Starship Enterprise.
The special effects in the movie make it stand out. The space battles are expertly done and impressive at times. The detail given to the Enterprise and the Borg ship is also well depicted. Even a "trekkie" who accompanied me to the movie agreed.
First Contact was a great mix of both action and comedy. The humor caught me off guard, but was a welcome addition to normally dry and serious sci-fi movies. These comic scenes mainly refer to basic Star Trek knowledge, however, and may be missed by those unfamiliar with the TV shows.
The only problem with this movie, however, is that if someone were to go see First Contact without first having either seen The Next Generation or been briefed by an informed viewer, might miss a lot of what goes on in the movie. Inside jokes abound and the audience is almost expected to know about past confrontations between the Enterprise and the Borg. While background information is fractioned out along the way, there are still big gaps left in the story line.
As for entertainment value, First Contact gets a B+. The acting is, for the most part, very well done, as the actors are comfortable with their roles. The action scenes are well choreographed and, as mentioned before, the visual effects were fantastic. The plot moves along nicely and the predictability level remains at a nice medium level.
My suggestion would be to go see this movie in the theater if you get the chance. It just wouldn't be the same on the small screen. For all you "non-trekkies" out there, try and get some background information on the plot before you go. You'll enjoy it much better than if you go in blindly. While this movie is definitely not one of the best movies this year, it is worth seeing.