I know I am going to be labeled a blasphemer of all that is holy in the eyes of the Great Bird, and his followers, and then I will be poked, prodded, hung, drawn and quartered, beheaded...and BURNED AT THE STAKE for heresy....but....(sigh) here goes.
First of all, let me start by saying that at first NEMESIS became my ALL TIME favorite Trek film. But then, I realized that to compare the Next Gen movies to the classic films is to compare apples and oranges.
I must now say that NEMESIS is my alltime fave of the TNG films.
For the classics...it is Undiscovered Country with The Wrath of Khan coming in for a photo finish second.
I have given little essays on the differences of production values before between the classic and TNG films. To keep the long short....the Classic films look more like big screen films because of the amount of time between the end of TOS and the release of TMP. Visual effects had advanced tenfold. Bigger budgets could be afforded. Sets could look more convincing. Acting could be taken to new levels.
The TNG films (Generations through Insurrection) disappointed me with their attempts at big screen events. This was hampered by several factors.
1. The series (TNG and DS9) were using motion picture quality visual effects anyway. Currently, it is a blurred line between what can be done on the small and/or big screens.
2. The first three stories were written by series writers...thus, they still came across as overblown episodes. Each of the first three TNG films may have had one or two slightly "big-screen-esqe" moments, but otherwise, were just episodes that could have been done on the shows.
NEMESIS resoundingly looked and felt like a big screen epic. The visual effects were top notch...the acting (especially by Tom Hardy as Shinzon) was awesome. The story was written by a big screen writer (John Logan) and directed by a big screen director (Stuart Baird). And in the end, it came off looking like a big screen film. Where most of the zealous Great Bird lot would blast a movie like NEMESIS for NOT looking like a typical Trek film, I applaud it! I get sick of seeing the typical Trek film over and over.
Ok...enough on that...lemme do it this way.
My fave trek films in order are.
Classics:
1. The Undiscovered Country
2. The Wrath of Khan
3. The Search for Spock
4. The Motion Picture (especially the DVD version)
5. The Voyage Home
6. The Final Frontier
TNG
1. NEMESIS
2. First Contact
3. Generations
4. Insurrection
Well...that's my treatise on that. LOL!
I await the judgment of the masses for my heresy, blasphemy, and downright naughtiness to the DOGMA of Trek.
.......but....please......... (plaintive) ...be gentle?
Respectfully, and unashamedly,
General Chang
"So the Enterprise is on her maiden voyage, eh? Now that is one well endowed lady. Ah'd like to get mah hands on her ample nacelles, if ye'll pardon the bit o' engineerin' parlance." -Scotty, STAR TREK, 2009