With the success of Star Trek: First Contact, a more action-oriented Star Trek film, the team behind it wanted their next film to be lighter in tone and more character-driven. To a certain extent, that’s exactly what audiences got, and a lot of people were disappointed because they were expecting so much more. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we continue our Star Trek series with Jonathan Frakes’ 1998 film Star Trek: Insurrection.
We talk about why this film seems a bit divisive with fans, and look at what works for us as well as what doesn’t. We chat about the nature of the script and if there was a fresh and exciting story buried in there. We look at what Frakes and co. bring to the table here and ponder why it feels more like a two-part TV episode than a movie. And we revel in the brilliance of F. Murray Abraham as Ru’afo, not just performance-wise but also with Michael Westmore’s brilliant makeup effects.
It’s a fairly middling film that has its moments of greatness that are often burdened by its moments of nonsense. Regardless, we have a great time talking about this one, so check it out!
Film Sundries
- Watch this film: iTunes • Amazon • Hulu
- Script Transcript
- Original theatrical trailer
- Original poster artwork
- Flickchart
- Letterboxd
