What sunk the TNG movie franchise: Insurrection or Nemesis?

Discussion in 'Star Trek Movies I-X' started by The Overlord, Feb 25, 2013.

  1. Frontier

    Frontier Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Between those two? Insurrection was a hit over the head that knocked it down. But Nemesis was the lethal blow that killed it.

    That said?

    The TNG movies tried too much to follow the TOS formula. Instead of utilizing the ensemble the way the series did, it tried to focus on leads and let the rest be support. This was it's key mistake. "Generations" had to do this because of the transition, having Shatner as Kirk. "First Contact" did it, but less so, because everyone of the ensemble had something good and fun. It also had to focus a bit on Picard by virtue of the story. But it was a bit more even.

    "Insurrection" really made it a Picard/Data movie and the rest got less, and then while "Nemesis" gave the rest a little more dialogue, it never the less was about Picard and Data and their "evil alternates" as it where.

    Honestly, knowing how much Stewart and Spiner had influence behind the scenes, I frankly blame their egos a bit for such.
     
  2. Lance

    Lance Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Script meeting with Patrick Stewart:

    "Now Rick, old boy, wouldn't you say it would be a grand idea for Captain Picard to drive around on a planet in a Jeep? That'd be perfectly in line with what we've learned about him as a character over the last decade, wouldn't it? Of course it would, have it written into the script immediately."

    I seem to remember Stuart Baird stating in subsequent interviews just how much he absolutely hated working with an established cast, on established sets, in an established franchise. One is forced to wonder why such a clearly unsuitable person would be placed in charge of a Star Trek: The Next Generation movie... :confused:
     
  3. Tosk

    Tosk Admiral Admiral

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    It may not be characteristic of the Picard we saw during TNG, but it is very much the Picard of the films post GEN. For better or worse.
     
  4. RAMA

    RAMA Admiral Admiral

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    If people don't like the movie they're not going to give it an A- simple. Many movies people don't like get a lower score than A-. Regardless, this is moot, Cinemascore is the benchmark Hollywood itself uses.

    It still seems like if people had followed along and gone to see it instead of listening to critical reaction, they may have enjoyed the movie. Also until ST 2009, ST Nemesis outsold any other ST film on home video and DVD...

    That it bombed at BO is not in question(in fact my argument is that people like it when they see it generally speaking, BBS and hardcore trekkies notwithstanding apparently. NOT that lots of people saw it), however, when you take other sources other than box office, I calculated the movie made $120 million. I no longer have the figures with me, but I posted the results on Trek BBS many years ago. I'm sure many people remember that historic day. :lol:

    Also while it gets a 6.3 from IMDB, that's better than a lot of big studio movies that "bomb" at the BO.

    When it hit DVD, ST Nemesis avged a B- from major critics, or a 7 out of 12 to go with it's A- at Cinemascore:

    http://www.video-reviewmaster.com/title.asp?title_id=64442

    It is by no means the "disaster" many fans associate it with.

    RAMA
     
  5. CorporalCaptain

    CorporalCaptain Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    The franchise had survived at least one extremely disappointing entry before, STV:TFF. The problem with NEM was the timing. If NEM had been released at a time when there was enough interest in the franchise to produce another try at bat, such as what TUC was, then NEM wouldn't have been such a disaster.

    But there wasn't such an interest, and that's why NEM really was a disaster for the franchise. It was not only the film itself, but also the context in which it was released, that was the problem.

    That film being released at that time killed the Prime Universe part of the franchise.

    No matter how well NEM was regarded by those who liked it, it just wasn't as good as it needed to be, for the franchise to continue in the Prime Universe.
     
  6. Allyn Gibson

    Allyn Gibson Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Simple. Paramount was rewarding Baird for the salvage job he did in the editing room on the first Tomb Raider movie.
     
  7. BillJ

    BillJ The King of Kings Premium Member

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    Was those comments before or after he made Nemesis? If it was after maybe he never envisioned that the environment he would be working in would be so restrictive?
     
  8. RAMA

    RAMA Admiral Admiral

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    On the question of box office and "appearance" to both fans and the industry, there is NO doubt that after two sub-par performances that STNG movies were over, and 3 years later after Enterprise that the franchise was at a temporary halt. Mistakes were made by everybody, there is no point in blaming really, though if you were, ST fans themselves shoulder part of it.

    I predicted a new movie within 5 years (which happened...everyone here thought I was nuts) and a new TV series in 10. Just wait for the announcement from after the new movie and before 2015. :techman:
     
  9. Lance

    Lance Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Would we say that Nemesis wasn't really the "franchise killer"? Oh sure, it killed the TNG movies. But the prime universe continued to exist for a further three years on Enterprise, and Rick Berman was working on another (ultimately abandoned) movie script. If anything, its Enterprise that seems to have killed any goodwill for the Prime universe. That was the last one out of the gate.
     
  10. CorporalCaptain

    CorporalCaptain Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    True.

    I should have said that, given there was insufficient interest in a DS9 or VOY feature film, NEM's failure closed off any possibly of building on 24th century events in the PU, in film. And that closed off any practical possibly of expanding the Prime Universe continuity into the future at all.

    Even though ENT was already in a death spiral anyway, as early as 2002, you're right, TATV was the actual whimper that the Prime Universe went out on.
     
  11. Allyn Gibson

    Allyn Gibson Vice Admiral Admiral

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    After. There seems to be a mutual hate society going between Baird and the main cast -- Baird didn't enjoy working with them, they didn't enjoy working with him, either.
     
  12. Dream

    Dream Admiral Admiral

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    They should have just asked Jonathan Frakes to direct again.
     
  13. gottacook

    gottacook Captain Captain

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    Frakes had moved on as a director in 2001-02, with Clockstoppers which was, as far as I remember, a modest success. He might have turned down the assignment of another Trek film if offered, if the Nemesis script was as ill-judged as it seems to have been at any stage of its gestation.

    I wonder whether Frakes deliberately stayed away from the writing side, unlike the other movie-directing cast members Nimoy and Shatner. Or perhaps he wanted to contribute but wasn't able because his influence wasn't the equal of the other actors who were given Trek feature writing credits (Nimoy, Shatner, Spiner) or otherwise made script decisions (Stewart).
     
  14. Allyn Gibson

    Allyn Gibson Vice Admiral Admiral

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    I think the expectation was that he had done his two and, like Nimoy, was going to move on so one of his fellow cast, in this case, LeVar Burton, could direct.

    And Berman may well have wanted Burton to direct.

    Baird, however, was forced on Berman by the studio because, again, Baird had saved the studio's investment in Tomb Raider and the director's chair of another film was his reward.

    That could well be part of the animosity of the cast towards Baird. He, an outsider to the TNG family, got the nod to direct over one of their own.
     
  15. JarodRussell

    JarodRussell Vice Admiral Admiral

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    I see it a little differently. TNG died right after Nemesis, killed by Enterprise and the sudden urge to do a prequel. Ever since then, the "Prime" universe that mattered was gone anyway and we got a show and a film that dealt with time travel and how things were manipulated in the past. In both Enterprise and Abramstrek we get the "this isn't supposed to be this way" idea. So they haven't revisited the Prime universe for 11 years now.
     
  16. JamesRye

    JamesRye Captain Captain

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    For me, what sunk the Trek franchise of old was Star Trek Nemesis. It was just illogical and dumb. I also think that it really was a slap in the face to long term trekkies. Why was Lore not mentioned when they were discussing B4, what the hell were those aliens shooting at them for on the planet. And why, for heavens sake are we driving around in a dirt buggy instead of using a shuttle for recon? My in-depth analysis of all that was wrong can be found here:

    http://ryesofthegeek.wordpress.com/2012/11/16/star-trek-nemesis-film-review/
     
  17. BillJ

    BillJ The King of Kings Premium Member

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    Because it wasn't a movie about Lore. When you talk to someone do you mention every member of your family every, single time?
     
  18. JamesRye

    JamesRye Captain Captain

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    No, but if i found someone that looked identical to my identical brother called Lore, then I might say something like "hey guys, do you think this is Lore?"
     
  19. F. King Daniel

    F. King Daniel Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Lore was mentioned, but the line was cut - presumably so those moviegoers who haven't seen every single TNG episode (you know, like director Stewart Baird) don't feel like they're missing anything.
     
  20. sonak

    sonak Vice Admiral Admiral

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    er, but Generations and First Contact were filled with references to the show that casual movie goers wouldn't have gotten.