How do you feel about the films now vs. when you first saw them?

TMP- Has increased in stature the most. As a kid it was just long and boring, now I appreciate its finer aspects and the effects even though the story still drags on places.

TWOK- Loved it from the start and it's only become more of a classic as I've aged and seen the brilliance in the story and the acting.

TSFS- Was traumatized by the destruction of the Enterprise as a kid so it didn't have a fair chance. Now I think it's a very good and underrated film even if the last 20 mins or so drags.

TVH- About the same. Found it an enjoyable film and future viewings haven't made it greater or worse to me.

TFF- In a perverse sort of way it's actually improved. Thought it was a total disaster at first. Still think it's pretty bad but have found things about it to enjoy so it's actually gone up. It's like going from an E to a D-, but still it's gone up.

TUC- Has fallen the furthest. Loved it at first but time has exposed a lot of its flaws. Still like it, but it's not the classic I felt at first.

GEN- Didn't like at first and it's only gotten worse over time.

FC- Thought it was good at first, now I'd rank it as OK.

INS- Has stayed the same. Thought it was utter crap at first and still think it's utter crap and easily the worst ST film.

NEM- Actually liked or when I first saw it and it's stayed about the same and maybe even a little better since.

 

TMP - As a then 20 year old fan who had been waiting a decade for new live-action Star Trek on its opening weekend TMP blew me away...mostly. Subsequent viewings on television where the film was edited and cut and the prints got progressively faded were not kind to the film. But it still retained something. The advent of the TMP DE really brought the film back to life for me and as a now older fan I appreciated TMP a lot more. I know the film could have been better, but I appreciate it more than any of the other films. For me a big part of its appeal is its glimpse of the road not taken for Star Trek. It ended on a promise of new adventures in a more polished version of the future first presented in TOS. But, alas, that's not what we got as a followup to TMP.

TWOK - When it debuted TWOK was an energetic and fun ride. I enjoyed it quite a bit...mostly. From the beginning I didn't care for the new uniforms and the too thick layering of old world naval flavouring. Subsequent viewings are where I started to notice things that didn't add up for me--things that (for me) tore at the fabric of the story. Presently I remain of two minds regarding TWOK: it's an energetic and well paced film with some good characeter moments, but there are a lot of individual things that really bug me about it. And I like the uniforms even less as well as the heavy handed naval flavouring.

TSFS - My feelings for TSFS are very similar to my feelings for TWOK--quite enjoyable when new as well as still decent character moments, but now tainted by many things that no longer set well with me.

TVH - While I certainly laughed and smiled at moments throughout the film even when it was new I wasn't really sold on TVH. I thought the comedy was largely overdone and served to make the characters look silly. My favourite scene in TVH remains the moment between Spock and Sarek near the end. Unlike the first three films this was one I wasn't inclined to indulge in reviewings with. As it is TVH is my least favourite of the first six films.

TFF - The thing I appreciated most with TFF was the return to space adventure. That and the soundtrack. It felt more like the kind of story I wish had followed TMP. However, the film was marred by over-the-top humour that again made the characters look silly and less-than-impressive f/x that look even worse now. I still like the film better than TVH even though the story feels quickly cobbled together.

TUC - On one level I enjoyed TUC when new, but I think it was largely the chance to spend some final time with these cherished characters for one last new adventure. But throughout the film they overdid the nods to this being the last adventure and partly because of that there was an element of sadness underlaying the whole thing. In the end, like the films preceding TUC, this is a mixed bag for me today.

GEN - By the time this arrived I went to see it more out of curiosity. At this point in time I didn't care much for TNG, but I was curious as to how they would bridge the two generations. Throughot the film I found this largely ho-hum with the exceptions of seeing Kirk, er Shatner, on the screen. Despite the overall blandness of the film I was still quite moved by Kirk's death even though I thought it was so contrived. I think I've rewatched GEN once since I saw it a single time when it was releaed.

FC - I didn't see this when it was released but later on video rental. In some respects it was better than GEN, but there were so many things that turned me off in the film that I never cared to bother ever rewatching it.

INS - I saw this with a friend in theatre out of boredom. Stupid movie.

NEM - I saw this rerun on television. Another stupid movie.


I think the most telling thing is that TMP and to some extent TWOk are the only two Trek films I have any iinterest to revisit periodically. TSFS, TFF and TUC I'll rewatch much, much more rarely. I couldn't care less to see TVH or any of the TNG films ever again.

 

I'll just list films where my opinion has changed significantly:

TFF - I think this was the first Trek movie I saw in a cinema, and overall I found it an impressive adventure. Now, I still have soft spot for it, but I want to do a fan edit and take out all the smirkiness, which is a constant irritation. (I would just remove the elevator shaft scene.)

FC - Perhaps due to over-exposure, I've grown a bit tired of this, particularly the Borg aspect. The stuff with Cochrane is still fun - I like the actor and character a lot.

NEM - First time I saw this I was marathoning the TNG movies on DVD. I was in a sour mood from INS, and found later that I had completely forgotten the plot, though I did recall it was more cinematic than INS. Because I had forgotten about it, when I eventually rewatched it was like seeing a new movie, and I was surprised to find a lot of things in it to like. I just wish the battle at the end wasn't so boring.

 

Same here...

The Voyage Home: This one just hasn't aged well at all. The humor seems more over the top than it did when the film first released.

Nemesis: It still has major, major flaws. But it felt like someone was actually trying to make a big movie which hadn't happened in Trek since TMP. I think Hardy's work as Shinzon is seriously underrated.

 

The only Trek movie I've ever had a change of heart on was Nemesis. First time I saw it, I walked out of the theatre feeling a bit disappointed and then kind of joined the bashing bandwagon afterward. Didn't see it again until several years later and now it's my favorite TNG movie. I think in the years between viewings, I've become less nitpicky about Trek in general.

 

TMP - As boring now as it was the first time I saw it.
TWOK - I love this movie more and more every time I watch it.
TSFS - I don't enjoy it as much as the first time but I still think it's great.
TVH - Still love it.
TFF - I was a child when I saw it at the movies so I loved it. Flashforward a few decades and I can see its not that great but I still like it.
TUC - Still love it to this day.
GEN - Loved it at the time because Next Gen was my favourite. I was full of hope for the sequels but they mostly disappointed. Never liked Kirk's death or the destruction of the Enterprise. It's an okay movie but not great.
FC - Loved it and still do.
INS - Always thought this was boring and not worthy of being a movie. I haven't seen it in years.
NEM - Hated it. This movie shit all over Next Gen. I've seen it a couple of times and it just doesn't feel like Next Gen at all.

 

TMP: makes me still fall asleep after all the years
TWOK: loved it when I first saw it, nothing has changed
TSFS: entertaining, everytime I watch it
TVH: still one of my favorites
TFF: has its moments - row, row, row your boat... Was never my favorite, will never be.
TUC: alway liked it, still do.
GEN: liked it, when I first saw it. It starts to become boring
FC: best TNG movie IMO
INS: boring, Anij is even more boring than Crusher. Picard was right to pick Crusher over her.
NEM: liked it, watched it two times at the cinema. When I tried to rewatch it on tv, I realized how bad it really is.

 

For me, the biggest change in opinion for the movies was for First Contact. In 1996, I was a sophomore in high school, freshly into Star Trek. I ate all that shit up. I gave my friend hell because my favorite movie of the year, Star Trek: First Contact, was beating his favorite movie of the year Space Jam at the box office (I was a tad bit of a shithead ) I thought the battle of Sector 001 was one of the baddest ass battles committed to film.

Nowadays, I look at it, and the direction just seems... pedestrian. We're in the aftermath of a fierce battle with our mortal enemy the Borg. We're in the 21st century. Captain Picard is in desperate need of reports and answers and... the extras just sit there. Commander Riker has to walk up to a console manned by no less than three people and read the report to Picard. There's an intense battle outside of Engineering and Worf's crackshot security team just stands there while Picard and Data beat the shit out of the Borg. Things like that have just started to stand out to me and ruin the movie for me.

If the point of the movie is to make Picard and crew look amazing and everybody else look incompetent as shit, then why not make the Enterprise-E be similar to the U.S.S. Vengeance and only operate with a handful of crew?

 

Jonathan Frakes directorial calling card.

 

I appreciate all of them more, simply because we get farther and farther removed from prime trek, and it's never coming back.

Except for insurrection and nemesis. i haven't seen them since they came out, and I'm not compelled to see them again.

 

There are three films that have declined in my estimation over the years.

Star Trek III: As I learned more about the way narrative works, I came to see how 1) the film is a remake of Star Trek II (villain wants Genesis, Kirk is the only one who can stop him and he'll sacrifice something to do it) and 2) what plot there is exists solely to undo the ending of the previous film. Plus, I've really come to dislike Nimoy's direction on the film; I find it very static and not especially cinematic.

Star Trek IV: Acts 1 and 3 are fine. It's the 20th-century part that has really dated.

First Contact: I liked it when I came out of the theater. I couldn't understand why when I bought it on VHS a year-ish later. There are moments that are good, there are moments that are silly, and there's a lot that's genuinely bad. The A-plot/B-plot structure does the film no favors; there's a mishmash of tones and it doesn't sit well. Frakes' direction is lackluster. As far as I'm concerned, this film is a creative misfire on pretty much every level. It's easily the worst of the original run of films.

I like Generations better now than I did in 1994. Partly, it's a function of distance; my expectations are different now than they were then. It's still a deeply flawed film, but I understand it better.

 

TMP: it's grown on me over the years to become my favorite Star Trek film. I appreciate the scope, direction, and design of the movie, and have become quite interested in its writing process.

TWOK: remains one of my all-time favorite movies (this may seem to contradict my feelings for TMP, but I place the requirements for Star Trek movies differently from my opinions of cinema in general).

TSFS: always liked it when I was a kid, but over the years, the art direction and costuming of the movie is so 80's that it takes me out of the narrative. For me, it's a movie much like Quantum of Solace - it cannot be watched by itself, it has to be watched in one sitting with the preceding film, otherwise it doesn't work.

TVH: I still appreciate the humor of the movie, and the 1986 sequences in the movie don't bother me as much as the art design in TSFS, since it's a contemporary setting. In some ways, TVH has a more audience-accessible version of the story TMP was trying to tell regarding V'ger.

TFF: it's still one of those lazy weekend kinda movies - if I get bored or nostalgic, I'll put it on. It's not the best of the bunch, but the chemistry between Shatner, Nimoy and Kelley works so well, it keeps it from being pure crap.

TUC: when I was a kid, this one was a little too "adult" in concepts and cultural references for me to really get into. Today, I have much more appreciation for what Nick Meyer was going for. It's now one of my favorite Trek films.

GEN: haaaaaaaated it at first because they killed Kirk. Today, I LOVE the brooding cinematography that provided such a different look to the Enterprise-D. The whole Kirk storyline is still kinda unnecessary, since the TOS crew got a good sendoff in the previous movie, but it's not horrible.

FC: no change in opinion - still my favorite TNG movie. The Borg scared the living shit outta me when I was younger, but I always came back for more.

INS: no change here, either - I've always had a soft spot for this one. Never thought it was as bad as a lot of people say it is.

NEM: read the leaked copy of the script before it came out, and didn't like it. Saw the movie in the theater, and hated it. Today, still hate it - especially the pointless action sequence on Kolarus III that could've been excised in favor of all the character moments Stuart Baird cut from the final print. Nemesis remains my least-favorite Star Trek movie, and I rarely watch it.

 

tmp - watched it a hundred times on vhs in the 80s as a kid. even though it was slow, i loved the special effects and the few character moments it did have. today, watching it on blu ray just isnt the same. even though the picture and sound adds to it, i was so used to watching the special longer version. hopefully it will be released on blu ray someday.

twok - still very enjoyable. even though the film and its fx are a little outdated, its still #1. anyone else remember watching it on tv. even though they only added a few min. to it, the movie seemed like so new as if they added 30 min. to it. ala alien 3.

tsfs - still enjoyable. love the opening credits and how it starts with the wounded enterprise flying by. great beginning.

tvh - still funny and very good. however, watching it now im starting to think a lot of these characters are past middle age and beginning to look less realistically.

tff - i remember buying it on vhs tape f $10 at the price club. before 6 came out. watched it and loved it. sadly, it was the same day i found out my grandmother had passed. i didnt see the bad fx and thought it was good. reminded me more of the show than the other films did. the actors were beginning to show their age bad in this one though. even though i still love it, can anyone really believe them reliving their pasts at their age and continuing to go where no man has gone before? running around in your 50s and 60s isnt too convincing. but love it.

tuc - the best of the best. still a good send off for the original cast. better well done story wise than 5.

gen - 50/50. the first 15 min. kicked ass. then tng stuff sucked until malcolm mcdowell got into it. very good actor and he did play a good villian. the destruction of the enterprise wasnt all that. its like they tried too hard to outdo III.

fc - hell yeahs. saw this with my german girlfriend. loved it. she was cool but crazy

ins - wtf?! hated it. so stupid. i liked the villians and their ships though. the beginning with data going crazy was cool. thats it really.

neme - 50/50. it looked good. the opening was promising. then it ended up being too much tng talk and political talk f my tastes. trek is best with good drama mixed with good character moments and humour. the original cast did it so well. in the show and the movies. it just seemed tng tried too hard in the films.

 

TMP — same
TWOK — like less
TSFS — same as ever: meh
TVH — like just a teeny bit less
TFF — same: hate it
TUC — like it less
GEN — same: hate it
FC — like it a bit less: liked it so so when it came out
INS — same: hate it
NEM — same: hate it

 

TMP - Beautiful film. Love it more than ever. The 2001 Director's Edition improves it too.

TWOK - Love it even more than I did when I was younger.

TSFS - Disappointing follow-up to TWOK. Has its plus points, but definitely one of the weaker films.

TVH - Still fun.

TFF - Didn't like it when I first saw it, later came to like it, pretty much dislike it again now.

TUC - Amazing movie.

GEN - Still like it lots, though I notice the flaws more.

FC - Amazing as ever.

INS - My least favourite. Didn't like it much when I first saw it either.

NEM - Dislike it more than I did when I first saw. A bad final film for TNG.

 

I would say that the only two Trek films I've ever universally disliked were INS and NEM, and I still dislike them now. GEN, while still deeply flawed, has risen in my estimation and FC has fallen quite far.

 

I loved TUC when I was a kid. (I suppose this might have something to do with the fact it was the first movie my friends and I were allowed to go to without a parent.)

Now I see it for the mediocre underachiever it is.

And, while I never loved it, I use to defend INS on a regular basis.

Yeah. I don't know what I was thinking either.

 

TMP — I've always liked TMP and felt it was completely underrated. Although I actually prefer the theatrical version to the director's cut.

TWOK — Loved it then and love it now.

TSFS — Loved it then and love it now.

TVH — Loved it then and love it now.

TFF — Thought it was okay on first viewing; completely unwatchable now.

TUC — Liked it, but in retrospect felt that the only reason why it was made was to make up for TFF.

GEN — Liked it when I first watched it; can't stand it now.

FC — Loved it when I first watched it; Really don't care for it now.

INS — Was completely indifferent to it; now I wonder why the hell it was even made.

NEM — Thought it was ok but a bit disappointing, but I didn't know it was going to be the last TNG film because of how poorly it did. Now it's just a silly mess of a film.

 

TMP: A film that had all the right pieces but didn't quite work.

TWOK: A masterpiece, very few weak spots, yet still improved with the Director's Cut.

TSFS: A tough film to get right, not as high quality as TWOK, but still a strong film.

TVH: A fun movie, I admit going back and forth on this one many times.

TFF: Weakest Trek film. The attempts at humor didn't work and it didn't do service to the characters.

TUC: A good film, with a strong ending. I always felt this one was a bit overrated.

GEN: Like TMP, the pieces were there, Kirk, Guinan & El-Aurians, The Enterprise-B, Lursa & B'Etor, should have been off the charts, didn't make it there.

FC: Also a Trek masterpiece. Patrick Stewart was absolutely at the top of his game, the Borg made a great movie villain, Frakes did a great job on this one.

INS: Not a great film, but a fun one. The humor worked better for me than the attempts in TVH or TFF. This is the film that best had the feel of a Trek episode.

NEM: Massive letdown, I'd been hoping for the Remans to make an appearance and have an effect on the Romulan storyline, using a Picard clone undercut that. Wish Frakes had directed this, the characters might have had a more satisfactory resolution to the TNG cast.

 

TMP:
I was bored by it. Found the overall different look interesting. LAter on I've found new appreciation for it, but it's stil boring and not something I think I'll watch in the next ten or so years again.


TWoK:
Loved it. Still love it. It doesn't hold up as well as it used to though.


TSfS:
I've always been indifferent toward it. But some things have still not changed: I still love Kirk kicking the Klingon down, "I... have had... enough of ... YOU!", I still love Horner's Klingon music and I still love the whole stealing the Enterprise sequence.


TVH:
I was let down by the whole movie. Love the score though and enjoyed the humor. Over time I've gorwn a very negative opinion about the film.

TFF:
I kind of liked it. As with most the original ten films, I loved the score. While I've found new appreciation for it as a whole, I've also found new reasons to not like it. I'm not as down on the film as most though.

TUC:
Pretty much the same now and then, though with some more appreciation.

Generations:
Really enjoyed it back then. Since I've grown to love it.

I:
Didn't really care for it. Now I just don't like it at all. I can't imagine watching it again in the next twenty years.

FC:
I kind of liked it when I first saw it. Now I just hate it -- one of the worst of the Trek films.

N:
Hated it. Almost walked out of the theater. Now I absolutely despise the film. This wasn't just a misfire, it was a fucking tsunami of idiocy. How dare they leave us with THIS as the TNG cast send-off.