Rating the 1st Ten

[Ginger]

Being properly objective, with 0-5, with 5 being flawlessly good, non of the 1st 10 Trek films are 5*. That said:

TMP: 3.5 (DE 4) - a proper 70's scifi epic with beautiful production
TWOK: 4.5 - indisputably a cultural icon and a classic
TSFS: 3 - good follow up to TWOK, but a bit crap out of context from the previous film
TVH: 4 - good fun
TFF: 3.5 - it's a guilty pleasure if, like me you ignore the plot holes
TUC: 2.5 - a bit dull and the little shortcuts and cost cutting spoil it a bit for me
GEN: 2 - I got bored, it's a poor start for the TNG crew.
FC: 3.5 - good action film, well acted and fun
INS: 2 - I can see what they were doing, but it might have been better as a TV film
NEM: 1 - a huge shame given the talent, ruined by rampant egos

For completeness '09 is a 4, STID is 2.

 

[Smellmet]

TMP 8/10: Big fan of this one. For me, this is pure Star Trek. Yes it's rehash of The Changeling, yes the characters are a bit stiff, yes the pacing is not what you'd expect these days. But the scope, feel, sets, special effects and score are all absolutely amazing, and not only still hold up very well today, but were not surpassed until ST09, and even then only partially. Totally get why people don't like it but it's a special movie to me and was the first film I ever saw at the cinema. Ambitious, magnificent, flawed.

TWOK 9/10: Big cut in budget and tone but all the pieces somehow slotted together to deliver what I consider to be an all time classic movie. The characters were back to their old selves, Kirk and Spock's journey in the movie were both compelling and ultimately moving. Montalban knocked his performance out of the park. Despite the re-use of shots & models from the previous movie, excellent effects with two great, tense space battles, culminating in one of the biggest tear jerking finales ever. Completely different but as good a score as the first movie. Brilliant on almost every level.

TSFS 7/10: Almost suffers just from the title alone, as you just know what's going to happen before you start watching it. Some cheap looking elements to the production also - that's where the criticism ends though as this movie offers up a lot though with some unforgettable, standout sequences, fabulous score, solid villain and just the right blend of humor. All the cast get something to do, and there was a great feeling of the crew becoming a family. Solid, enjoyable movie.

TVH 7/10: I've always found it difficult to rate this one as so much of it is a flat-out comedy and such a different experience to the others. Nonetheless it pulls it off with some nice gags and never goes too far with the humour - keeping sight of the time travel story in hand, neatly tying up the threads of the previous two to round out a neat trilogy. It's difficult not to like this movie.

TFF 3/10: The only Trek movie I consider to be genuinely poor, wasting the goodwill humour-wise from the last movie with ill judged slapstick and buffoonery, a silly plot that was poorly executed with some truly appalling special effects. It has some merit however with the interplay between the big three being the best out of the entire series, and a very solid score, but it's not enough to save it. Other Trek movies have moved around the pecking order down the years but I just can't get this one off the bottom no matter how many times I watch it.

TUC 8/10: Not without it's problems but it's pluses outweigh them every time I watch it. Most of the dumb jokes from TFF are nowhere to be seen, and the movie has a welcome serious tone to it. Not the most lavish production by any means but has some neat visuals, is well paced and manages to be exciting and entertaining in almost everything it does. Great send off for the original crew.

GEN 6/10: Another tough one to judge this. The first hour and a bit of this movie is really, really good. It's ambitious in scope, is packed full of mystery and intrigue, woven together with stunning cinematography, fantastic visual effects and a sweeping score. Then Picard enters the Nexus and the whole thing just crumbles in a mess in a matter of minutes and all the epic scope of the movie is spunked on three pensioners fighting on a small footbridge. A wasted opportunity.

FC 7/10: At the time of release I thought this was right up there with TWOK. I feel time hasn't been anywhere near as kind to it to my eyes at least as the previous film. The initial fleet battle is still decent, but I found the sets of the Enterprise E to look very plasticky and ugly, and some of the other sets and FX look a bit low rent these days. That being said, the film cracks on at a fair pace with some great scenes - both action and humour - and this glues the film together for me and keeps it re-watch value very high. I'll always have a soft spot for it but I feel it hasn't got that classic feel and sheen to it that I thought it once had.

INS 5/10: This is where the wheels came off the Star Trek movie franchise for me. Not a truly bad movie by any stretch, but it was just so dull and by the numbers, completely hobbled with a total lack of ambition, no standout sequences, only just about good enough special effects (and they were not as good as the previous two movies) and a plot that I couldn't give a toss about that would have barely made a passable TNG TV episode. The only thing that makes it watchable to me is that the cast seem to be on good form together, and some (only some, mind) of the jokes are ok. A dull film that doesn't know whether or not it wants to be taken seriously or not and ends up neither one thing or the other.

NEM 8/10: I end my reviews where I started, with my love for a flawed film that a lot of fans dislike. A lot in this one's case. I don't know why, I just flat out enjoy this movie and I rewatch it more than any of the TNG outings, and as much as almost any of the TOS ones. Yes it's dumb in parts. Yes the Scimitar sets look dreadful. Yes Datas death could have been written with more emotional punch. Yes there's a whiff of TWOK being ripped off somewhere... yet I really enjoy it, every time I watch it. I love the opening Senate coup scene. I love the wedding scene, I tear up at it every time. I love Hardy's dark introduction on the stairs. And I adore the slugflest of a starship battle, the best in the series. I like the darker, more adult tone of it compared to the others, and the superior visual effects. I can see why people dislike it or even hate it, and I can see why it bombed so badly at the box office too, but I always find it a satisfying watch as a sci-fi action flick.

 

[CorporalClegg]

B
A-
B-
B+
C+
C+
C
C
C-
C-

 

[Vger23]

Please don't take it personal but your assessment is the one I disagree the most with among all the ones I read in this thread.

Well, it could have been worse mind you, but not by much.

Interesting, I thought his/her assessment was the one I agreed with the most.

Good diversity of opinions on this topic.

 

[fonzob1]

Rating 1 being the worst and 5 the best:

TMP: 1 - Horrible film. Horrible wardrobes for the cast.

TWK: 5 - An all around great movie.

SFS: 2 - The only thing I liked about it was Christopher Lloyd.

TVH: 2 - It was funny at times, but I couldn't get past the weak plot.

TFF: 2 - Why would a planet be at the center of our galaxy?

TUC: 5 - Liked this one even more than WOK.

GEN: 3 - Despite the huge plot holes, it was cool seeing both Captains interacting.

FC: 2 - Crap. They pissed all over the timeline. Picard and Worf were both out of character.

INS: 1 - The only worse ST film is TMP.

NEM: 4 - I thoroughly enjoyed this film. I don't understand all the criticism it gets.

 

[eyeresist]

I'm finding it interesting that the "worst" films still get a fair bit of love, while TVH, which was once "the fun one everyone can enjoy", seems to have slumped significantly.

And a wicked thought has occurred to me - what if ST3 opened with NuKirk climbing El Capitan?

 

[Vger23]

I'm finding it interesting that the "worst" films still get a fair bit of love, while TVH, which was once "the fun one everyone can enjoy", seems to have slumped significantly.

And a wicked thought has occurred to me - what if ST3 opened with NuKirk climbing El Capitan?

It's becauseTVH, while enjoyable the first time through, relied on the comedic aspect for its success. Once you've been through it a couple of times, there's really not much to it. It's a fine film, but has almost no rewatch value whatsoever.

 

[kirkfan]

Rating 1 being the worst and 5 the best:

TMP: 1 - Horrible film. Horrible wardrobes for the cast.

TWK: 5 - An all around great movie.

SFS: 2 - The only thing I liked about it was Christopher Lloyd.

TVH: 2 - It was funny at times, but I couldn't get past the weak plot.

TFF: 2 - Why would a planet be at the center of our galaxy?

TUC: 5 - Liked this one even more than WOK.

GEN: 3 - Despite the huge plot holes, it was cool seeing both Captains interacting.

FC: 2 - Crap. They pissed all over the timeline. Picard and Worf were both out of character.

INS: 1 - The only worse ST film is TMP.

NEM: 4 - I thoroughly enjoyed this film. I don't understand all the criticism it gets.

I was with you more or less all the way through almost to the end. But you completely lost me at MEM. I don't understand that one could enjoy watching this awful thing. It's stupid every step of the way. The villain is an idiot, he hates the federation for no reason. His mental rape of Deanna is a complete pointless waste of nefarious time. I could go on and on about the things I hate about this movie and it would take longer than the movie itself, to tell it, let alone to write it down.

 

[Ssosmcin]

Please don't take it personal but your assessment is the one I disagree the most with among all the ones I read in this thread.

Well, it could have been worse mind you, but not by much.

No worries. Like I said, I tend to like things a lot of fans don't. But, honestly, I can't understand how any of the Star Trek films could be considered "truly awful films" or, as some have said about one or two, "garbage." I mean, you ain't seen a truly bad film if that's the case. Grade Z, snuff, torture porn films with wooden "actors" barely able to say a line are not even in the same class as the average Trek film, which, at their worst, can have something to make them entertaining. But, again, it's all subjective.

None of the Trek films were as good as the best of the TV series anyway and once they got too deep into comedy, Trek was never the same on the big screen. The first 3 films remain my personal apex for theatrical Trek.

 

[kirkfan]

Please don't take it personal but your assessment is the one I disagree the most with among all the ones I read in this thread.

Well, it could have been worse mind you, but not by much.

No worries. Like I said, I tend to like things a lot of fans don't. But, honestly, I can't understand how any of the Star Trek films could be considered "truly awful films" or, as some have said about one or two, "garbage." I mean, you ain't seen a truly bad film if that's the case. Grade Z, snuff, torture porn films with wooden "actors" barely able to say a line are not even in the same class as the average Trek film, which, at their worst, can have something to make them entertaining. But, again, it's all subjective.

None of the Trek films were as good as the best of the TV series anyway and once they got too deep into comedy, Trek was never the same on the big screen. The first 3 films remain my personal apex for theatrical Trek.

I don't know. There are degrees even in being awful. Just because you can find something worse doesn't make your stuff better in absolute value, it just means that there are people who manages to get even below what I consider to be abysmal. Like some dull guy could show me a two hour movie of his personal vacations for example. That would certainly beat the hell out of even the worst on your list. And yet there are people who have to go through that kind of torture...

 

[Nightdiamond]

Top 5

WOK -- It's a classic made for the theater type of movie.

The Undiscovered Country --Very good politics and use of all the characters.

First Contact -- Great battle scene in the beginning. A little too much of Data and his emotions though.

The Voyage Home -- this was actually kind of funny. I heard they originally wanted Eddie Murphy to star it in. I wished they did it, it would have been really interesting to see it.

Generations -- A simple storyline which I tend to like.

Middle 2 (as in "meh")

The Search for Spock-- I like it, but Generations edged it out of the top 5. Feels a little dated.

The Motion Picture --Interesting dialog, but slow and near boring. Special effects are boring and drawn out.

Bottom 3

Final Frontier-- Doesn't work as a movie. It seems too much like an episode from TV.

Insurrection -- It's hard to even care about the story, the characters, villains, whatever.

The effects weren't that good. There's a scene where the bridge explodes, and then a 2 second delay later the crew is blown off their feet .

Nemesis-- This just doesn't work. If it isn't relying on cliches from the TV series, it's trying to be something it's not--like Picard riding a dune buggy and jumping it off a cliff unto a shuttle.

As if there was an assumption that all you had to do was just show a TNG movie with any story, and it will be a box office winner.

 

[kirkfan]

Top 5

WOK -- It's a classic made for the theater type of movie.

The Undiscovered Country --Very good politics and use of all the characters.

First Contact -- Great battle scene in the beginning. A little too much of Data and his emotions though.

The Voyage Home -- this was actually kind of funny. I heard they originally wanted Eddie Murphy to star it in. I wished they did it, it would have been really interesting to see it.

Generations -- A simple storyline which I tend to like.

Middle 2 (as in "meh")

The Search for Spock-- I like it, but Generations edged it out of the top 5. Feels a little dated.

The Motion Picture --Interesting dialog, but slow and near boring. Special effects are boring and drawn out.

Bottom 3

Final Frontier-- Doesn't work as a movie. It seems too much like an episode from TV.

Insurrection -- It's hard to even care about the story, the characters, villains, whatever.

The effects weren't that good. There's a scene where the bridge explodes, and then a 2 second delay later the crew is blown off their feet .

Nemesis-- This just doesn't work. If it isn't relying on cliches from the TV series, it's trying to be something it's not--like Picard riding a dune buggy and jumping it off a cliff unto a shuttle.

As if there was an assumption that all you had to do was just show a TNG movie with any story, and it will be a box office winner.

This is actually very close to what I think.

 

[Greg Cox]

I'm finding it interesting that the "worst" films still get a fair bit of love, while TVH, which was once "the fun one everyone can enjoy", seems to have slumped significantly.

And a wicked thought has occurred to me - what if ST3 opened with NuKirk climbing El Capitan?

It's becauseTVH, while enjoyable the first time through, relied on the comedic aspect for its success. Once you've been through it a couple of times, there's really not much to it. It's a fine film, but has almost no rewatch value whatsoever.

Gotta disagree there. I mean, by that reasoning, nobody should ever watch a classic comedy twice. I love TVH and don't know how many times I've watched it. No matter how many times I've seen it, I always get sucked into it . . . and end up grinning at the end. It's my second-favorite Trek movie . . . after KHAN, naturally.

But, playing along, on a scale of 1 to 5:

TMP: 3. Gets an "A" for effort, and I enjoyed it when it first came out, but it's not one I ever feel a need to rewatch, and it suffers in comparison to most of the later films.

WOK: 4.75, only because I resist giving "perfect" scores. Dynamic, compelling, dramatic . . . easily my favorite Trek movie. It's the movie equivalent of a great page-turner.

TSFS. 3.5. The Jan Brady of ST movies, stuck between its more popular sisters. But a fun movie with good moments for the entire cast. (Although I still prefer Kirstie Alley to Robin Curtis as Saavik).

TVH: 4.5. A fun, feel-good movie that always leaves me smiling. Plus, a nice, satisfying ending to the "trilogy." Good to have you back, Captain Kirk.

TFF: 1.1. An abysmal mess. A few good character moments (most notably, the bit with Bones and his father) barely redeem a muddled plot that, among other crimes, completely wastes David Warner.

TUC. 4.4. A dangerous movie. Every time I put on the DVD to check out "just one scene" for research purposes, I run the risk of getting sucked into watching the whole thing again. A great swan song for the original crew (although I still kinda wish Saavik had been the traitor, not Valeris, just because that would have been more powerful).

GEN: 3. Better in parts than as a whole, and the climactic Kirk/Picard team-up is a total letdown. Love the whole opening on the Enterprise-B, though. THAT's how Kirk should have died.

FC: 4. Far and away, the best of the TNG movies. Alice Krige, whom I've always liked, is creepy and sexy as the Borg Queen. Great, soaring soundtrack, too.

INS: 2.9. Honestly, I saw this movie once, the weekend it opened, and have no strong opinions about it. It was okay, but I've never felt like watching it again.

NEM: 3. Ditto. A bit more eventful, and I don't quite get the hate for it, but, again, not a movie I've ever been moved to watch a second time. (And since I'm mostly writing TOS these days, I don't need to.)

 

[Vger23]

I'm finding it interesting that the "worst" films still get a fair bit of love, while TVH, which was once "the fun one everyone can enjoy", seems to have slumped significantly.

And a wicked thought has occurred to me - what if ST3 opened with NuKirk climbing El Capitan?

It's becauseTVH, while enjoyable the first time through, relied on the comedic aspect for its success. Once you've been through it a couple of times, there's really not much to it. It's a fine film, but has almost no rewatch value whatsoever.

Gotta disagree there. I mean, by that reasoning, nobody should ever watch a classic comedy twice. I love TVH and don't know how many times I've watched it. No matter how many times I've seen it, I always get sucked into it . . . and end up grinning at the end. It's my second-favorite Trek movie . . . after KHAN, naturally.

But the reason I don't think it has a ton of re-watch value isn't because it's a comedy. It's simply because the comedy aspects are really all it has going for it, from my perspective.

It's not that I don't find it enjoyable...but I don't necessarily find it interesting.

 

[martok2112]

I'll just rate from fave to least fave:

TOS CREW MOVIES--
The Undiscovered Country
The Wrath of Khan
The Search for Spock
The Motion Picture (Director's Edition)
The Voyage Home
The Final Frontier

TNG MOVIES
Nemesis
First Contact
Generations
Insurrection

 

[Greg Cox]

It's becauseTVH, while enjoyable the first time through, relied on the comedic aspect for its success. Once you've been through it a couple of times, there's really not much to it. It's a fine film, but has almost no rewatch value whatsoever.

Gotta disagree there. I mean, by that reasoning, nobody should ever watch a classic comedy twice. I love TVH and don't know how many times I've watched it. No matter how many times I've seen it, I always get sucked into it . . . and end up grinning at the end. It's my second-favorite Trek movie . . . after KHAN, naturally.

But the reason I don't think it has a ton of re-watch value isn't because it's a comedy. It's simply because the comedy aspects are really all it has going for it, from my perspective.

It's not that I don't find it enjoyable...but I don't necessarily find it interesting.

Just to play devil's advocate, what's wrong with watching it for the comedy? TVH is funny and charming and light-hearted, which is kinda the whole point of the movie. It's not supposed to be a dramatic, edge-of-your seat thriller like KHAN.

We might as well object that SINGIN' IN THE RAIN has nothing but singing and dancing going for it. Or that ABBOTT & COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN is more funny than scary.

I would also argue that TVH has some lovely character bits in it, a nice message about saving the whales, and some pleasing moments with Sarek and Amanda. What's not to like?

(I confess this is one of my pet hobby-horses. Not sure why comedy is not always valued as much as more "serious" stuff. Trust me, writing comedy is harder!)

 

[fonzob1]

I was with you more or less all the way through almost to the end. But you completely lost me at MEM. I don't understand that one could enjoy watching this awful thing. It's stupid every step of the way. The villain is an idiot, he hates the federation for no reason. His mental rape of Deanna is a complete pointless waste of nefarious time. I could go on and on about the things I hate about this movie and it would take longer than the movie itself, to tell it, let alone to write it down.

He was tormented by being underground with hideous bat-like humanoid creatures most of his life. It made sense that he would be a little off and pretty wicked.

 

[martok2112]

I'll spell out why I liked Nemesis....

-Because despite its many flaws, it FINALLY looked like a big screen movie, and not a two hour television episode like the first three Next Gen movies did.

-Because it kicked ass in the action department, and didn't blow its wad in the first ten minutes like First Contact did.

-Because it had Picard driving an armed dune buggy, and looking for a moment like he was actually having fun. (also because that scene makes all those pretentious know it alls who think they know Picard, and what he will or will not do, cringe and squirm uncomfortably. Sorry, only the writers and Patrick Stewart know what Picard will and will not do.).

- Because the last half of the movie was one big assed space battle....full of effects and external shots too, not just two effects shots and the rest being internal shots with a bunch of dialogue and camera shaking to simulate hits. "They're firing again, sir!", "Return fire!", "Weapons firing, sir!" for the other 90 percent of the battle.

-Because of the shootout on the Enterprise. Didn't care for how they got the extra decks, but that didn't bother me either.

-Because it also has my favorite score of all the Next Gen movies...from the uptempo opening moments, to the space battle, to the end credits theme that was made/or restored for the home video release. The late, great Jerry Goldsmith's finest Star Trek score since TMP in my opinion.

In terms of story, and some tech areas, Nemesis was deeply flawed. As a kick ass two hour action movie for Star Trek, it rocked.

 

[Vger23]

Gotta disagree there. I mean, by that reasoning, nobody should ever watch a classic comedy twice. I love TVH and don't know how many times I've watched it. No matter how many times I've seen it, I always get sucked into it . . . and end up grinning at the end. It's my second-favorite Trek movie . . . after KHAN, naturally.

But the reason I don't think it has a ton of re-watch value isn't because it's a comedy. It's simply because the comedy aspects are really all it has going for it, from my perspective.

It's not that I don't find it enjoyable...but I don't necessarily find it interesting.

Just to play devil's advocate, what's wrong with watching it for the comedy? TVH is funny and charming and light-hearted, which is kinda the whole point of the movie. It's not supposed to be a dramatic, edge-of-your seat thriller like KHAN.

We might as well object that SINGIN' IN THE RAIN has nothing but singing and dancing going for it. Or that ABBOTT & COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN is more funny than scary.

I would also argue that TVH has some lovely character bits in it, a nice message about saving the whales, and some pleasing moments with Sarek and Amanda. What's not to like?

(I confess this is one of my pet hobby-horses. Not sure why comedy is not always valued as much as more "serious" stuff. Trust me, writing comedy is harder!)

There's really NOTHING "wrong" with TVH, it's just a matter of my personal tastes. I loved the 3 movies that came before. They are, in a large sense, what appeals to me about the Star Trek films. The epic scope...the "life or death struggles," and some warmth and light-heartedness thrown in at the correct moments.

From the day I first saw TVH in the theaters, I enjoyed it, but always felt like it was a tremendous let-down. It's just not my cup of tea. I prefer the films to be drama / action than lighthearted comedy. It's probably why I have such limited affection for INS as well...although TVH is a masterpiece compared to that.

I also tend to believe that this was the moment Original Trek went from something that was respected and somewhat dramatic on the big screen to something that became borderline self-farce. So, I tend to take that frustration out on this film, even though it's not this film's fault or intent at the time it was made...but the characters from this point on always seemed less real to me than they did in Trek I-III. Like they were full of tongue-in-cheek winking at the audience, and not really having an adventure out there amongst the stars. It just throws me out of those movies sometimes.

 

[Vger23]

I'll spell out why I liked Nemesis....

-Because despite its many flaws, it FINALLY looked like a big screen movie, and not a two hour television episode like the first three Next Gen movies did.

-Because it kicked ass in the action department, and didn't blow its wad in the first ten minutes like First Contact did.

-Because it had Picard driving an armed dune buggy, and looking for a moment like he was actually having fun. (also because that scene makes all those pretentious know it alls who think they know Picard, and what he will or will not do, cringe and squirm uncomfortably. Sorry, only the writers and Patrick Stewart know what Picard will and will not do.).

- Because the last half of the movie was one big assed space battle....full of effects and external shots too, not just two effects shots and the rest being internal shots with a bunch of dialogue and camera shaking to simulate hits. "They're firing again, sir!", "Return fire!", "Weapons firing, sir!" for the other 90 percent of the battle.

-Because of the shootout on the Enterprise. Didn't care for how they got the extra decks, but that didn't bother me either.

-Because it also has my favorite score of all the Next Gen movies...from the uptempo opening moments, to the space battle, to the end credits theme that was made/or restored for the home video release. The late, great Jerry Goldsmith's finest Star Trek score since TMP in my opinion.

In terms of story, and some tech areas, Nemesis was deeply flawed. As a kick ass two hour action movie for Star Trek, it rocked.

That pretty much sums it up for me as well. I loved it for at least trying not to be a lame, half-assed $40M two-part TV episode like GEN, INS and (to some extent) FC came off as being.

My first measure is- do I enjoy the film as I'm watching it...without all the over-analysis and search for realism? Can I just get swept away in the adventure and enjoy 2 hours away from reality? The answer with Nemesis is always "yes."

Great movie? Nope.

Entertaining movie? Yup!