Why do i love Generations? How much time do you have?
First off, i know the plot holes are huge. HUGE! But i make the conscious decision and choice NOT to let them spoil it for me. There are plot holes in just about every single Star Trek episode or movie. You have to make the choice not to let them ruin it for you.
Ok, so what do i love?
Just about everything! From the opening sequence of the bottle spinning through space to the dialogue at the very end between Picard and Riker.
I love how the movie blends some of TOS characters with TNG characters. I love the way the baton is passed.
I love the scenes between Kirk, Chekov and Scotty. They are both touching and funny. "Captain, Is there something wrong with your chair?" I love how Kirk saves the day! And i cry every single time when Scotty and Chekov view space from deck 15.
I love how we come upon TNG crew, on the Enterprise on the water. I love the scene with Worf and the plank. And Riker's "Remove the plank!" And Data pushing Crusher into the water and his totally 'not getting it'....his struggle with the concept of humor.
I think this movie has some of Patrick Stewart's finest acting in Star Trek. When he is on the Enterprise 'boat' and he gets the news about his brother and nephew, his face changes, his knees buckle ever so slightly, you can actually feel his shortness of breath. The scenes in his ready room and on the bridge are heartbreaking. And I actually think Marina Sirtis does some of her best acting in this movie, albiet her role is small. She actually does something meaningful for once!
I LOVE DATA! I LOVE his scenes! I love his internal struggle before and after installing his emotion chip. I love him in the bar trying to figure out what he is feeling after drinking that horrible drink. I love watching Spiner as Data when the chip starts to overload his neural net, and his manic behavior with Mr Tricorder, etc. And yes! I love his ditty "Life forms". I love his fist pump and "YES!" And i love his "OH, SHIT!"
I love Malcolm McDowell as the villian. I understand his villian. And the scene between Picard and Soren in Ten Foward is incredible. What great acting! Again, Stewart's acting as Soren speaks of "Time is the fire in which we burn....." Amazing.
I love the Duras sisters and their Klingon Kleavage. Their best lines are spoken in this movie.
"Human females are so repulsive", " i hope for your sake, you are initiating ...a mating ritual", and "He must be the only engineer in Starfleet that doesnt GO to engineering!".
I love stellar cartography! I love the scene between Picard and Data in there. They both chew that scene up with some wonderful acting.
I love the battle between the Duras sisters and the Enterprise crew.
And the separation sequence. And then the entire crash sequence! OMG i love it. I love seeing everyone thrown about the ship, and the ship scraping across the planet, knocking down everything in it's path.
That shot of McDowell high on the mountain top with his arms outstretched as the Nexus string approaches him. OMG! Just incredible.
I love the Nexus. I can feel it's pull when Picard is in it, holding his nephew. It is more seductive than any drug and if i were in it, i can tell you i would never come out.
I love watching Kirk fall in love with the prospect of starting over in the Nexus and then slowly comprehending that life in there is really all meaningless. I think he says one of his greatest lines to Picard, "I don't need to be lectured by you. I was out saving the galaxy when your grandfather was in diapers!"
Yes, i hate when Kirk dies. But i do think it was a brave and noble death. For crying out loud he saves millions of people! The shot of Picard high on the mountain with Kirk's grave, its beautiful.
And finally, i love the scene at the end between Riker and Picard. They have some of the best lines ever spoken in a Trek movie.
Really, i could go on and on. I love this movie! I love just about every single scene, every single shot, every single line. And i love the soundtrack! Generations is definitely one of my very favorite Trek movies.