What you did or didn't like about FC....

[maneth]

I loved the movie. It's definitely my favorite Trek movie, and I find it more entertaining than TWOK.

Likes:
-Picard
-Menacing Borg
-The tip of the hat to 2001: A Space Odyssey (the maglock label AE35, I laughed when I saw it)

Dislikes:
-Lily, she just annoyed the heck out of me
-The Borg Queen, I preferred a leaderless collective.

 

[MeanJoePhaser]

Likes:
-Troi being the useless drunk I always knew she was.
-Picard going DIE HARD
-the EMH cameo

Dislikes:
-Borg disparity where none existed, handled vague if cryptically.
-Not that much sense of what Earth was like at that time, besides a bunch of scuzzy people in a rural area. Shouldn't we get a better sense of how bad things were and what the Phoenix's success brings?
-If Borg can be killed by tommy guns, then...why isn't the crew using tommy guns?
-The Enterprise crew on Earth don't seem that concerned that they lost contact with the ship.
-Lily being mostly an exposition character for the general audiences who know little about TNG.

 

[JarodRussell]

Should have been more DS9 crew on the Defiant. Imagine Sisko having a confrontation with Picard about blowing the ship up! Awesome

This. A thousand times.


Sisko and Picard, that would have been absolutely awesome. Sisko lost his wife because of the Borg and because of Picard, so there's some unfinished business between them (it was barely resolved in the DS9 pilot). That would have been pretty cool.

-If Borg can be killed by tommy guns, then...why isn't the crew using tommy guns?

Because in "A Fistful of Data's", Worf is able to build a shield that stops bullets. Picard shooting the two Borg only worked once because they didn't expect that (and since they only assimilate advanced cultures, they probably never encountered bullets before, who knows). But the collective would have adapted to that.

Picard went to the holodeck only because he knew his phaser was useless. So he tried it with bullets.

 

[muzzleflash]

The Borg Queen is my one big dislike about FC. I love Alice Krige in almost everything I've seen her in, but the concept of the Queen is just stupid, and made worse by the way she is portrayed as an classic villain/vamp, emotional and way too human.

I think that's the point. The Borg are not as close to perfection as they would like to think. The Queen is the personification of this, who Picard & Data exploit.

 

[JarodRussell]

The Borg Queen is my one big dislike about FC. I love Alice Krige in almost everything I've seen her in, but the concept of the Queen is just stupid, and made worse by the way she is portrayed as an classic villain/vamp, emotional and way too human.

I think that's the point. The Borg are not as close to perfection as they would like to think. The Queen is the personification of this, who Picard & Data exploit.

I like the Queen concept. She is THE BORG. She is the collective. She is just a representation of that hive mind. The entire borg collective forms a sentient brain, that has emotions, desires and... is lonely.

The tragedy is that this huge collective that is assimilating thousands of species, can only find perfection if it finds another individual. It robbed BILLIONS of people their individuality to create one huge individual called "The Borg Collective" (represented by a humanoid female, it could have been a simple computer screen or just a bodyless voice, it doesn't matter). And that individual is lonely.

It's a very interesting concept.

 

[RyuRoots]

Dislikes:

Someone gets the number of decks on the ship wrong. Either it has 24 (24 is the accepted number, I think?) or 26, it's not that hard to proofread the script, is it?

The Queen. I hate. hate. hate. hate HAAAATE the Borg Queen and I will 'til the day I die. I think the Borg are good villains in this film DESPITE her, personally. I was so ecstatic that Scorpion didn't use her. I sorta hoped she was dead forever after the events of FC. If only I was so lucky.

I really wish the battle at the beginning had been longer. It's one of the coolest battle sequences in all of ST, and it's soooo tragically short. It's also our best look at the, IMO extremely cool, Akira and Steamrunner class ships.

Likes:

Pretty much everything else, honestly. I loved the character moments, I loved the OST, the ship, the uniforms, the plot, Cochrane's characterization, watching Picard succumb to his inner demons, etc. The list goes on and on.

I think it's a wonderful film and something of a three-way tie for best of the ST movies (though FC is my personal favorite due to the characters) with TUC and XI.

 

[AJBryant]

I love on YouTube guy's reviews. He pretty much covers most of my issues with the flicks.

Here is part one of his review of First Contact:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7Lr8cdZwHQ

 

[startrekrcks]

Do you think The Borg Queen is ugly I do

 

[AJBryant]

The other thing that annoyed the crap out of me was the total impossibility of the Borg on the outside of the Enterprise.

Cybernetic or not, a big chunk of them is human, and that part is flesh and blood, which doesn't react well to vacuum and absolute zero.

That was where I finally threw up my hands and started hating the film.

 

[Diddle]

Liked - Borg. Picard. Borg. The ending when Cochrane dances with the Vulcans, that's gold. The fact that Barclay was in it. The plot/whole storyline. Enterprise - E is gorgeous, absolutely love that ship. And the Borg.

And I also find mildly amusing that the actor who played Cochrane was a guest star in some TNG episodes.

Disliked - I always thought it was pretty stupid Georgi not knowing what "take a leak" means. Cochrane and Troi's little scene. I don't understand why writers keep forcing that Troi is attractive and every male on the show should be attracted to her. She's not, she looks like a man. A very short man.

 

[Withers]

most of all, the fact that FC is the only TNG film that feels like a real big screen feature film, rather than an extended episode.

That is something I couldn't agree with more. The "scope" of this film was the only one that left me with the feeling it would always be better on the big screen rather than playing on my laptop.

I liked this movie. Of the TNG features it is the least boring (though I have to admit for having such an explosive beginning there's sort of a lull in the middle.) This was the only movie where I completely bought Worf's presence. Of course, there are reasoning's for his presence in the other three, it actually made 100% perfect sense in this movie. I loved the score and the basic plot. I liked the exploration of the Federation's origins and... I liked the Borg Queen. (What would Star Trek Voyager have been about without her? Haa... I jest.)

All in all if I have to watch a TNG movie (I'd just as soon watch the episodes from TNG, DS9, UDC or 09 Trek) this is the one I'll pick.

I do have one major problem; The Borg beam to the Enterprise and not to Earth. Or not to both place. How much sense does that make? Put... whatever that was slithering around in Engineering in a population center on Earth too! There would've been essentially no stopping them after a few hours and if the Enterprise crew was busy dealing with Borg on the ship it would've been bye-bye baby. The thought kind of made me think of the Borg as the villain who explains his plan to James Bond rather than just shooting him.


(Booyah! Promotion!)
-Withers-​

 

[FormerLurker]

I think the reason FC seems more like a feature than any of the others is manifold:

First, Generations seemed like just another attempt to have a series finale and have all the old, familiar stuff end.

Insurrection, while well made, was dull and lifeless too much of the time, and did not have a grand, compelling story with consequences.

Nemesis was just bad.

But FC had a compelling story, with distinct consequences for all involved if they failed, and was presented in a very grand manner, with dashing heroes, dangerous villains, and character arcs for the majority of the crew and guest stars(though not all of them).

At least that's how I see it.

 

[Too Much Fun]

I just watched "Star Trek: First Contact" again. It's one of the few movies (Star Trek or otherwise) I seem to be able to watch about once a year and always have fun with. I just do not get all the hate. Watching it again as I get older, I'm a little more aware of things like plot holes and contrivances, but they're never bad enough to prevent me from thoroughly enjoying the movie in spite of them. It baffles me how these things inspire other people to actually have contempt for the film.

I realized this time that it's a little confusing how the Enterprise can see an earth completely inhabited by Borg immediately after the Borg enter the time travel vortex and right before the Enterprise enters. I'm also finding that with every viewing, the idea of the Borg Queen being there all along during the events of "The Best of Both Worlds" is getting more unconvincing. But guess what, I don't care.

Yes, it's a cheap retcon and it takes away some of the original appeal of the Borg, but I think it creates a different, equally respectable new appeal for them. I agree with Brannon Braga that what worked on the TV show wouldn't have worked in the movie. I think if Picard and Data had spent all their scenes alone with the Borg speaking to a disembodied chorus of voices, those scenes would have sucked. Having the Borg Queen to play off of was so much better. When Picard first arrives on the Borg ship in "The Best of Both Worlds" and has to talk with a bunch of Borg voices about how humanity will fight back, it was cool, but a whole movie of that? No, thank you.

None of the questionable plot points can change the fact that the interaction between Picard, Data, and the Borg Queen (as well as her make-up) is fascinating, the comedy with Zephram Cochrane is more consistently entertaining to me than that of any Star Trek movie besides "The Voyage Home", the action scenes are a blast, and the interactions between the crew and the people on earth are just as dramatically satisfying as the best character interaction scenes on the series.

Picard's arguments with Worf and Lily never cease to enthrall me with their intensity, and the stuff with Cochrane, LaForge, Barclay, Troi, and Riker is marvelously fun. The only scene that doesn't really work for me anymore was the bit on the deflector dish, which I thought dragged on way too long with all the turning of knobs (I know the slowness was to create suspense, but they may have overdone it a bit). I still like Worf's action hero one-liner, though, and Cochrane's "star trek" line is cute and makes me smile.

 

[vess]

Among MANY other things that have already been cited, Patrick Stewart's performance.

Lily: Jean-Luc blow up the damned ship!

Picard: NO! NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! *smashes case with decompression rifle* I will not sacrifice the Enterprise. We've made too many compromises already; too many retreats. They invade our space, and we fall back. They assimilate entire worlds, and we fall back. Not again. The line must be drawn here! This far, no further! And I will make them pay for what they've done!

Lily: You broke your little ships.

 

[Saxman1]

Likes:

1. The Borg are even more scary-looking and acting in this film, save for The Queen

2. The Doctor from Voyager & Ethan Phillips in cameos

3. Geordi has cool new eyes

Dislikes:

1. The Data torture/new skin scenes are endless and really slow down the pace of the film

2. Picard making like Ahab, even insulting his friend Worf for being level-headed for once until Lilly shocks him back to reason. There's a lot about Picard that is out of character in this film, including making him into Kirk from this film forward (action hero).

3. The Borg Queen - kind of corny and slowed the film down.

4. The film was more of a glorified horror film than a Star Trek film.

5. Cochrane as horny drunk: didn't look or act anything like the version in TOS (I realize that a lot of people prefer Cromwell's portrayal...don't get me wrong, I think he's brilliant in anything he does, it's just this is a huge continuity gaffe).

6. Lilly has to bring Picard to his senses while Crusher rolls over and plays dead. The Beverly of the TV series would have been all over Picard to wake up.

7. Troi basically gets to drink with Cochrane and pass out.

 

[Cyke101]

I love the film and it's always up amongst my top 3 Trek movies. I really can't think of anything that hasn't been said yet, save for one quite-wide criticism: I almost wish that the movie wasn't about Borg *and* Time Travel. One or the other, but not both. The film seems too complicated to explain, and this film was before the Borg became a convoluted mess. If both aspects of the script were separated, I wonder how much more character development we could have gotten: seeing the Away Team trying to combat hero worship and distorted historical perspective was great, as was seeing Crusher, Worf, and Lily vs. Picard on the ship. I wish there was more concentration on those types of scenarios.

Come to think of it, this is one of the few Trek stories where I enjoyed the main plot and the subplot almost equally.

 

[Wynterhawk]

Just rewatched FC yesterday as I haven't seen it in quite a while. So let's get to listing:

Dislikes:

Data. Data. DATA!!! Stop whining about wanting to experience what it's like to be human. Just stop it. And the whole skin thing, oh God... and the emotion chip, jerking his chin to shut it off. Grrrr....

That they red-shirted Lt. Hawk! Mr. Ice Blue Eyes?? It hurt even more that you knew he was going to die the moment you saw him as the third officer in the airlock. Worf, Picard and some guy who had a few lines in the movie go off for a possible suicide mission. Guess who's not coming back...

The dry cheek peck. C'mon Jean-Luc...come on...

Likes:

Lily. I thought she was feisty, and appropriate and had a pretty meaty part. And I liked her teeny weeny fro. So cute.

Lt. Hawk. Although his part wasn't that big, it stood out for me. He was a nice addition to the established ensemble. Poor Sean Liam... though I still can't figure out how the Borg injected you without, puncturing your suit.

Lily's reaction to the Borg and her reaction to the holodeck simulations.

Geordie's eyes were cool.

The Borg were sufficiently frightening and the new Borg construction scene was compelling.


I'm sure there are a few more, but I'll leave it at that.

 

[ScottDS]

LIKES:

-Jerry Goldsmith's score, especially the theme (hopefully we'll get an expanded version one day)
-the opening pull-back shot
-the Enterprise-E... I have nothing against the design but I can see why people would've preferred the Enterprise-D in this one... there was already an emotional connection
-the new uniforms and the crew's 21st century outfits along with Cochrane's ensemble (love the big coat!)... too bad they didn't get Deborah Everton to do the INS costumes
-the visual effects, with the exception of the Borg cube explosion (the cube just disappears)
-the cinematography... very effective... and not bad for a first-time director
-for a first-time feature director, Frakes ain't bad at all!
-Alice Krige, James Cromwell, and Alfre Woodard all turn in very good performances
-the holodeck scene and the return of Dixon Hill
-the EVA scene... we knew Hawk was dead meat
-the conference room scene with Picard and Lily and the Moby Dick references
-Geordi's ocular implants
-Michael Westmore's make-up for the Borg and the Queen
-the ending with the Vulcans (also loved the Mirror Universe version on ENT)
-the appearances of Barclay and the Holodoc
-they did their best to avoid too much technobabble

DISLIKES:

-the rushed opening and the 30-second space battle
-I know people say this about INS but this film, at least to me, always felt a little small... at least smaller than its reputation suggests
-Dr. Crusher doesn't have much to do... again (Moore and Braga mention this problem in their audio commentary)
-after this film is when the Borg became somewhat overused on VGR... it all started here
-as I said about NEM, why does every TNG film end with Picard and the villain fighting on some scaffolding?
-I don't have a problem with how it was presented in this film but the idea that war and poverty will simply disappear in half a century is a bit simplistic, let alone the whole moneyless economy idea
-some of Cromwell's reactions during the drinking scene... a little too corny for my taste
-the Enterprise's deflector gets shot up but no one thinks, "Hey, shouldn't we install another one before we re-enter that strange time vortex?"
-Hawk's line about deflector control not being a "vital system"

 

[Maurice]

Are zombie movies less compelling if there's no zombie who's a character? I think people mistake "problem" or "antagonist" with "villain". The Borg could have been portrayed entirely as a force of nature, and the conflict been with the crew and Cochrane & Lily fighting over how to stop them.

And, if they wanted a Borg character, make her basically the replacement Locutus: a mouthpiece for the Borg, not a"Queen".

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

Are zombie movies less compelling if there's no zombie who's a character? I think people mistake "problem" or "antagonist" with "villain".

Which unfortunately is the problem with a lot of the TNG movies--the need to cast a "villain" in the vain of Khan as the "antagonist".