ROTTEN TOMATOES: Total Recall: Star Trek By Tomatometer

Total Recall: Star Trek By Tomatometer

by Jeff Giles

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45%

8. Star Trek: Generations

After seven years and 178 episodes, Paramount felt the time was right to give the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation its cinematic debut -- and since some members of the Enterprise's original crew were either unwilling to return (Leonard Nimoy) or not well enough (DeForest Kelley), the seventh Trek movie seemed like the perfect spot for a changing of the guard. With a behind-the-scenes crew that included a number of Next Generation vets -- including producer Rick Berman, director David Carson, and screenwriters Ronald D. Moore and Brannon Braga -- 1994's Star Trek Generations should have been a slam dunk, especially given a plot that put TNG's Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) face-to-face with James T. Kirk for the first time, but alas, it was not to be; though it did well enough at the box office, slightly improving upon The Undiscovered Country's worldwide tally, Generations received a mixed reception from writers like the New York Times' Peter M. Nichols, who simultaneously criticized it as "predictably flabby and impenetrable in places" and praised it for having "enough pomp, spectacle and high-tech small talk to keep the franchise afloat."

50%

7. Star Trek: The Motion Picture

With a full decade between it and the end of the original series, you might think 1979's Star Trek: The Motion Picture would have plenty of time to work out all the kinks -- but alas, as the movie's middling Tomatometer (and decades of fan gags about The Motionless Picture) can attest, all of Trek's time off didn't translate into an auspicious big-screen debut for the crew of the Starship Enterprise. The problem with the first Trek film -- aside from a dialogue-heavy storyline whose biggest villain was a cloud -- actually had nothing to do with the franchise itself; instead, it was a series of corporate shenanigans, including an aborted attempt at a second Trek television series, that left director Robert Wise with a patchwork script and neither the time nor the money to realize his vision. Although The Motion Picture didn't meet commercial or critical expectations (the Chicago Reader's Dave Kehr called it "blandness raised to an epic scale"), it performed well enough to justify a sequel -- and, in the bargain, kicked off one of the longest-running series in movie history.

55%

6. Star Trek: Insurrection

After handling screenplay duties for Generations and First Contact, writers Ronald D. Moore and Brannon Braga disembarked from Star Trek's film voyage -- but at this point, the Trek creative universe had expanded to the point that producer Rick Berman had plenty of new collaborators to choose from. He settled on Michael Piller, with whom he'd created the Trek TV spinoff series Deep Space Nine, and together -- along with Jonathan Frakes, who returned to direct and reprise his role as Commander William T. Riker -- they put together Insurrection, a story that introduced new wrinkles for familiar characters (such as LeVar Burton's Lieutenant Commander Geordi LaForge briefly acquiring the ability to see without optical implants) while still holding true to the core themes of the series. Unfortunately, at this point, audiences were so used to seeing one Trek TV series or another that they needed something truly extraordinary to hold their attention on the big screen -- and Insurrection, as evidenced by a gross that fell short of First Contact's, wasn't it. Still, even if critics didn't find it to be the most compelling entry in the series, they weren't completely dismissive; as Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "[It] lacks the adrenalized oomph of its predecessor, but no adventure of the Starship Enterprise is without its gee-whiz affability."

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(1-20 of 51 posts) | Reply

Poor_Frisco writes:
on May 07 2009 09:07 AM

Wow could Star Trek hold on and have the best reviews in the series while being a reboot??

(Reply to this)

ostrigal o. writes:
on May 07 2009 09:17 AM

Forgot to add this comment in the First Contact section during Tim's Trekking series...

Cut to Riker, La Forge, and Cochrane as they prepare for launch, and Steppenwolf's 'Magic Carpet Ride' comes blarring through the theater speakers... awesome movie-going moment.

(Reply to this)

willywonkanobi writes:
on May 07 2009 09:33 AM

Gonna be hard to beat first contact's 91%. If any movie can do it, it is this one though... I think because the expectations weren't high for first contact, its reviews may be slightly better than deserved (though it is a great film, and my #1 as well).

With so much anticipation building for this new one, 91% seems like a tough goal. Our culture has so many contrarians out there. People may give it a negative review just because the expectations for this film are so astronomical.

(Reply to this)

Superzone writes:
on May 07 2009 09:36 AM

Oh wow. Looks like the new Star Trek is sitting at the top of this list with 94% and about 80 reviews!

(Reply to this)

JUDGE DREDD writes:
on May 07 2009 09:42 AM

Well, I just got back from seeing it, and I have to agree, this Reboot is fantastic!!!!!! Easily the best in the series. My only 2 gripes,

1 coulda done with a bit more older Trek Music throughout the film, especially at emotional places.

2 After i finished watching it, i wanted to go back and watch more Trek, but of the same cast and crew etc, as the previous films rarely delivered to me, and the gap is even bigger now as this one blows them out the water. Hurry up JJ and get them sequels out!!! 9.5/10 from me.

I hope they give JJ a job doing Star Wars soon. He is awesome at sci-fi!

(Reply to this)

Chris C. writes:
on May 07 2009 09:52 AM

I'm seeing it tonight at the IMAX, can't wait.

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whitey_mcwhite writes:
on May 07 2009 10:56 AM

Wow, a tv mogul takes a franchise from another tv mogul and earns the best reviews of the series, and will most definitely have the highest grosses in the series. Not only that, but he does it be recasting the most beloved cast in the history of cinema! In the words of Barney from How I Met Your Mother: This is going to be legendary!

(Reply to this)

Andrew W. writes:
on May 07 2009 11:22 AM

In reply to this comment (#2458413)
bat-fink wrote: "I hope they give JJ a job doing Star Wars soon. He is awesome at sci-fi!"

No, no, no...let Lucas continue to ruin his own franchise. I like JJ were he is now working for Paramount. 20th Century Fox can just find something else to reboot.

But yeah, JJ and crew are good at SciFi, I think he's earned the right to do whatever project he wants to do.

(Reply to this)

scifimark writes:
on May 07 2009 11:34 AM

In reply to this comment (#2458403)
its at 94 now with over 100 reviews, it might drop maybe to like 92 or 93 i think but i dont see it dropping below that

(Reply to this)

ARTaylor writes:
on May 07 2009 12:51 PM

You're wrong about one thing Jeff. Nimoy didn't have it in his contract to die in Wrath of Khan. Watch any interview or documentary about Search for Spock and they'll include that somewhere. He wasn't not going to return if Spock didn't die. There was no change of heart because he always loved Spock. Spock made him a household name. He would have returned anyways. It was simply a dramatic device.

That myth came about because of Nimoy's book "I Am Not Spock." People assumed that because of the title he hated the character and Star Trek. But he titled the book that because he was tired of always being called Spock in public.

(Reply to this)

Funkmaster Flex writes:
on May 07 2009 01:16 PM

I find it amazing that Star Trek is about the only franchise where fan's opinions of which movies are so close to the critic's opinions.

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gibbyblaylock writes:
on May 07 2009 01:22 PM

I'm glad they gave Undiscovered Country its props. I just watched it again recently, SUCH a good movie. I liked it even better than Voyage OR Search!

I haven't seen the reboot yet but it looks great. If it's all that they say it is I'd like to see them hand the SUPERMAN franchise over to Abrams.

(Reply to this)

jaysix writes:
on May 07 2009 01:27 PM

The Voyage home third ? First contact in front of Wrath of Khan ? What a joke.

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frogleg writes:
on May 07 2009 01:28 PM

The reboot was absolutely fantastic. Much better than any of the other films in the series, and much better than any of the new Star Wars flicks. And I say that as a Star Wars nerd.

(Reply to this)

Bob S. writes:
on May 07 2009 01:43 PM

FIRST CONTACT is my favorite of the franchise, with WRATH OF KHAN a hair behind, so it's cool to see the T-meters reflect that. I can't wait for the latest, which I'm betting will have the best T-meter and make by far the most money. To me, this is THE movie of the summer; I think T4 is going to be a little disappointing, and while TRANSFORMERS 2 and HARRY POTTER 6 might make more money, I think this is the one I'm going to like the most.

(Reply to this)

JinxSight writes:
on May 07 2009 02:20 PM

I've always been kind've a Star Wars guy and not much of a Star Trek fan but I ****ing loved First Contact and Wrath of Khan... Really great movies even for those who are not huge Star Trek fans.

(Reply to this)

hig4s writes:
on May 07 2009 02:26 PM

The ratings are by the T-meter critics, not by the community ie: the fans!!!!

If you actually go to each movie's page and look at the rating by the fans, Wrath of Kahn is #1 with 91%, Voyage Home #2 with 87% and First Contact #3 with 84% !!! and personally that is the order I rate them in also.

(Reply to this)

Shaun822 writes:
on May 07 2009 04:15 PM

I love that last rant by Shatner because we all know he just wants to actually yell that out every now and then. And, of course Nimoy wrote a book to that effect.

(Reply to this)

willpower writes:
on May 07 2009 04:42 PM

That SNL skit is hilarious.

(Reply to this)

Sputnik99 writes:
on May 07 2009 05:05 PM

"Get a life, will you people?"

It's so funny, yet, it kind of hurts. I got tired of conventions after my sixth one. And no, I never dressed up as anybody.

(Reply to this)

8. Star Trek: Generations

7. Star Trek: The Motion Picture

6. Star Trek: Insurrection

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