Rating of
3/4
"Star Trek: First Contact" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 12/15/11
The greatest nemesis of the federation, the Borg attempt to assimilate Earth in this hugely enjoyable addition to the Trek franchise. There are some great effects, and director Frakes had obviously done his homework; the space battle is spectacular (if a little brief), and he cleverly chooses to transform the sterile, neon-lit corridors of the Enterprise into the kind of gloomy, atmospheric locations that would not look out of place on the Nostromo. The Borg are rightful favourites from the series, a seriously creepy race of "bionic zombies" who can assimilate their enemies through touch and render their weapons useless. It's also nice how the characters are given shades of grey, notably Picards almost pathological hatred of them and Data's "seduction" at the hands of the coldly fascistic Borg queen. It does have it's weak points; while all the best characters are battling robotic corpses through darkened corridors (cool), the crap ones are all planet side indulging in feeble comic relief (about as cool as Celine Dion covering "Achy breaky heart" in bri-nylon slacks and sewn-in mittens.) These sequences are brief enough to avoid wrecking it however, and James Cromwell is quite good fun as the boozy astronaut who bears little resemblance to the legendary figure the crew were all expecting. As a whole it cracks along at a fair old pace and with some knowingly self-referential lines and Trekkie-friendly cameos thrown in, it's a great slice of action-packed and fun family entertainment. Still the best Trek film by some way, and yes that includes the ill-advised "update" .
