(Not including the reboot trilogy as that’s a different altogether topic)
I was recently in a mood to binge the first ten Star Trek films as I hadn’t seen any of them in several years, and I notice that the TOS films are better than the TNG films. Which is weird because when it comes to the tv series, I far prefer TNG and its spin-offs over TOS but when it came to the films, it’s the opposite. I love First Contact, and like Generations but Insurrection and Nemesis are pretty bad IMO, whereas the only TOS film I truly dislike is V. (My favorites are IV and VI) Was wondering what others here thought, I think this may be the standard opinion in fact.
As for why they’re better, I think for whatever reason the TOS movies feel more cinematic, whereas the TNG films were mostly trying to capture the TNG feeling and not as much be cinematic?
I was like you once. Then, one day I realized that i really enjoyed watching first contact. It may even be my favourite of all of the start trek movies, original and TNG.
Eventually, I even appreciated insurrection. It is a little more light hearted than the other TNG movies. When the old crew began to feel younger, it just makes you happy.
That being said, I also watched the first star trek movie again recently, which is easily the one I’ve watched the least of all of them, and I will say I really enjoyed it. Maybe my tastes are just changing. Maybe my mind is going. Who knows.
A lot of people criticized Insurrection for being like a two-part episode of TNG (as in: doesn’t feel like a movie). But isn’t that … good? It’s TNG. We got more of TNG. 🤷🏻♂️ I like Insurrection. It’s not my favourite Star Trek movie but it’s a damn good movie for being Star Trek. Except, you know, when Picard beams off the exploding vessel and lets the villain die because that’s what Movie Picard does.
Except, you know, when Picard beams off the exploding vessel and lets the villain die because that’s what Movie Picard does.
They cut the scene of Picard offering to save the villain, because…I guess it’s cooler to just let him die.
Anyway, I don’t think Insurrection is bad because it feels like a TNG episode, I think it’s bad because its shot in a tv movie style with a plot that makes no sense and even kinda craps all over Star Trek’s philosophy. I do appreciate they tried to create a Star Trek style moral dilemma though. Generations feels more like a theatrical version of a TNG two parter and is better for it IMO.
Oh I love First Contact, and it’s my favorite of all the films still. But that’s just one film out of four. Most of the TOS movies I like, whereas most of the TNG films not so much. But I don’t begrudge anyone who disagrees.
Yeah I love Star Trek 1 now, I hated it so much as a kid though. But either its just better for adults or the Directors Cut is just that much better, because I really enjoy the film.
I think your last sentence answers it for me.
The TNG movies felt like “big episodes” to me. That said, I still liked them fine enough.
I feel the same way. I think it’s just because the TNG films wanted to turn Picard into Kirk and frankly Patrick Stewart can’t carry an action scene (neither can any of the rest of the TNG crew tbh). The TNG cast would have been perfect to do a plot about space whales or a dangerous anomaly flying towards Earth, but they kept trying to do The Wrath of Khan instead.
Also a pox on everyone who says that Motion Picture or The Search for Spock are bad.
Reminding me of how much the TNG movies sucked actually makes me a bit less critical of the Picard series.
The first two seasons of Picard are far worse IMO
Let’s face it, apart from nostalgia, season 3 was also pretty bad. I couldn’t believe they did the long-lost son thing for the third time (Kirk, then Picard, then Picard again), then did a bait-and-switch Borg thing which still doesn’t make sense. It was nice to see some of the Enterprise D crew reunite and give the fans some closure, even if the writers ignored years of character development, in some cases.
Season 3 wasn’t great, but it wasn’t the surreal painful experience the first two seasons were. I’m not a fan of the series in general though
I think while Insurrection and Nemesis are widely agreed as bad next gen movies I would argue they’re better than the worst original movies.
If you can’t acknowledge Motion Picture as bad I don’t know that we can have the discussion on a solid base though.
STTMP theatrical release was gods-awful even in the 70s. The more recent directors cut actually salvages it. I rather like it these days.
I guess that’s why I like it now, saw the Directors Cut.
The soundtrack is probably the best part. I saw it in the theater a few months ago, and it blew my socks off. I only ever heard it on VHS with a mono tv speaker. I bought the vinyl a couple of weeks ago.
The music and the visuals are awesome in the film, at least this new version available
I used to despise Star Trek 1 but recently saw the HD Directors Cut version and loved it.
I’ll admit I haven’t seen that but it would have to be some impressive magic.
My wife has never managed to stay awake past the opening sweep around the Enterprise but I can’t say it really gets better.
I’ve heard accounts both ways. I’m not quite old enough to have seen it new, but I’ve known people who said it was fantastic and people who said it was never better than it is now.
Shrug
Echoing what others said: the TNG movies felt like long, bigger episodes. While this isn’t a bad thing, it didnt have the finality and “oomph” of the TOS movies.
THEY felt like they had big stakes, which carried from movie to movie, and at least for 2-4 (and 6), they picked up the character abd story arcs.
The TNG movies treated each as a standalone story, which again, isn’t a bad thing, but the episodic reset button was no good when you had the epic story of the TOS films.
Of all of the TNG movies, First Contact had it, but honestly Nemesis was the one that tried to bring it and completely squandered that feeling of “this can change the entire galaxy and tie to threads from the series.” I always felt like there was actually a better movie in there, left on the cutting room floor.
Nemesis I felt could have been a much better film with better writing and direction. There’s certainly good stuff hiding in it, the whole nature vs nurture argument for example.
But it didn’t feel really earned. I feel like a Reman enemy or a Romulan captain that Picard faced in TNG would have been better. Hell, bring back Denise Crosby as Sela; her plotting to take over the Romulan Star Empire would have made sense.
It’s the even numbered movies that are good (2,4,6, First Contact, Nemesis). There’s even a TVTrope about it.
1 and 3 are both great, and I’ll go against the grain and say that 4 is pretty mediocre.
Meh, 1 and 3 are pretty good too, Insurrection is like a pretty good double episode and Nemesis is the worst of them all. Well, maybe tied with V.
