Looking up at the heavens from below, one would not think that vanity and revenge could descend and destroy a civilization. Yet, in the ninth installment of the Star Trek film saga, Star Trek: Insurrection, this threat is very real for a peaceful yet technologically advanced race living on a planet with the power to grant eternal youth.
Humans have been on a quest to gain eternal youth for centuries, and this isn’t the first time this quest has been central to the plot of a Star Trek adventure. This theme-as well as many others-isn’t fully explored and leaves the audience wanting more. When will writers of big-budget Hollywood features realize that making an audience laugh and wowing them with big explosions may not be enough to entertain people?
When Star Trek first aired on television, many viewers failed to see the themes presented by the show. Some saw it as cheap science-fiction. The result was the show being cancelled after only a few seasons. But as time passed,Star Trek reruns reached a larger audience, and the show achieved cult status, spawning endless spin-off shows like Star Trek: The Next Generation. The social criticism and commentary presented in the show began to make an impression on people. Die hard fans will note that Star Trek isn’t just about special effects: It holds a mirror up to the world and asks if we like what we see.
Art and commerce eventually conflict, and commerce often overcomes. This has led to the recent onslaught of films whose sole purpose is to allow computer wizards in California to show off their unique talents, while audiences seem to lose their thirst for story, and want only bigger and brighter booms.
This is where Insurrection runs into most of its problems as a film. The plot hints at many interesting themes; such as the value of eternal youth, the uselessness of revenge, and the importance of living in the moment. However, the film falls short of reaching conclusions on any of these topics and is a jumbled collection of subtext and undertones clouded over by outer space battles and land combat.
While the film attempts to bring new characterization to the well-known characters of the series, sometimes it takes its efforts too far. While much of the banter and camaraderie in the film is a welcomed change to the usual mood of seriousness found in most Star Trek features, the more obscure scenes involving Lt. Commander Data’s evolution, and Capt. Picard’s more personal side feels unnatural. The characterization, while needed, proves to be much like the original Star Trek series in the early ‘60’s; far ahead of it’s time.
This does not mean that Insurrection is a bad film. Though it does not develop its themes completely, it still presents themes that prompt the audience to think, which is more than most films do today. Compared to earlier Trek films, Insurrection is weak in many respects. Compared to current films, it is a complex film with many redeeming traits.
If you are looking for a movie to make you laugh and doesn’t require you to think, go see Waterboy. If you’d like to be teased into thinking about the effects vanity and the temptation of youth may have, set a course for Star Trek: Insurrection -fxand engage.
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