Review of Star Trek: Generations

Introduction

Many Star Trek reviews talk about the odd-numbered films in the series being less than impressive, whilst the even-numbered films usually fare much better. Given that widely-held view, Generations, the seventh Star Trek movie, had to work extra hard to try and break this pattern.

It also had another pattern to break, as it was the last film to feature original members of the Enterprise crew, with Kirk, Scott and Chekov (and his "enemy wessels") taking their collective final bow. The "old" handed the baton over to the "new", with the stars of "The Next Generation" taking over.

There were lots of ways that this could have been done, but Generations settles for trapping Kirk in an energy ribbon, where he will eventually meet the future captain of the Enterprise, Jean-Luc Picard. It does seem like a rather clumsy method of doing things.

Video

A 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer is on offer here, which is good on the whole, but with minor niggles. There are some flecks and specks along the way, and the contrast levels don`t always look right. Detail is quite high for most of the film though.

Audio

A nice big DD5.1 soundtrack which is well used during the film. Lots of nice explosions and space battles to give your system a workout, and all as expected for a science fiction film. A reasonable amount of surround action too.

Features

Absolutely nothing - absolutely criminal!

Conclusion

Generations ultimately fails to break the "odd is bad" pattern of Star Trek films. What seemed like a good idea on paper doesn`t translate well to the screen, and there are just far too many cringe-making moments, particularly the holodeck scenes, and some of the scenes inside the Nexus.

It has its moments along the way, but it`s just a very average piece of Star Trek overall. Watch out for Malcolm McDowell as the typecast evil villain.

The disc itself is the best you`re going to get I`m afraid - the R1 is worse as the transfer is non-anamorphic. If you want to buy Generations, you`ll have to buy this disc. Recommended only for massive fans of the series.