BACK COVER SYNOPSIS: Engage! Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and his Next Generation crew are back and so is the excitement and fun in this "polished film that shines like a crown jewel in the Star Trek firmament" (George Powell, San Francisco Examiner). From the beginning of the Federation, the Prime Directive was clear: no Starfleet expedition may interfere with the natural development of other civilisations. But now Picard is confronted with orders that undermine that decree. If he obeys, 600 peaceful residents of Ba'ku will be forcibly removed from their remarkable world, all for the reportedly greater good of millions who will benefit from the Ba'ku's Fountain of Youth-like powers. If he disobeys, he will risk his Starship, his career, his life. But for Picard, there's really only one choice. He must rebel against Starfleet... and lead the insurrection to preserve Paradise.

FILM REVIEW: Being an odd-numbered Trek film (in this case #9), there seemed to be an expectation that this film might not reach the same level of quality as we've come to expect going on the form of the previous films in the series, but with "Insurrection", the Star Trek franchise took a major tumble. No, it's not as bad as the clumsy The Final Frontier, or the just plain bad and worst entry, Nemesis; the structure of the story and its execution are first rate. The problem lies in the fact that not only is the story of the film not strong enough to sustain a feature, it's also filled with cringe-worthy comedy. The person who suggested this film should be lighter after the hard-core action of "First Contact" should be taken out in to the street and shot. It's a tragedy when you see your favourite characters engaging in stupid behaviour and/or gimmicky tag lines and sequences, especially when Star Trek is at its best when its serious. Having said all that however, "Insurrection", despite its overblown title which it doesn't live up to, has a solid Star Trek story at its heart that harkens back to the original vision of creator Gene Roddenberry and it is only this one saving grace that elevates this film beyond the very worst that Star Trek has to offer.

In an intriguing opening sequence, we see Data lose the plot and start shooting at Starfleet personnel on a planet where they are secretly observing the population who are unaware of their existence. Data puts a stop to that, revealing all the Starfleet officers, prompting Picard and the crew of the Enterprise to visit the Ba'ku planet to find out what happened to Data. As they investigate, they discover a secret plan to forcibly remove the 600 Ba'ku to another planet in order to capture the Fountain of Youth elements present on the planet for the entire Federation, and worse, that Starfleet is in league with a group of thugs called the So'na. Not wanting to take this lying down, Picard decides to hang up his rank and go on the Ba'ku's side and attempt to stop the Federation from doing what it's doing and to highlight how the Federation is betraying the principles upon which it was founded.

As you can see, there's potential in this storyline for a big, dramatic adventure with strong moral themes. Screenwriter Michael Piller admits as much when he first set out to write the story; the problem is, someone decided it might be a good idea to make this light fare. As a result, we have scene after scene of cringeworthy comedy which makes fun of all the characters and completely destroys the dramatic seriousness the story and themes otherwise would have had. There's Picard and Worf singing karoake to trick Data, there's Riker manouervering the Enterprise with a joystick, there's Troi and Riker indulging in their prebubescent fantasies, there's Data often being on the end of the 'make-fun-of-him' stick, and so on and so on. There are a few genuine laughs, but what's the point? It's not a comedy. Star Trek deserves better than this. The Voyage Home handled Star Trek comedy perfectly by making it come organically from the story itself, and even then it would be best to describe it as light-hearted rather than comedy. Insurrection seems to resort to the banana-peel style comedy which is just dreadful.

What did work in the film? The central concept is very strong, and is also very Star Trek. There are parallels with human history with the forced relocation of indigenous populations to accommodate the stronger invaders. It's just unfortunately let down by a less than dramatic setting and execution which makes the film feel like a television episode, and that's before the comedy begins... Not good for a film with a $60+ million budget. The visuals in this film are first rate, particularly the special effects sequences and the space scenes which have a richness and depth to them that are amongst the best in the series. There are also some very good guest star actors in F. Murray Abraham as the film's obvious and tough villain, Anthony Zerbe as the misguided Federation admiral who is the one breaking the Prime Directive, and Donna Murphy playing in effect Picard's love interest. Jerry Goldsmith's music is also quite beautiful. When there are genuine moments between the various characters, they are really quite good; but those moments are few and far between.

"Insurrection", despite some nice moments and a solid Star Trek central them, is a wasted opportunity and a major disappointment.

TECHNICAL REVIEW: The video transfer is first rate, perhaps the best of the Star Trek series so far, with any mpeg artefacts and only the occasional film scratch which is really just on the Paramount logo (are they any closer to cleaning that logo up???). The audio transfer is spectacular and works its magic in the spaceship battle sequences. Dialogue is very clear throughout the film. An excellent transfer.

EXTRAS REVIEW: The extras are the really what makes this DVD worth the effort. There are series of featurettes focusing on the making of the film, with perhaps the most refreshing pieces focusing on director Jonathan Frakes and his frank, but sugar-coated explanations as to why the film is probably not as good as First Contact, and the one of screenwriter Michael Piller and his hopes for the film and what he was trying to achieve by returned to Roddenberry's original vision for Star Trek. There are also numerous subtitles, language tracks, trailers and other materials. Sadly, there are no audio commentaries. But overall, an excellent collection of extras.

BOTTOM LINE: Rent it, unless you're a fan who needs to complete their collection.