Date: Fri 06-Dec-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: CAROLK

Illustration: C

Location: A14

Quick Words:

Playing-First-Trek-Picard

Full Text:

(rev "Star Trek: First Contact" for Now Playing, 12/6/96)

Now Playing-

"First Contact" Has The Goods

By Trey Paul Alexander III

Being a movie critic can be very liberating. When you decide to rant or whine

about certain films, nobody looks at you with the "why doesn't he just get a

life?" look, because after all, you're a critic and being nit picky is part of

the job description. "The critic's defense," as I like to call it, becomes

especially handy for Star Trek fans like myself, who love to talk "Trek" but

loathe being lumped into the category of sci-fi geek. Thus, without fear of

being labeled a goofy "Trekkie," let me review the latest Trek movie, which is

playing at Danbury's Crown Cine theater.

Star Trek: First Contact is the eighth "Trek" tale to hit the big screen, but

is the first devoid of any of the original cast members from the Sixties'

incarnation. Whereas the last film, Generations , which paired captains

Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and James T. Kirk (William Shatner), was

tentative, misconceived and unsure, First Contact is propelled by much more

zest and a more steady focus: Win back wandering fans with a briskly-paced

outing.

Directed by series co-star Jonathan (Will Riker) Frakes, First Contact pits

the Enterprise crew against the nefarious Borg collective, a group of

insidious cyborg automatons whose aim is to forcibly assimilate all cultures

and technology into their own. They've clashed with the Federation before,

capturing Picard and temporarily grafting him into their hive (in a popular

two-part TV episode). Picard's past ordeal comes back into play in this

storyline, in which the Borg attack Earth by invading it in the past.

The moment in time is 2063 and the focal point is a pilot named Zefram Cochran

(James Cromwell of Babe ), who is destined to make the first warp flight and

gain the attention of traveling aliens. The Borg seek to kill Cochran and

overwhelm a defenseless Earth. Thus, the Enterprise crew, led by a

vengeance-minded Picard, must follow them into the past and attempt to stop

them from changing history.

Admittedly, the plot is a little convoluted, particularly to those unfamiliar

with Trek lore, but First Contact makes up for this by keeping things moving,

including suspenseful battles against the Borg, humorous run-ins with people

from the past, and well-executed confrontations with the ominous yet

intriguing Borg Queen (Alice Krige).

Frakes should also be given credit for drawing some liveliness out of his

castmates, particularly Stewart, who seemed uncharacteristically stilted in

the last film, but is back on track here as the regal, gallant Picard, whose

even-keeled temperament is tested by his rematch with the Borg.

Judging from the box office take of its first weekend of release

(approximately $30 million), First Contact has the goods to satisfy fans and

maybe convert some who have been sitting on the fence. As a fan, however, I

must say I hope this is the last time-travel story we see in a while. Between

the plot twist and some of the other moments that occur in the movie, it's as

if the writers are striving to throw everything, including the kitchen sink,

into these films to keep us distracted from the fact we may not yet have come

to care about this crew as we did Kirk, Spock and company. Nevertheless, First

Contact is a fairly strong entry to the "Trek" canon and should insure the

franchise will continue to live long and prosper.

Star Trek: First Contact is rated PG-13 for profanity, sexual innuendoes and

some occasionally graphic scenes of violence.