My Views
Well, I have been constantly trying to stand up for Nemesis on another board (even to the point of people insulting me!) and so I will do the same here.
I LOVE NEMESIS!
To me it is THE BEST STAR TREK MOVIE EVER!
Let's run through the film, I'll try to comment on the best bits.
Opening: I love the new "modern" style of music Jerry Goldsmith worked into the normal orchestral music for this film, especially the synth/electronic beat that runs in the back of most of the tracks (you know the one that goes "dum dum dum dum dum dum daka daka dum dum dum")
As for the actual opening sequence, it may have been short but I loved the way that the camera zoomed past Remus and then pretty much landed on the Romulan Senate (I especially liked the little detail of the people walking around the city too!). The assasination scene was very horrific and hopefully gets the audience's attention.
Wedding scene: Really emotional in both good and bad ways. Lots of humour, especially Data's singing. It really brought a tear to my eye when Picard toasted Will and Deanna, I have always loved all of these characters and so I really felt like I was about to say goodbye to them. Also, it may have been brief but it was great to see Guinan and Wesley again. It was good the way that they put in a line about Guinan having been married 23 times!:rolly2:
First Enterprise Appearance: I have just got to mention the first appearance of the Enterprise, no matter how many times I see that ship, it still becomes more beautiful and cool-looking everytime.
Desert Scene: Nice bit of action with an homage to The Mummy with B-4's hand suddenly shooting out of the ground to grab Worf's leg. Like people have said, Picard's Jeep driving really was a lot of fun and quite exhilarating.
Admiral Janeway: Another great little cameo there. For some reason, I've always wanted to see what the Voyager crew would look like in the First Contact uniforms and so I sort of got my wish this time.
Scimitar Appearance: Oh man, did that make a great first impression! I loved the new cloaking effect which spreads across the ship rather than covering it in one go. Both the music and the tense feelings in this scene helped to make it great. I felt the same as everyone on the Enterprise when Worf announced the Scimitar's Tactical Specs. She really WAS a predator!
Shinzon: Great entrance, right up there with the entrance of the Borg Queen as greatest entrance. Special mention goes to the Scimitar Sets which really were impressive. Oh, and the Viceroy was very scary too, Ron Perlman's voice really added to the creepiness of the character. Later scenes showed that Shinzon wasn't completely bad, he was actually interested in what Picard had to tell him about himself. I especially liked the scene in the Senate where they both talk about looking up at the stars when they were little.
Troi's Rape: Very disturbing, especially when Shinzon morphs into the Viceroy. This is a nice homage to the TNG episode "Violations" where the same Mental Rape happened.
Spot: Sorry, just had to mention the cameo of everyone's favourite ginger ***** cat.
Picard's abduction: Very sudden and unexpected, plus it showed off the great new Reman transporter effect.
Data as B-4: Nice turnaround when we find out that Data is pretending to be B-4 in order to rescue Picard and stop Shinzon from gaining any Starfleet info. I especially liked the little Vulcan Neck Pinch that he does.
Corridor battle: Very exciting, action-packed and even with a little bit of humour as Data tries to crack the code for the Shuttle Bay (I just love that smug smile he gives when he finally cracks it!).
Scorpion: Great escape in a great fighter. That certainly has never been done before, escaping by flying through the INSIDE of the ship. I've also got to mention that I thought it was cool the way the Enterprise pretty much rolls right over before jumping into warp.
Battle Stations: I've just got to mention that little montage as the crew get the ship ready for battle. The music and the direction of it all was very stirring and moving for me. I love the new Weapons Lockers we see in this movie as well as the new force-field effect we see going up the Warp Core.
Astrometrics: Great little room that, it looked more realistic with an actual huge viewscreen there rather than the usual blue/green screen work. Did anyone else notice the redressed Son'a Situation Table from Insurrection, here serving as the main Astrometrics console?
The Great Battle: Oh WOW man! That was REALLY cool! I loved that bit where the Scimitar drops out of warp, whirls round and cloaks before resuming firing on the Enterprise (I actually rolled with it, much to the embarrassment of me when I realised my parents were standing in the room!
). Next came the great phaser and torpedo spread as they tried to hit the Scimitar, really excellent. The surprising arrival of the Romulans in their new Valdore Warbirds to help the Enterprise was an added bonus and it added to the exhilaration of the action. Seeing four big ships swooping around, firing was brilliant! It was also a good tactic from Shinzon by luring in Donatra's Warbird so he could disable it. The same goes for Troi turning the Viceroy's mental link to her into a weapon. Next came the boarding party, another great scene, once again showing off Worf's great combat tactics. It was also good to see Riker back into his action role he had in the TV series. Then it was the even more EXCELLENT decompression sequence, very shocking and you really wonder if any of the main characters are going to get blown out too. I love the Enterprise-E bridge and so I was saddened to see it wrecked in this scene. Then of course came the INFAMOUS ramming sequence, a great bit of action with great music that really gets the blood pumping. It was also a great homage to Insurrection (if you recall, we thought Riker was going to ram the Son'a in that film!). Lots of great effects, especially as we see the inside of the Scorpion Bay getting torn up. What's even more exciting is that the action doesn't stop there, it continues with Shinzon trying to prise the two ships apart. Then, after Picard's beamed over to the Scimitar, Data does a death-defying leap from the Enterprise to the Scimitar which I thought was excellent. The Scimitar spreading it's wings to fire the Thaloran weapon was a nice, cool touch, making the ship seem even more threatening. After the usual fisticuffs, Picard stabs Shinzon in a scene which really made me cringe (not because it was bad, but because it looked like it REALLY hurt!). It was even more horrific when Shinzon starts to climb up the spear that had pierced him in order to be closer to Picard so he could strangle him before dying. Next came the ultimate sacrifice which was very shocking, not to mention surprising for anyone who didn't know it was coming. I really had to stop myself from crying after Data got blown up, I REALLY loved his character!
The aftermath: The scene on the wrecked bridge of everyone's stunned reactions was really heart-breaking, especially Geordi's reaction (Geordi was the closest to Data). It was a nice bit of humour as Picard orders an incoming hail to be put on the viewscreen before realising there isn't one anymore.
Back at Earth: The sight of the Enterprise in Drydock was very impressive, even if it was somewhat heartbreaking to see the Enterprise powered down and either being taken to bits or rebuilt. The final toast was even more heartbreaking, especially as Riker recounts the first time he met Data in "Encounter At Farpoint". We actually see Geordi crying for once too, something that wouldn't have been possible if he still had that VISOR covering his eyes. The goodbye scene for Riker was also very moving as Riker has always wanted to stay on the Enterprise rather than command another starship. Now he finally is leaving, it's heartbreaking for him and for us. The final scene with B-4 was a nice touch, showing that perhaps Data isn't completely gone after all.
In conclusion, sorry this is so long, but I wanted you to realise how many great scenes there were in this EXCELLENT film and how much I loved it.
