I don't really get the hate for the movies. I thought they were at least decent, except Nemesis. And even Nemesis had its moments.
I'd give them at least as good of a track record as the TOS movies. I know everyone loves Time Travelin' Whale Quest for some reason but that movie is an abomination.
The problem with the movies is the whole TNG series is based on Picard's stolid, strict, self-disciplined nature. He did everything by the book and he did everything he was supposed to do instead of what he wanted to do.
In the movies, they turned him into a joke a minute-tough guy-old Bruce Willis like character.
Also, the movies had a lot of nonsensical plots and terrible direction.
*Rant Mode Activated*
-Generations: This movie actually had some good moments: Malcom McDowall had an excellent performance, the Geordi/Data subplot was well done, I liked the Kirk/Scotty/Chekov cameo at the start, and I liked the overall crew interaction. Its shortcomings quickly overwhelmed it's high points, however. The "Ribbon" idea is one of the most moronic plotlines I've ever seen in a science fiction movie. It could have been replaced with ANY NUMBER of believable scenarios, but they went with this. A "magic wave" that takes you to a place where you are happy all the time??? It's like Disney wrote this! Kirk's death was equally terrible, a complete waste. They also made no way out (which Shatner is now regretting). I was left with a feeling of disappointment that has stayed with me for 20 years. Thanks jerks :|
-First Contact: The studio obviously said "MOAR ACTION!!!", so they threw in a bunch of fighting and the Borg. The result: Night Of the Living Dead: IN SPACE! Again, the plot had so many holes it was hard to look past: Picard has the most experience with the Borg and have used his expertise on many occasions to fight them. They also let him command the most powerful ship ever built. BUT...when the attack on Earth occurs he suddenly is not allowed to fight. Why??? Why didn't the Borg just go back in time from ANYWHERE. Why bother going back in time in front of Earth and bother with being attacked. Why did they rip the sleeves off of Picard, make him all sweaty, and turn him into Rambo? Picard is a man of disipline and regulation, yet he focuses on revenge and hate- why the sudden change of character? Why does the Borg Queen act like a regular person instead of someone part of the collective? So many questions....
-Insurrection: This script was terrible, like it was supposed to be a TV movie on Lifetime for Women, but they set it in space and added some special effects. Picard falls in love, Crusher and Troi talk about their boobs getting perky, there's lots of emotion and kissy kissy huggy huggy. The Enterprise E gets its ass kicked by some tiny fighters, and AGAIN WITH THE MAGIC ENERGY! The writers from Generations must have been involved because they can't get enough of that stuff.
-Nemesis: It's clear they tried to remake Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan with this movie, but the director and writers have no idea how to subtly develop a story. The movie is a mess. A clone of Picard having to fight himself could have been an interesting story, but they introduced all these weird, non-nonsensical, and unnecessary elements, watering down the plot and making for a long, boring moive. At the end, you notice that the middle of the movie could have been cut it wouldn't have made much of a difference, then you curse the movie producers for stealing that hour of your life. Vampire Romulans? Dunebuggy races? A random copy of Data just laying around that they could detect lightyears away? Ugh. The worst part is they never really gave a reason for Shinzon (Picards clone) to hate Picard. It's like it was forced hatred. He woke up one day and said "You know, this guy has something I need, so instead of asking for help, I'll just hate him and try to kill my only source of rejuvenation." It seems to be Shinzon would want to get on Picards good side? They wanted to make him the new Khan, but that guy didn't have the acting chops or character development to do the job. My wife and I went to the theater to see this and she summed it up best: "I have no idea what was happening, but Data died."
I'm almost glad they didn't make another movie, because all the odd numbered movies apparently have to be about MAGIC ENERGY!!!!!
On a side note, as for the new Star Trek reboot: I like the cast, the acting isn't bad, but the lens flare photography, Uhura/Spoke romantic side plot, and focus on how many things can blow up instead of a story line made me not like the movie that much. These directors need to rewatch some classic Trek.
A Star Trek story is supposed to be something like this:
-The crew is going about our business
-The crew tries to do something helpful, an unexpected force or foe appears, a sinister plan is revealed
-The crew comes together and uses their strengths to stop the force or foe
- The crew is nearly defeated
- Finally one person does something sacrificial and unexpected to come out victorious
They've gotten away from this proven formula, and it's what made Star Trek so inspiring. It was said there were no more TNG movies due to franchise fatigue. The actual reason is the people that held all the cards didn't know how to make a movie script and lost sight of what the brand is about.
*The Concludes My Rant*