[6]

SPOILER REVIEW. The Next Generation crew go out on a relatively low note, but not a whimper. Aside from the wedding of Riker and Troi early in the film, Nemesis is an uncharacteristically dark entry in the franchise. The villain this time is Shinzon (Tom Hardy), a spiteful young clone of Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) who was conceived and abandoned by the Romulans. Shinzon now hangs out with the Remans, a bunch of Nosferatus in trench coats, and together they seek to capture Captain Picard and launch a lethal virus into Earth’s atmosphere. Unfortunately, Shinzon is dying from the moment we meet him. It’s hard to be afraid of someone who’s always coughing or bending over in pain. Shinzon could have been a villain of Khan’s calibre if it weren’t for his poor health.

My other problem with Nemesis is the B4 character, an insipid child-like brother of the android Data, both of whom are played by Brent Spiner. In addition to being a general annoyance, B4 also shames Data’s climactic sacrifice. I mean, why kill off a major character if you’re going to keep a retarded version of him around afterwards? By trying to have it both ways, Nemesis (and The Next Generation) ends disappointingly, but it’s a decent ride up to that point. Director Stuart Baird injects a much-needed dose of “kick ass” into some chase and battle sequences and the late Jerry Goldsmith serves up one of his last great film scores.