Star Trek IX: Insurrection [Blu-ray]

Updated to reflect new 6/7/05 Special Edition
Please note: This review is for the Special Edition of "Star Trek: Insurrection" released 6/7/05 and was updated.

Most of these reviews of Insurrection damn the film with faint praise. It wasn't this, it wasn't that. The Federation wouldn't do this. There's petty squabbles about legal points, etc. Writer Michael Piller clearly uses Star Trek Insurrection, much as Roddenberry did, as a soapbox to decry the injustices visited upon others. Usually he'd use Star Trek as a analogy of what had occurred in the past or present.

The next to last installment in the "Trek" film franchise, "Star Trek: Insurrection" received a bad rap from the very beginning. Despite the fact that it was scripted by one of the series best writers (Michael Piller a producer and writer on "The Dead Zone") and directed by series vet/actor Jonathan Frakes the film was seen as disappointing as a follow up to the action driven "Star Trek: First Contact". While the film certainly lacks the intensity...

Sound over Substance.
OK, lets face it. We want to love Star Trek movies because we feel so apart of the series. And for the most part, the movies just don't hit their mark. As a movie, this one probably ranks fourth in the series behind, Kahn, IV, and First Contact. But it's certainly not a bad film, which can't be said for about half of the Star Trek movies. However, if you have a sub woofer, surround sound speakers and are buying this for your 5.1 DVD... Pull out your wallet and get it. Star Trek is perfect for DVD. The Laser Fights, the Space Battles, the hiding in caves during an alien bombing give ample opportunity to be pounded into your chairs. In DVD no one can hear you scream, simply because the movie is so darn loud. I LOVE IT. So if you're a Star Trek fan or just someone who enjoys your home theater. Pull out your wallet and have a great time. However, if you don't have 5.1 DVD with all the trimmings, buy the wrath of Kahn, or simply go buy a better movie.

Star Trek Meets Walt Disney
If you like the one about the whales, you'll probably enjoy "Star Trek: Insurrection," too. Unlike its successor, the bloated and ill-conceived "Star Trek: Nemesis," this third foray into theaters for the "TNG" crew is a competent, if not particularly riveting, adventure that often feels more like an old-fashioned Disney film than anything else. That's actually the best thing going for it, as Captain Picard and crew discover an intergalactic Shangri-La that is the focal point for a generational civil war. Comfortable as director, co-star Jonathan Frakes does what he can with a script that is frequently sweet (and sometimes needlessly violent) but like many of the modern Trek episodes, short on plot and long on technobabble. He had more success with the last film, which managed to evoke the spirit of Captain Kirk's era, but Frakes here still finds new ways to show us things we've seen a million times before, no mean feat. He's aided by the late, great Jerry Goldsmith's evocative...

Click to Editorial Reviews

Sadako [Blu-ray]

Not Terrible, But A Bit Hairy
Historically, everything in the "Ring" media franchise has been pretty rock-solid. The main films are classics, and Koji Suzuki's original novel is on par with many things Stephen King has written. The various manga adaptations have also been entertaining, and from hearsay, the TV drama was solid. Heck, even the Dreamcast game, "Ring: Terror's Realm" is so bad that it's actually brilliant as a comedic experience.

So when somebody finally decided to update the infamous antagonist Sadako to be relevant to a modern audience (read: not in a videotape), I was reasonably excited. But while "Sadako 3D" does manage to succeed in being a relatively frightening horror flick with an interesting backstory, its confusing placement in the continuity and the lukewarm plot make it the weakest link of the series.

"Sadako" follows a young school-teacher who is haunted by a traumatic childhood experience in which she was almost killed by a psychotic man wielding a knife. To save...

Sadako 3-Dud
Ack! This is horrible. Familiar premise to Ring (Ringu) fans -- a cursed video claims lives mysteriously. Unfortunately from the beginning this film has three strikes against it: 1.) everyone by now is at least passingly familiar with the cursed video concept; 2.) this movie does not make a convincing progression on this concept (a mad loner wants to strike back by harnessing the power of Sadako simply because his website got "burned" i.e. criticized?); 3.) the 3D gimmick and the CGI thrown in look like they were done on someone's home computer -- badly done and inserted randomly in the movie. The actresses and actors are good enough, but due to the bad script, direction, and effects this movie is completely scare-free for me. Out of desperation or lack of ideas the roughly last one third becomes something like a Universal monster movie (but making less sense); and then, worst of all, ... well, I'm not going to give out a spoiler but let's just say this movie does not end like...

"Sadako 3D" not bad at all. Decent blu-ray transfer.
The "Ringu" franchise is a fascinating phenomenon. This latest chapter in the series is not a bad film. It has its creepy and shock moments. But it is a little over-the-top. The films may never have the impact of Hideo Nakata's original "Ringu" film. But nontheless, "Sadako 3D" is fun to watch on a Saturday night with it raining outside, the lights out and surround sound. The maniacal madman at the helm is a little bit much at times but the scares make for decent viewing. For me, this blu-ray was a day one purchase due to my love for Asian Horror Films with some of my favorites being "Ringu", "Dark Water", "A Tale of Two Sisters", "The Eye", "Shutter", "Phone", "Alone", "The Eye 2", "One Missed Call", "Re-cycle", "Carved The Slit-Mouthed Woman", "The Red Shoes", "Dumplings", "The Cat" aka "Two Eyes That See Death" and others. If you are a fan, give "Sadako 3D" a chance, you just might like it and the price is right. UPDATE: 2-D blu-ray quality is pretty decent with a nice blu-ray...

Click to Editorial Reviews