After the wonderful and unbelievably suspenseful Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Insurrection looks pretty poor by comparison. Although there are no glaring faults that sink it singlehandedly, the movie is not very impressive or particularly involving. Except for its gorgeous scenic shots of a paradise world, it's one of the more disposable and contrived entries in the series. Jonathan Frakes' direction, which was so confident and capable in the more demanding First Contact, is languid and confused in Insurrection.

The plot is certainly interesting enough even as it is presented. In a utopian and seemingly primitive society, somebody is running amok (guess who?), and the Enterprise has to come to the rescue. There they unravel a sinister plot and uncover bitter secrets from the past. Bottom line: it's "ok." I was mildly entertained, though it didn't stay with me for long afterward, and I liked most of the other Trek movies more.