Star Trek: Nemesis

Okay, let’s get all the formalities out of the way, shall we? Yes, it’s a Star Trek film. Don’t let that stop you. Yes, if you’re a fan of the Trek, and particularly of Star Trek: The Next Generation, you will want to see this film. Don’t let other people stop you. And yes, it’s an even-numbered film in the series - which, as any self-respecting Trek fan knows, is usually a good thing.

After the Romulans express a wish for peace, Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and the USS Enterprise are assigned the task of acting as representatives of the Federation and travel to Romulan space in order to bring about this peace. All plans are interrupted, however, upon the discovery of Shinzon (Tom Hardy), a human being who has spent his life at the hands of terrible brutality on both Romulus and its “twin sister” planet, the oppressed Remus. He has the intention of eradicating the Federation, but not before engaging Picard in a curious mind game because Picard is effectively everything Shinzon could have been, if he’d just been treated differently. To extend the “nature versus nurture” principle even further, in addition to Picard’s mental and physical battles with his younger clone, the android Data discovers B4 - a previous incarnation of himself created by his own creator, raising the question of both technological and emotional development.

There’s something reassuring about the fact that the Trek films can bring together casts of characters played by actors who genuinely seem to get along with each other. Stewart is as commanding as you’d expect, with the rest of the Enterprise crew as good as ever, and the camaraderie evident. Oh, and Wesley Crusher’s in it. Even better though, this film presents us with a truly intriguing villain. Hardy could have fallen into the trap of simply doing a Patrick Stewart impression, but he injects real venom and purpose into Shinzon, to the extent that you actually become interested in his reasoning.

If you’re looking for a good science fiction film, then you can’t really go wrong with Nemesis. It has action, villains, a wedding, and Captain Picard driving a space buggy at top speed. You can’t ask for much more on a Thursday night, really.

Laura Watson