Metascore

Generally favorable reviews - based on 18 Critics What's this?

User Score

Universal acclaim- based on 47 Ratings

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 18
  2. Negative: 0 out of 18
  1. Blessed with clever plot devices and a villainous horde that makes the once-dread Klingons seem like a race of Barneys, First Contact does everything you'd want a "Star Trek" film to do, and it does it with cheerfulness and style.
  2. First Contact, written by Ric Berman, Brannon Braga and Ronald D. Moore, pulsates with great imagination, amusing characters and the fundamental optimism handed down by "Star Trek" founder Gene Roddenberry.
  3. Reviewed by: Richard Corliss
    80
    Under the suave direction of Jonathan Frakes, who also plays the Enterprise's second-in-command, the movie glides along with purpose and style.
  4. Reviewed by: Angie Errigo
    60
    Unfortunately, left alone on the big screen, distinctly thin characterisation and a plot that looks like a distended television episode, let the new crew down slightly but there are still enough classic moments to keep fans happy.

See all 18 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 19
  2. Negative: 2 out of 19
  1. BusterB.
    10
    I'm an original Star Trek series (you know, Kirk, Spock) fan myself, but I can honestly say that this is not only one of the best Star Trek films ever, but this may be one of the best Sci-fi movies ever. Period. Kudos to Jonathan Frakes. Expand
  2. A surprisingly good Star Trek movie that actually feels like a feature film rather than an extended television episode. Well acted and professionally written. Jonathan Frakes adds his own spice as a director, and the fact that he also acts as Riker makes him a suitable choice to direct. Expand
  3. This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Succeeds, despite its obvious flaws. The time travel story is sketchy a best, and has some considerable loopholes, such as, why don't the Borg do it again? or, why don't they go back into the past 30,000 light years from Earth, where Starfleet couldn't blow the hell out of them, and then go and assimilate Earth?
    There are a lot of things in this film that I loved style wise, the new design to the Borg for instance made them extremely menacing, and the Borg attack scenes coupled with Jerry Goldsmith's out and out FANTASTIC score for this film made the fight scenes palpable, suspenseful and great. They did get a bit repetitive after a while, however. The story focus on Picard in this film is definitely good; we have a story of a captain who thus far, has lost two Starships under his command, the second - the Enterprise D - because he wasn't there. You know that Picard is the kind of captain who would wonder if it had been different if he had been there - if his presence had made the difference. Now, he faces losing his newest ship, and to his most hated nemesis - the Borg. We've scene from Family, I, Borg and Descent (as well as the Deep Space Nine pilot) how he feels about the Borg; how he feels personally defeated, violated by them, and now he faces losing his ship and most of his crew to that enemy; making it unthinkable to do so. The big criticism I would direct at this movie is the Borg Queen. A character introduced only because Studio Executives wanted to have a "focal point for the villainy". Well, you got one, and at the cost of making the Borg look ridiculous. The Borg don't have a single leader, we've been told that's why they're so efficient; a single leader would be liable to make mistakes. The Borg Queen was not in any way an embodiment of the Borg Collective, she was seductive, emotional and individualised. I wouldn't have minded if she was something along the lines of Locutus or Seven of Nine (when she was allowed to converse with the Voyager crew in Scorpion Parts 1 and 2). In all, Johnathan Frakes' first outing as a theatrical director is quite impressive, although the film is definitely lacking in its writing.
    Expand
  4. Cheeeeeeesy omg... only the original trek gang was worth watching.. now this cast and story, its a total cliche and flooded with nonsense creativity. Also, SFX doesn't make a movie score 10. Expand

See all 19 User Reviews

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