synopsis : captain picard and the crew of the starship enterprise disobey federation orders and defend a peaceful community of 600 , the ba'ku , from the evil admiral dougherty and ru'afro . 
the enterprise crew , in the meantime , experience the rejuvenating qualities of the ba'ku homeworld : lt . worf grows a pimple , data sings opera pieces , picard scores with a ba'ku chick , riker shaves while sharing a bubblebath with troi , and the enterprise women note their firmer breasts . 
comments : " star trek : the next generation " was a hugely successful sequel tv series to " star trek , " a science fiction series which developed a devoted fan following in the 1970s . 
even though it still enjoyed high ratings , " star trek : the next generation " ended production after seven years so that the cast could replace the original " star trek " 's cast in paramount's film franchise centering on the voyages of the starship enterprise . 
star trek : insurrection is the ninth " star trek " movie and the third to focus on the " star trek : the next generation " crew . 
star trek : insurrection qualifies as one of those movies star trek fans , such as myself , would rate somewhere between " okay " and " good . " 
after star trek v : the final frontier , a nearly awful movie almost as bad as the repugnant " star trek : voyager " tv series , " star trek " fans could probably swallow anything paramount throws out in the trek film franchise . 
i don't wish to spend this review comparing insurrection to the eight other trek movies . 
most people reading this probably haven't followed " star trek " anyway , so a comparison would seem tedious at best . 
let me , thus , make my comparisons briefly so that it's out of my system : star trek : insurrection is not as good as the previous installment , star trek : first contact ; star trek : insurrection's comic tone may be best compared to star trek iv : the voyage home ; star trek ii : the wrath of khan is still the best trek movie . 
okay . let's move to the movie itself . 
star trek : insurrection infuses a basic science fiction premise , humanity's exploration and colonization of space , with a lot of lowbrow humor and witty oneliners . 
this combination works well more often than it fails , but when it does fail , the humor really seems cheesy . 
much of this film appeals to trek fans' nostalgic fondness for the starship enterprise's crew . 
audiences unfamiliar with trek lore may miss the significance of some plot points and may even become confused at times . 
star trek : insurrection begins with scenes of the tranquil life on the ba'ku homeworld . 
forget the actors and special effects , the beautiful setting of this movie , with its snowy mountaintops and verdant valleys , steals the show . 
this tranquility , however , is broken by data , an android , who reveals to the ba'ku that they are being secretly monitored by the federation and their alien allies , the son'a . 
it seems that this world is a veritable fountain of youth , sustaining its inhabitants indefinantly in a young , healthy state . 
the enterprise crew , led by captain picard , investigates data's actions and uncovers a conspiracy between the son'a and an enterprise admiral to relocate the ba'ku and plunder the planet's youth-restoring properties . 
sound pretty heavy ? 
it is , though this plot , anything but unique and groundbreaking , is undermined by the film's constant barrage of humor . 
when going after data , for instance , picard sings an opera piece with him ( this is supposed to be cute and humorous ) . 
in a much more funny sequence , work grows a large pimple on the side of his nose as a result of his exposure to the ba'ku homeworld , a pimple which his crewmates , try as they might , cannot avoid looking at . 
the acting in star trek : insurrection is , for the most part , pretty good . 
since they've been playing these characters for years , those portraying the enterprise crew reassume their roles effortlessly enough . 
the terrific actor patrick stewart plays captain jean-luc picard and delivers a moral speech , picard's trademark , with his usual aplomb . 
brent spiner , another fine actor , plays the android data well enough again and provides the best moments of comic relief in the film ( though the old android-wishing-to-be-human motif will tire some trek fans familiar with the routine from the tv series ) . 
the supporting cast who appear in this movie alone are also pretty good . 
despite many other critics' negative opinions , f . murray abraham ( the winner of an academy award for his performance in amadeus ) plays the major villain ru'afro well enough . 
ru'afro reminds me , somewhat , of the baron harkonnen in the 1984 film version of dune . 
like the baron , ru'afro continuously has his skin looked after : it is stretched and stapled by servants . 
in one particularly memorable scene , ru'afro becomes very agitated , and his facial skin splits open and bleeds . 
ru'afro is no khan from star trek ii--the best trek villain ever--but he is much better than the forgettable dr . soran from star trek : generations . 
 ( okay , i promise , no more comparisons . ) 
donna murphy must also be noted as a ba'ku woman , anij , who picard falls in love with . 
murphy is not a young woman with a supermodel body ; she is a mature woman with an attractive countenance . 
this is the type of woman whom picard , for those who know the character well , would be enchanted with . 
in fact , the chemistry between murphy and stewart works very well here . 
a particular plot point involving anij's ability to slow time down , an ability which she shares with picard , becomes one of the most intriguing parts of the movie . 
for as good as the actors and setting were , star trek : insurrection's special effects were surprisingly disappointing . 
they proved adequate , sometimes barely , for a 1990s mainstream science fiction film , but they fell way short of the standard trek movie and paled in comparison to those seen in the trailer for star wars : the phantom menace ( a trailer which reportedly preceded many showings of insurrection ) . 
the space battles involving the enterprise and sona ships , in particular , seemed trite and unsuspenseful , and the final confrontation between picard and ru'afro took place on a completely unconvincing interior of a satellite . 
the new enterprise itself , only seen in this film and its predecessor , remains largely unexplored , though its exterior doesn't look quite right for a reason i cannot explain . 
despite star trek : insurrection's frequent comic goofiness and occasional substandard special effects , i enjoyed the film . 
it maintains roddenberry's largely optimistic view of the future and rejects the gritty violence of its predecessors , particularly star trek : first contact ( though , don't get me wrong , the dark tones of trek films like first contact can work very successfully ) . 
i'd recommend insurrection as a matinee film for a saturday afternoon , especially for fans of trek or science fiction in general . 
rated pg , i can't see this film being objectionable to the viewing audience , young or old . 
