The TNG crew return to save the Earth from the Borg.
This is a very solid movie. It has some great moments, a plot that moves along at a fair clip, some interesting action scenes, and some good performances from the non-core cast. There are even some very nice directing choices, like the shot early on of Picard and Riker using the reflection in the glass.
But all the action distracts from the core of the story, which ought to be the Data and Picard arcs. Instead the Picard emotion journey is largely compressed into a single (admittedly strong) scene, and Datas arc is compromised in order to create some false suspense in the final sequence. If those stories had just been given a bit more room, rather than spending 10 minutes unlocking a deflector dish, this movie could have been great.
There’s a bit of redesign of the Borg here – I’m not sure quite what to make of the Borg Queen – is she symbolic of the hive consciousness, or is she a specific individual. But I’m happy to forgive most of this, as it serves to make the story move along more smoothly.
It’s easily the best of the TNG movies (both of them), but it misses out on the emotional content of The Wrath of Khan, or the fun of The Voyage Home.
446 down, 291 to go.