--- title: "Star Trek: Insurrection: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/star-trek-insurrection/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/star-trek-insurrection" critics_score: 58 critics_reviews: 10 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Star Trek: Insurrection (1998): what the critics said Critics' score 58 from 10 reviews: 3 positive, 4 mixed, 3 negative. Most critics settle on the same description: a big-budget television episode, brisk, good-natured and modest in ambition. Where they praise it, they praise Jonathan Frakes, whose direction is called experienced and well paced, with panache in the battle scenes and humour to lighten the technical talk. Several reviews warm to the story’s simple appeal, a peaceful farming world and the promise of eternal youth defended against exploitation. Empire is warmest, calling it enjoyable even for those who have never watched the series. The spread is wide, from a near-rave to outright dismissal. Reservations cluster on the story: two reviews call it a comedown from First Contact, and others find its political themes underdeveloped. Roger Ebert argues the film never believes in its own ethical premise and goes inert as a result, while Den of Geek and Eye for Film call it the weakest of the series and short on imagination, saving only faint praise for Frakes and F. Murray Abraham. ## Empire — William Thomas Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. The critic finds the film exceptionally well-crafted and paced, with Frakes' direction showing real experience. They single out the sheer feelgood factor, the cast having fun with gags and romance, and the mythical theme of eternal youth as standout elements that make it enjoyable even for non-fans. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/star-trek-insurrection-review/) ## The New York Times — Stephen Holden Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 11 December 1998. The movie is essentially a glorified television episode but retains the series' appealing ingredients, including improved effects and its optimistic belief in human benignity. It offers breezy pacing, good-natured humor, and an appealing vision of eternal youth in an agrarian paradise. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1998/12/11/movies/film-review-beamed-up-to-yet-another-final-frontier-a-bubbling-fountain-of-youth.html) ## Time Out — NF Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2012. It recaptures the appeal of the original TV series as an extended episode with a simple storyline about defending a pacifist culture from exploitation. Frakes keeps a brisk pace with panache in battle scenes and leavening humour amid the techno elements. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/star-trek-insurrection) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 11 December 1998. Though not as strong or adrenalized as the previous film 'First Contact,' this installment still delivers the franchise's characteristic gee-whiz affability and no adventure of the Enterprise is without it. It lacks some oomph but keeps the series flying with its familiar charm. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-star-trek-insurrection-review-19981211-snap-story.html) ## Sight and Sound — Kim Newman Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). The film is essentially a big-budget TV episode in the original series spirit, with Picard rebelling against a Federation alliance to exploit a peaceful alien world. It features strong action and effects from director Jonathan Frakes but feels underdeveloped in its political themes. [Read the review](http://old.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/review/42) ## Variety Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 10 December 1998. The ninth 'Star Trek' feature is a distinct comedown from 'First Contact' and plays more like an expanded TV episode than a stand-alone adventure. It maintains a brisk pace, generates satisfying excitement and quirky humor, striking a deft balance that should ensure respectable business with fans. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1998/film/reviews/star-trek-insurrection-1200456248/) ## The AV Club — Keith Phipps Fi1m's normalised score 55/100 (inferred from the text). 29 March 2002. The film satisfies the standards of the Star Trek series without transcending them or falling short, delivering familiar subplots, space battles, and fan service that do not disappoint too terribly. It stands out mainly for including a joke revolving around the word 'boobs.' [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/star-trek-insurrection-1798195309) ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 11 December 1998. The film feels inert and unconvincing because the filmmakers themselves question its ethical premise about displacing 600 Ba'ku to grant immortality to billions. It fails to generate much entertainment value from the philosophical debates and comes across as an expanded but lackluster TV episode. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/star-trek-insurrection-1998) ## Den of Geek — Alex Carter Fi1m's normalised score 25/100 (inferred from the text). 27 July 2016. The critic finds the film not good at all, calling it the epitome of the odd-numbered curse and the weakest Trek film, criticizing the flawed script, unlikable Ba'ku characters, and pointless plot elements. They single out the competent direction by Jonathan Frakes and decent performances but note they can't overcome the bad story. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/star-trek-insurrection-revisiting-star-trek-9/) ## Eye for Film — Angus Wolfe Murray Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 19 January 2001. The critic finds the film suffers from a lack of imagination, criticizing its sanitized, unoriginal story and bland execution, though noting F. Murray Abraham's performance adds some interest. They view it as a disappointing extension of the TV series. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/star-trek-insurrection-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/star-trek-insurrection.md