--- title: "Star Trek: Nemesis: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/star-trek-nemesis/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/star-trek-nemesis" critics_score: 54 critics_reviews: 14 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: Nemesis (2002): what the critics said Critics' score 54 from 14 reviews: 5 positive, 5 mixed, 4 negative. Most critics settle on the same word for Nemesis: solid. It is judged a competent tenth entry that resolves the Romulan thread and a few crew storylines, and the praise clusters on Patrick Stewart, whose Picard is said to carry the film, and on Tom Hardy as his young clone Shinzon. The long dinner between the two is the scene most often singled out, and several reviews find the action brisker and the effects more efficient than in earlier instalments. The complaints are about familiarity. Shaking bridges, corridor shootouts, shield-by-shield battles and a shock ending that echoes an older film are cited as signs of a series running on habit. The spread is wide, with positive, mixed and negative verdicts in near-equal number. The Independent finds it slow and is unconvinced by Hardy’s resemblance to Stewart, Collider calls it a failed send-off for the crew, while Polygon argues it deserves reappraisal for balancing ensemble and action better than most Trek films. ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 20 December 2002. The review calls the film a solidly entertaining tenth instalment that blends adventure with crew interplay but notes its disappointing US box office and questions the series' future. It praises muscular action sequences and the intriguing Picard-Shinzon confrontation along with some affecting character moments. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/star-trek-nemesis/4011658.article) ## Sight and Sound — Kim Newman Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). The review positions the film as a solid but familiar tenth entry that resolves Romulan tensions and some crew storylines while feeling like the franchise is reaching its end. It praises the central Picard-Shinzon dynamic and Tom Hardy's villain but notes it falls short of earlier highlights like The Wrath of Khan. [Read the review](http://old.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/review/1476) ## Slant Magazine — Roxanne Blanford Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 11 December 2002. The critic finds the film genuinely intriguing with a compelling plot that weaves together subtext on themes like good vs. evil and identity. Special effects, space vehicles, and set pieces are singled out for praise, along with respect for audience intelligence. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/star-trek-nemesis/) ## The Times — David Eimer Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 10 August 2003. It is better paced than many predecessors despite familiar technobabble and idealism; Patrick Stewart dominates as Picard while the effects are efficient and Whoopi Goldberg makes an unbilled cameo. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/article/star-trek-nemesis-bvnn6xsj59h) ## Variety Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 7 December 2002. Trekkers will get their fill but others need not apply; the film is a respectable venture maintaining the even-numbered Trek superiority while lacking broader vision to cross over to mainstream audiences. Director Stuart Baird brings autumnal grandeur to key scenes like the Picard-Shinzon dinner, elevated by Patrick Stewart's regal performance. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2002/film/awards/star-trek-nemesis-1200544477/) ## The New York Times — Stephen Holden Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 13 December 2002. The film is an amiably klutzy affair that remains comfortingly Earth-centric and addresses cloning with psychotherapeutic earnestness through Picard confronting his evil clone Shinzon. It keeps the franchise chugging along in its nostalgic time warp with a warm fuzzy heart. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/13/movies/film-review-still-conquering-with-makeup-and-optimism.html) ## Empire — Adam Smith Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). The film is described as a resolutely middling entry that is overly talky and slow in the first half but improves later with a sure if uninspired directorial hand and a familiar shock ending. It singles out the lack of innovation in the plot devices for complaint while noting it will appeal to fans as a bittersweet return. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/star-trek-x-nemesis-review/) ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Rating 2/4. 13 December 2002. The critic finds the Star Trek franchise out of gas after a lifetime of viewing, with repetitive shield battles and uninspired dialogue that even Patrick Stewart cannot elevate. The plot involving a Romulan peace feeler and a Data clone feels redundant and scaled back to a TV episode level. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/star-trek-nemesis-2002) ## Time Out — TJ Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 11 September 2012. The critic singles out a ludicrous moment of crew being sucked into space through shattered bridge windows as emblematic of the film's tired, old-fashioned laziness. While acknowledging professional craftsmanship from the writer and director, it criticizes the material as rote and overly familiar with echoes of prior entries. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/star-trek-nemesis-2) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 3 January 2003. The film tests fan loyalty with familiar Trek tropes like shaky bridge scenes and corridor shootouts, and it could mark the end of the series or allow it to limp on with limited support. Patrick Stewart gives his usual conviction as Picard facing a bio-engineered replica villain. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2003/jan/03/artsfeatures5) ## The Independent Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 3 January 2003. The critic finds the film uninteresting and slow-moving, dismissing it as liberal-humanist sci-fi slop that fails to engage even with its clone twist and climactic battle. The review singles out the lack of conviction in Tom Hardy's resemblance to Patrick Stewart as a key flaw. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/star-trek-nemesis-12a-wild-strawberries-pg-sobibor-14-october-1953-4pm-124367.html) ## Polygon — Josh Bell Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 3 March 2020. Nemesis deserves reappraisal as it balances ensemble moments and action better than many Trek films and provides a satisfying ending for several characters while feeding into later stories like Picard. [Read the review](https://www.polygon.com/2020/3/3/21163277/star-trek-nemesis-critical-reappraisal-data-death-patrick-stewart-brent-spiner/) ## Den of Geek — Alex Carter Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 3 August 2016. The critic finds the film an entertaining but compromised action movie that succeeds at modest aims despite production troubles and heavy editing. Data's storyline and the focus on action over deeper character or world-building are singled out as major flaws that prevent it from being more. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/does-star-trek-nemesis-deserve-its-reputation/) ## Collider — Collier Jennings Fi1m's normalised score 25/100 (inferred from the text). 13 December 2022. The film is a glaring failure as a send-off for the Next Generation crew, hampered by a director unfamiliar with the franchise and poor handling of character arcs and lore. [Read the review](https://collider.com/star-trek-nemesis-failed-next-generation/) --- © 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-nemesis.md