New U.S. Release

Star Trek Nemesis

Patrick Steward as Captain Picard battles Tom Hardy as his villainous clone Praetor Shinzon in 'Star Trek Nemesis,' the latest installment of the venerable sci-fi franchise.

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Uber-villain of pic's title is a clone of Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart), engineered by the Romulans to one day replace Picard and operate as a mole within the Federation. Plan was abandoned long ago, and the clone, Shinzon (Tom Hardy), was sent to toil in the hellish dilithium mines of a Romulan sister planet. Now, with an enigmatic Viceroy (Ron Perlman) at his side, the embittered Shinzon plots to overtake Picard, the Enterprise and then Earth itself, destroying everything in his path. And Shinzon must transfuse himself with Picard's blood sooner rather than later, before a mutant strand of his cloned DNA kills // him.

On some level, "Nemesis" is about confrontation between mirror images: between Picard and Shinzon (who precisely resembles the twentysomething Picard); and between the lovable android Data (Brent Spiner, who also co-conceived of pic's story) and an earlier prototype of himself, amusingly named B-4 (also well-played by the versatile Spiner). In pic's best moments, director Stuart Baird ("Executive Decision," "U.S. Marshals") works these fragments into a kind of autumnal grandeur, particularly a marvelous dinner scene between Picard and Shinzon that is in the full spirit of the best, Nicolas Meyer-helmed "Trek" adventures.

Still, despite the intriguing set-up, there's something unambitious and scaled-back about "Star Trek Nemesis," so that most of the time it feels like a slightly suped-up episode of the "Next Generation" TV series. Gone are the epic sense of quest and expansive casts of featured players that have informed the most memorable (and popular) "Trek" pics. And the movie feels largely confined to a few recurring (if handsomely crafted) locations, with nary a visit to such stalwart "Next Generation" hangouts as the Holodeck and that intergalactic watering hole, Ten-Forward.

"Nemesis" also suffers from a nasty case of the cutes, from its long prologue set at the wedding of First Officer Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) to a near-laughable candlelit bedroom scene between the newlyweds. (This from a film largely pre-sold as the "darkest" "Trek" adventure yet.) It is the regal Stewart, onscreen in nearly every scene of "Nemesis," who elevates this project above run-of-the-mill -- his thunderous, veddy British delivery imbuing every utterance, be it a choice quoting of Corinthians or a mouthful of techno-jargon, with inescapable weight. He's well-matched by newcomer Hardy, who shows charisma in a stock villain role that should (given the circumstances) have been written with more dimensionality. Adequate visual effects and action set pieces are highlighted by makeup designer Michael Westmore's particularly inspired (even by this series' high standards) creature designs and facial prosthetics.

Camera (Deluxe color, Panavision widescreen), Jeffrey L. Kimball; editor, Dallas Puett; music, Jerry Goldsmith; production designer, Herman Zimmerman; art directors, Cherie Baker, Donald B. Woodruff; set decorators, Ronald R. Reiss, John M. Dwyer; costume designer, Bob Ringwood; Starfleet uniforms, Robert Blackman; sound (Dolby Digital/DTS), Thomas Causey; supervising sound editors, Alan Robert Murray, Bub Asman; sound designers, Jim Wolvington, Harry Cohen; visual effects supervisor, Mark O. Forker; special visual effects and digital animation, Digital Domain; make-up design and supervision, Michael Westmore; assistant director, David Sardi; second unit director/stunt coordinator, Doug Coleman; second unit camera, Flemming Olsen; casting, Amanda Mackey Johnson, Cathy Sandrich Gelfond; original casting, Junie Lowry-Johnson. Reviewed at Paramount Studios, L.A. Dec. 4, 2002. MPAA Rating: PG-13. Running time: 117 MIN.