Something is afoot on Romulus. After Riker and Troi's (Frakes and Sirtis) happy wedding ceremony on Earth, the Enterprise crew are heading for a second all-nude ceremony on Betazed (that, we'd like to see!) when they're distracted by a strange signal that eventually leads them into an encounter with the Romulans, where Captain Picard (Stewart) will confront his nemesis, the new leader Shinzon (Hardy), who has a rather freaky connection to our hero. Deadly weapons and seething revenge are the name of the game, and all of Earth is in jeopardy.

Sounds great, right? And when the film centres on the crew and its teamwork it is indeed very effective--the cast is excellent, and the offhanded humour is right on the money. Alas, the film is constructed like a standard Hollywood sci-fi thriller, complete with requisite action scenes every now and then that don't have any logic at all. The opening four-wheel drive chase around a desert planet, for example, makes no sense beyond the cool stunts; we never know who's chasing them or why, and when we learn more later it's even more inexplicable. Worse yet: A key sequence involves a dodgy bolt breaking apart ... on the Enterprise? Please! Screenwriter Logan (Gladiator) just doesn't have enough confidence in the universe, creating gibberish to explain something, which is then punctuated with an intrusive chord of music as if it's terribly important. As the film continues you just get the feeling that there's nothing to it--flimsy script, goofy costumes, cheap effects, cheesy music and, sadly, an aging cast that still has the ability to grip us anyway. An average episode of The Next Generation has more intelligence and meaning. Find one on cable and watch it instead.