'Insurrection' SE DVD Wins More Fans For Extras Than Film

The special edition DVD of Star Trek: Insurrection arrives in stores today, with a second disc featuring commentary by director Jonathan Frakes, a discussion with conceptual illustrator John Eaves and deleted scenes from the film.

Though Insurrection opened to mixed reviews and Frakes said he did not feel it was as successful as previous outing Star Trek: First Contact, the new DVD has received mostly positive reviews for greatly enhancing the initial one-disc release, which had only a small featurette.

"The scenery is magnificent but, somehow, nature doesn't seem to be a proper fit for stories that usually take place in outer space," noted John McKay of Macleans. "The space battles are breathtaking, but...it wasn't one of Star Trek's better episodes."

Scott Weinberg of Joblo.com's DVD Clinic was no more impressed, giving the film only two and a half out of five stars, though the overall DVD package received four stars. "As a card-carrying super-fan of the Next Generation series on which this movie is based, I can't help but feel irked, irritated, annoyed and bored by what goes on in this, the ninth chapter," he wrote. "It feels as if every regular cast member had a specific 'vanity' subplot that they insisted on doing." The second disc, he adds, "is where the treasures lie, and there's a whole bunch of stuff to be found in here!" He was particularly interested in the revelation of all the rewrites that may have weakened the film's plot.

"Insurrection further cemented Star Trek's 'odd-numbered curse', as fans and critics alike cited the film's weak script as one of the key reasons for its problems," agreed TrekWeb's BWilliams. However, he was more impressed with the new set, adding, "What's perhaps most appealing about this new DVD of Insurrection is the inclusion of seven deleted scenes from the film...included are an extended comical discussion with Riker, Troi, and the ship's librarian (unfortunately, some stereotypes continue even into the 24th century), further romantic moments between Picard and Anij (Murphy), and the film's original final confrontation between Picard and Ru'afo." Williams did regret the lack of audio commentary in the set, since even the single-disc version of Nemesis had an audio commentary.

Dan Phelps of DVD Fanatic called the film "sub-par" and rated it only a C+, but the extras on the set received an A. "The Special Collector’s Edition of Star Trek: Insurrection definitely belongs in every Trek fan’s collection," he said, citing "the amazing amount, not to mention quality, of extras" including the beautiful "Location, Location, Location" and the interviews with the actors.

IGN DVD's Peter Schorn gave the new set a cumulative score of 7/10, calling the film "better than most odd-numbered chapters, but the goofy humor hurts the tone" and awarding it a 6 while granting an 8 to extras "that could've been a bit deeper." Schorn was also quite critical of the video quality, saying that it borders on eye-straining, which was not a common complaint. "Despite the stunning locations and good special effects, Star Trek: Insurrection feels more like an amped-up episode of The Next Generation than a full-fledged movie," he added. "While not an awful film, it definitely suffers in comparison to its predecessor."

The special edition of Star Trek: Insurrection, which comes with several easter eggs and text commentary on the first disc with the film by Michael & Denise Okuda, is available in Region 1 format at Amazon.com.

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