Non-fans may get a little confused, but if you can stay with the multilayered, character-heavy and self-referential plot, this fun science-fiction outing builds up to warp speed for an exciting climax. Similar in tone to the Next Generation TV series (it was produced, written and directed by the same team), this special-effects laden adventure shamelessly trades on fan sentiment and nostalgia as the movie baton is passed from one Enterprise crew to the other, and the two much-loved generations of space folk heroes merge into one all-embracing space/time continuum. In the clever story, William Shatner and Patrick Stewart join forces to stop mad scientist Malcolm McDowell tapping into an intergalactic energy source that can bring one's most desired fantasies to life. Stewart brings all his dignity to bear as the commander of the famous starship and almost single-handedly makes The Next Generation's transition from small to big screen an effective and winning one. There's great work, too, from McDowell, who's on snarlingly good villainous form, and Brent Spiner as Data copes well with the wonders of human emotions courtesy of a new silicon chip.

Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the Enterprise-D find themselves at odds with the renegade scientist Soran who is destroying entire star systems. Only one man can help Picard stop Soran's scheme...and he's been dead for seventy-eight years.