Star Trek First Frontier (2020) User Reviews

I can't tell if it was any good because the audio mix is so dreadful

[jimcancook · 5/10 · 21 September 2020]

The dialog is mixed so low as to be drowned out by the music and the audio effects are deafening. T.J. Garland is credited (blamed?) as production sound mixer. Many of his other credits are as a boom operator. The visual effects are a mixed bag. Some are on a par with ST:TMP, others are reminiscent of very early Doctor Who. Early Doctor Who was constrained by the technology of the day, a handicap which doesn't apply to STFF.

Based on what I was able to piece together from the visuals and snippets of dialogue, some force from the future is threatening to destroy Earth and the Enterprise saves the day. Or something.

It's OK if you can forgive it some technological failings.

A great fan film

[piperofthemillenium · 7/10 · 18 September 2020]

The official film makers of the franchise could take a few pointers from this film. Made my people who love the genre and starring people who can act (I can't say that for every fan film I've seen), First Frontier tells the story of the first flight of the USS Enterprise under the command of the rarely seen Robert April. Not all is roses for the crew, either. The ship's commander is suffering from burn out and probable PTSD, he's not connected to his wife and even the new comms officer has an "interesting" past. I would like to see more of these characters. Most of the special effects were decently created CGI (I had to forgive the creator of the title sequence), although the effect for the evil aliens' eyes were terrible. If I had one main complaint, it was the sound engineering. The music borrowed heavily from James Horner's STII:TWOK soundtrack and the sound effects were OK, however the mix often drowned out the dialog and I often could not make out what was being said. That, and the editing left me wondering what was going on at times. A bit more TLC in post production and this movie could easily have earned at least one more star. All that being said, it's a great flic and, story-wise, it's an improvement on the flashy, often brainless, films fans have had to endure in recent years. A return to real Star Trek. Keep up the good work!

Bad sound

[cinemaconsultant · 5/10 · 12 September 2020]

Others have commented on the poor sound and I have to agree. The movie doesn't seem to have been mastered to a consistent level which makes it difficult to follow and spoils the whole thing.

A Star Trek Soap Opera

[inigosword · 1/10 · 13 September 2020]

I know this is a low budget Film and did not expect a slick production but this is just horrible to watch. Bad acting, lighting, sound and special effects production plague this movie. For Star Trek fans that love the original Star Trek series, watch 'Star Trek Continues' on You Tube instead. It is also low budget but shines in re-creating the feel of the original Star Trek with new story lines.

Honest review from a Trekie

[robertdlar · 5/10 · 5 March 2022]

Ok the reviews here are all over the place, people who love the original Trek giving it high marks for 'staying true..' while others giving low marks because of poor production values.

But lets be honest here, you have to review the ENTIRE movie, not just whether its 'Trek' or not and whether its 'production value' is good or not. It all ads up. Honestly, would anyone give the "Empire Strikes Back" a 10 if the music was to "Henry Mancini's - Baby Elephant Walk"? Probably not.

So lets break it down:

Acting: Not bad considering I have seen worse acting from supposed "A" list movies. Most of the actors had experience and they did fine but lets try to remember not to give a speaking part to your buddy 'Ralph' who shows up on the set to wish you luck. Maybe a silent role in the background. A good 6

Plot/Scrip: Again, you have to weight this against everything that came before, I honestly believe this script was better than most of the Abrams movies, could it have been better, sure. At least the script didn't ruin the movie. Not to bad for a 'fan' made film. Solid 6

Special Visual Effects: Considering the quality of the 'Fan made' stuff out there, this was a big MISS. I mean, there are SOOOO sooo many people out there who could have helped you do this so much better and would not have charged you a dime. The Ships looked like 1980s CGI and the Phazer effects look worse than classic Doctor Who. You are lucky I gave you a 3

Costume and makeup: I am going to lump this into one to save on time, the Uniforms were nice but not tailor made for each actor and it showed. Everyone looked a bit frumpy. Make up was solid, though the Tellerite make up made me wince, and the Alien intruders costumes were laughable. Solid 3

Now lets address the monkey in the room. I am going to put Sound and Editing into one last category because I have NO idea how and where they screwed up the sound so badly that it could not be fixed in post, but I have friends who have IMBD pages that work for Independent films that could have helped fix some of the problems. I am NOT in the industry, though I am a member of IATSE and have worked as an audio engineer for 30 years, and if they hired an audio tech with only 5 years experience, they could have had better sound out of this movie. I feel like MOST of the problem was in post, the editing of the music would often drown out the actors speaches, or inversely over drive the audio and make ones ears burst because you had to turn the volume up to hear what they were saying. So sound and editing gets a nice fat 1!

Now I am going to add a bonus because this IS a fan made project and I fully understand the logistics and effort they gave to making this a reality. 5 points

All in all it is far from the BEST fan film of TOS I have ever seen but FAR from the worst. I am glad I spent the time watching it and know that I gave this a higher rating than any Abramstrekabomination.

Yes, I am a Trekie, Yes I am old, Yes Kirk over Pikard as he is the total package and Pikard needed Ryker to be equal to Kirk.

Would've given this 10 stars but.....

[firballblaze-69689 · 7/10 · 17 September 2020]

I hope whomever did their sound production, NEVER!!! DOES!!! IT!!! AGAIN!!! It was TERRIBLE!!! Great movie concept especially for a fan-based movie. I can get passed the green screen effects not being great but when your sound is off, it ruins everything. It either deafens you from being way too loud, some weird stupid music played at the wrong times, or you couldn't hear it at all. I hope they fired their sound crew lol

By People Who Understand and Love Star Trek

[jmterm · 2 October 2020]

A noble effort and yet another reason to be disgusted by what CBS has done to the the Star Trek ideal. Good story, well-casted, and wise to use James Horner's sweeping score. Yes the sound is bad and the effects are not up to current standards, but you've got to appreciate the effort and drive to create a feature length film with "stone knives and bear skins." Not up there with Star Trek Continues, but I hope they will keep exploring this end of the Star Trek universe. They got the tone right.

Painful

[gossettjr · 1/10 · 11 September 2020]

Seriously, painful to watch. Not only is the acting atrocious but the visual and sound effects are complete crap. I am ashamed that this thing was ever allowed to be produced. Don't waste your time watching.

a wonderful classic Trek film.

[vzegbdb · 9/10 · 10 September 2020]

A great action adventure, classic Trek movie with great characterization. Very enjoyable from the starting credits (featuring a Nichelle voiceover) to the end. Great music (also featuring a Nichelle voiceover) to the end. The special effects, while not always excellent in some setups (you could tell the actors were playing before a green screen in some shots) werre still very good, and largely on a par with the original series or beyond. Liked the andorian communications officer. The uniforms and make up were good, so glad to see no overproduction in these things, which so often happened in other productions merely because they had the funds. Anyone who appreciated the original series should love this movie, as I did. Far superior to anything put by network showrunners.

A bit cheesy but not bad for fan fiction.

[jabbawookie-15172 · 7/10 · 15 September 2020]

Before you pass judgement on this, remember, this is fan fiction, it's not a high budget, studio produced movie. The acting is a little wooden in places but enjoyable nonetheless. Fans of the original Star Trek won't be disappointed. There are sound issues. Often, the music is too loud for the dialogue, much of it has been borrowed from Star Trek - The Motion Picture. Yes, it could have done with much more time being spent on post production. Take this film for what it is. Fan fiction with very little funding. Enjoy it!

This is not Star Trek

[Exadon · 1/10 · 30 December 2021]

The plot centers around a race that can't be reasoned with yet somehow have advanced technology to travel at warp. When it came time to justify their actions, it was compared to us breathing. I honestly don't think there was a lot of thought put into this, and I felt like it was just a random encounter to push the plot point of the captain regaining his trust in himself. It seems too easy to paint a villain as some space terrorist who is just born evil. Think about the complex plotlines with villains like the Borg, the Klingons, or Khan. Star Trek is a great avenue to reflect on today's political environment and puts its characters typically in complex political and moral situations. To me, the villains of this movie justify the blind hate we give to our rivals today in America and around the world. The idea is that some people that are different than us are just born to kill and can't be trusted. Use Star Trek to make us think, question, and wonder how a future would be.

While watching the film, it is near impossible to hear the dialog in some scenes. In other scenes, it sounds like the audio was cut too early. There are noticeable times where the actor is still talking but the sound drops.

There is an odd mix of CGI and models. Going for the original TOS look, I would have stuck with all models and no CGI. The CGI looks terrible and out of place. While the models look a bit retro, they are a nice homage to the original Star Trek.

The first female alien we see is hit on right away by a security officer who seemingly does not know her. She replies with a basic sentence, and he appears dumbfounded. So many issues with this scene. Why is a Star Fleet office so unintelligent? Why would he believe it to be OK to hit on the first female he sees while on duty? It seems like this character was just not well thought out.

I think it is best not to bring up the Vulcans at all. The Vulcans have dealt with this race in the past and have no answers on how they did so? Does not seem very logical, Mr. April.

Overall this movie forgets its origins and appears to cater to a specific audience who feels Star Trek forgot about them. This audience may have forgotten what Star Trek was always about.

Outstanding Production With A Return To Classic Trek

[gwrightsports · 8/10 · 10 September 2020]

This is an outstanding, independent production which was five years in the making. It brings back the feeling of classic "Star Trek" from the 1960's which recent CBS/Paramount Trek productions have been lacking since the release of "Star Trek Beyond." The story of Captain Robert T. April and the first voyage of the Constitution Class U.S.S. Enterprise is one fans have long wished to see and this original story does not disappoint! The only issue with this production is the audio quality. There are times during the film where it is somewhat difficult to hear the dialogue spoken by and between actors, especially when the music and special effect sounds overtake said dialogue. However, the story and acting easily overshadow the audio. This is a highly recommended film in which the entire cast & crew gives everything to bring back what made "Star Trek" wonderful in the first place! A true Must-See for Classic Trek fans!

the first Good Star trek fan show/film

[robertjahnke · 7/10 · 18 September 2020]

Yes the sound was a distraction. But is a minor thing considering how good the story is. Brianna Ferris as Lieutenant Lyra is a high point for me, as the details and fanboy details. id love to see this company get another shot.

Embarrassing

[arfdawg-1 · 1/10 · 1 October 2020]

If ever there was proof that fan films should be illegal this is it.

Horrible acting and even worse writing.

Yes, there was seemingly a lot of money put into the sets and special effects but none of those can overcome how bad the story is.

It's like a school play that some billionaire's son put on with daddy's money.

I get it

[anthonyvetaas · 2/10 · 23 September 2020]

They wanted to revive the spirit of the 60s and TOS. I somewhat appreciate that, as I appreciate the effort by probable fans that wrote it.

Unfortunately they fail so hard its bad even by the standards of the 60s

This is so horrible I can't believe anyone could be proud of working on it

[mentalfoto · 1/10 · 13 September 2021]

If one is going to make a TOS era film, stick to the original score, not TWOK one. Right from the get-go opening credits this pissed me off.

The special effects - they are so horrible I can't believe it. The story is just plodding and awful and the acting is all over the place. The baggy costumes, the terrible green screen mattes and worse of all the BUG EYED MONSTER ALIEN who just wants to KILL KILL KILL!

The worst of Lost in Space looked better than this thing.

It's television, not rocket science - hell the other fan film things with first the Elvis Captain and his wooden acting and later the groupie gropper scenery chewing Kirk at least got the LOOK of what the old TOS era show should look like SFX wise. Good god some of those were super painful, but this makes them look like Oscar material by comparison.

And the SOUND MIX! Did no one listen to this thing before they plastered it on the web? It has to be THE WORST SOUND MIX OF ALL TIME!

You go for long passages straining to hear any dialogue spoken or understand the mumbling.

Worst is Captain April realized in this walking drunkard looking guy who is supposed to be a Captain but looks like he's not had a shave or shower in weeks!

I saw at the end the director crediting trying to honor the TAS episode "Counter-Clock Incident" as his inspiration to honor the character! Did he watch it high on acid or something? He really thinks this honors TAS? Or Captain April?

This film is practically a CRIME AGAINST STAR TREK!

I wish I could rate it a NEGATIVE 10 for wasting my time!

GREAT movie but.....

[jeffhall-81711 · 7/10 · 11 September 2020]

As mentioned in other reviews the movie captures Star Trek the oiginal series BUT...the soundtrack and lighting needs work bigtime! Whomever did the audio for this movie needs to really re-think their profession. The background FX sounds drown out the dialogue. Often to the point of it being un-intellagible. PLEASE FIX THE SOUNDTRACK!! Also, just as important is the POOR lighting. I fully understand that low light makes things grittier but like most movies over the last 20 years, the lighting is so poor you can't see anything! There seems to be a trend with movies that not being able to see the characters movements and faces has become a sick joke. I never heard that this movie was even being made. Looking around on YouTube over the last week has found numerous STAR TREK TV shows/movies that never saw the light of day. Thank you YOU TUBE for saving these tasty treats!

Must have been produced by a high school visual aids department.

[bjvom · 3/10 · 8 March 2022]

Acting is stiff with no chemistry between characters. Script is hilariously bad. Special effects seem to be on a level with a 1950s Flash Gordon episode. The real problem, though--the alien monsters they must have borrowed from an old Dr. Who episode.

Better than Star Trek

[jan-hranac · 9/10 · 12 November 2020]

Better than anything produced by official Star Trek in last 15 years... which doesn't say much.

6 Stars because it is Star Trek

[sadmammoth · 6/10 · 12 September 2020]

Things I liked:

• Reminiscent of TOS
• Classic sound effects (doors, computers, etc.)
• Enterprise set
• Costumes
• Nichelle

Not so much:

• SFX (some are really poor; maybe the phasers and such were supposed to be that way though)
• As mentioned by others - sound quality really is awful

I mainly enjoyed it, mostly because it is Star Trek. If this was a stand-alone film I'd give it a star or two less.

Unbearable

[kaykyserkenny-38895 · 3/10 · 21 May 2022]

Due to the terrible sound editing, I couldn't follow the dialog. Needed that to get over the less-than-average visuals. I couldn't stay with it, therefore, more than 15 minutes. Those opening 15 were dull and slooooow. It's probably a pretty good movie, later, but I couldn't keep focused on it long enough to find out.

The Heart of TOS

[president-10739 · 9/10 · 11 October 2020]

Having seen every iteration of Star Trek and having worked on several fan films, I have to say this is far and away the best fan film I've seen. The acting is excellent. Pralgo's April is WONDERFUL. His characterization is completely at home with Jeffrey Hunter, William Shatner, and William Windom's TOS captains. I was blown away by this. Bravo!

Not a lot of fun for a Star Trek

[RichardBJ-1 · 7/10 · 2 June 2022]

Independent or not, I thought it was pretty good. SFX a little reminiscent of the late 70s in UK I'd say; Dr Who etc, but that's fine, you tune it out fast enough, just like on occasion when you watch a movie on a terrible old TV or something. Funnily enough, the biggest irritation for me was the sound dubbing, some of the women I could hardly hear!

My main crit in fact, was that it sort of lacked the light hearted spark most Star Treks have. But it was fine anyway, for me any Star Trek better than no Star Trek!

terrible

[a-little-squeek · 1/10 · 26 May 2022]

The production values on this debacle are so bad that I considered adding the word "terrible" after each of the things I am about to mention.... effects, story line, dialogue, costuming, makeup AND THE ACTORS ! ... it surprises me that there are so many (crappy) movies made that I've never heard of with low skill, wooden "ACTORS" in them.... I've seen this A LOT on streaming channels.... why don't the costumes fit right?, why do all the men need to shave? ... why is there a person running around with a white christmas tinsel wig on that has horns sticking out of it?....

Unwatchably bad

[shoobe01-1 · 4/10 · 14 March 2022]

Painful. I read good reviews, had high hopes.

Nothing works. It's SO SLOW. Maybe 35 minutes of story, stretched out... so... much. There's like an hour of conference rooms and hallway meetings.

Forget the bad VFX, even the community theater acting, they can't get costumes to fit at all. I've seen better in grade school productions. Oh, and what could fit the old man cast they have; I guess they gave all the choice roles to the biggest fans but this is not a spaceship crew.

And I don't even mean modern day Navy, I mean TOS style. The thing seems to be trying to channel that, but it isn't doing it. The photography and staging is entirely wrong, and a key thing it did was have a young, and active crew with a positive outlook. Here everyone is old and tired. Everything is dark and shadowed. No one is interested in anything.

And yeah, what's happening? Some audio is literally inaudible! What were they thinking?! I'd have gritted my teeth, but never released anything this broken.