Genre: Sci-Fi | Documentary
Director: William Shatner
Writer: William Shatner
Cast: William Shatner, Patrick Stewart, Kate Mulgrew, Avery Brooks, Scott Bakula, Chris Pine
Summary:
Following one of the most engaging media personalities of our time, THE CAPTAINS chronicles Shatner’s quest to answer one burning question: why, in spite of his myriad stage, screen, and television credits, as well as his numerous Emmys and Golden Globe Awards, does one role in his career loom so large that it nearly eclipses all others? To find the answer, Shatner enlists the help of the elite group of actors who have also assumed the mantle of Starship Captain. In the process, coupling their own unique stories with compelling insights, the five Captains give Shatner a better understanding of his own life and solve this “mystery” once and for all.
Featuring vintage Star Trek footage and in-depth interviews with actors Patrick Stewart (Captain Jean-Luc Picard), Kate Mulgrew (Captain Kathryn Janeway), Avery Brooks (Captain Benjamin Sisko), Scott Bakula (Captain Jonathan Archer), and Chris Pine (Captain James T. Kirk, Star Trek), THE CAPTAINS was shot on location in Toronto, London, New York, Princeton and Los Angeles, where Shatner could capture his fellow Captains in their home environments. The acclaimed HD film, which originally premiered as part of Epix’s “Shatnerpalooza” this summer, exposes the Captains in all their earthly humanity, offering a rare and candid glimpse into the inner sanctum of each actor and their time at the helm of the Starship Enterprise.
Please read that summary carefully. This truly is William Shatner’s journey. If you love all the Star Trek captains, you will love this DVD, but that love MUST include a love of Mr. Shatner. Happily, I do.
It is NOT a standard interview documentary, with Shatner as the host. It is not a story of the development of the franchise, although some of that comes through. The whole first pass of interviews doesn’t even mention Star Trek. It’s about how each of the captains started their careers. These interviews, in fact, are less “interviews” than they are discussions, as Our Bill offers up just about as much as the interviewee. If you’ve ever caught an episode of Shatner’s Raw Nerve (and if you haven’t, I recommend it) then you’ll know that he is really an excellent interviewer, and has a very distinct style. He has absolute interest in the person and their story, has ideas of his own that he doesn’t hesitate to share, and really digs in with that signature Shatner intensity that is both unnerving and supportively intimate at the same time.
He does that and more in this film, because he has more to share, and because this is primarily, again, HIS journey. He presses Kate Mulgrew hard and she presses right back, which is glorious to watch. He is genuine and supportive to Chris Pine, in spite of the arm wrestling, and their interaction includes one of my favorite bits: “You’re me 50 years ago… you’ve got the looks, you’ve got the attitude.” Classic Shatner.
The Avery Brooks sections are eye-opening if you haven’t seen much of Avery Brooks. There are a few audience-uncomfortable moments for two reasons: one, Avery Brooks is a very “interesting” cat who sometimes answers questions by playing the piano, and two, Bill sings a bit. Enough said.
His time with Scott Bakula is like a breath of fresh air, because Bakula is apparently a lovely normal guy. But his discussions with Sir Patrick Stewart will bring tears to your eyes by the end. Absolutely beautiful if you’re a Trekkie.
You’ll also see a fun bit with Bill and one-time Klingon captain Christopher Plummer (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country) that is a treat, as Shatner and Plummer are near-contemporaries and fellow Canadians. Then there are guest appearances by Star Trek co-stars, speaking with an off-camera interviewer to provide some context. These include Jonathan Frakes from Star Trek: The Next Generation, Nana Visitor and Rene Auberjonois from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Connor Trineer from Star Trek: Enterprise.
There are also some sections with Bill at a recent Star Trek convention that are wonderful, funny, and poignant. You’ll note that he tells more than one female Star Trek actor that she is “the most beautiful girl in Star Trek.” So Kirkian!
To be clear, one of the last questions he asks each of the captains – and by the way, they were each interviewed separately, in a hand-picked-by-Shatner venue – is, “What happens when we die?” See, I really wasn’t kidding about this being his personal exploration. But it is nonetheless fascinating, and moving, and entertaining, and a must-have for any Trekkie.
The “bonus feature” on this DVD is simply a “Making of” featurette, with producer Dave Zappone and director of photography Kevin Lane, and is worth the watch as a back-story to the film’s creation.
Here’s a quick rundown of the U.S. specs:
- Format: Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
- Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1
- Number of discs: 1
- Rated: NR (Not Rated)
- Studio: Entertainment One
- DVD Release Date: October 18, 2011
- Run Time: 120 minutes
As a film I would give this a 5 out of 5 stars. As a DVD, it’s not a blockbuster package, though I don’t know what would make it so. (Ooo, sorry about that; will any of us ever hear “make it so” and NOT hear Sir Patrick saying it?) It is a gem of a film, a steal at $19.98 list price, and as I don’t know when or where you might see it otherwise, I absolutely recommend this DVD to every Shatner-loving Trekkie.
I give The Captains – A Film By William Shatner Five out of Five Stars.
