Star Trek

[Uloo]

The new film may not be everyone's cup of tea
but this fellow with a fondness for classic Star Trek
found the flick very enjoyable.

A few things I liked:

? Kirk as hero and buffoon
? Lots of honest-to-goodness sets
? Starships, starships, starships

A few things I didn't like:

? Urban?s performance as McCoy occasionally felt to me like an impersonation
? Scotty?s strange (and kinda creepy) companion
? Plexiglass partitions on the bridge?despite their transparency I felt several times they were obstructing my view

I found myself immediately ready for a sequel, which is a nice feeling.

[lizzel]

I'm cut n' pasting my LJ review of it.


I wish they had made the *villains* more sympathetic. They deserved to be. The audience deserved them to be. The Romulans had suffered a real tragedy, and I'm glad the script had given them a reason for their rage rather than them being simply bad or wanting to conquer the universe.
I would have bought it more if the movie had really went into them understanding that Spock had truly tried to save their planet. Maybe I missed it but I don't think they made it clear. Did Spock explain to them that he tried? Were they angry because they thought he tricked them and let them be destroyed? Did they understand that but didn't care and just want revenge for the sake of it?
Instead, I feel they made the bad guys into borg-esque(the dank ship) vampire neo-nazi matrix gang members.

The snow planet Kirk was marooned on was great. I feel like it may have been a nod to Star Wars.

At first I was afraid Kirk being such a SOB would be too much, but it worked. Uhura was great. Her being so extremely thin freaked me out a little bit, but that doesn't matter. Chekoff was adorable rather than annoying. Sulu was great. I hope George Takei liked it. I liked their version of Scotty. I could have done without the gremlin guy reappearing. I felt like the last seen with him was annoying and too much kids movie.
Wynona Ryder what? It actually made me happy to see her working again.
Bones was great, though I felt his was the only character that was doing a straight up impression of the previous character.
I'm not really sure what to say about Spock. I LOVE Spock, so it's hard for me to evaluate the new version of him. Quinto did a good job. LEONARD NIMOY FOR THE WIN.
I was sad they didn't include Nurse Chapel. She WAS a continous character in the original series. Not like the various Yeoman ladies.
I think this is the only movie I actually HOPE they do a sequel too.
I don't understand how people missed that this was an alternative future.
I am grateful they didn't kill off Spock. He's died enough! Let him be!

[williambloke]

Wow... I liked it but wow. It was a major reboot. They can basically ignore the history that was built before this movie. I have to think this was a tough blow to the original cast, and it sure will take the wind out of the sails of a lot of Trekkies.

I know that time travel is a huge part of the genre, but it really cheapens things for me. It gives you carte blanche as a writer. It just seems so.... easy.

[bangalore_monkey]

Wow... I liked it but wow. It was a major reboot. They can basically ignore the history that was built before this movie. I have to think this was a tough blow to the original cast, and it sure will take the wind out of the sails of a lot of Trekkies.

I know that time travel is a huge part of the genre, but it really cheapens things for me. It gives you carte blanche as a writer. It just seems so.... easy.

I thought it was a very clever way to reboot a series with such history. while giving writers freedom to do whatever they want, it still exists in the same universe (in a manner of speaking) as the original so as not to be considered completely separate.

Anyway, i liked it. it was a fun action movie, didn't take it self too serious, but not too over the top. it was satisfying on the same level that iron man was, just really fun.

looking forward to a sequal

[em...]

The snow planet Kirk was marooned on was great. I feel like it may have been a nod to Star Wars.

The chased-by-a-monster-that-gets-eaten-by-a-bigger-monster part was lifted straight from The Phantom Menace.

The snow planet/moon section was the worst part for me. It could have done without the bit mentioned above, and there's a bigger problem:

If it's close enough for old Spock to see Vulcan collapsing into a singularity, isn't it therefore close enough to get sucked into the subsequent black hole? In that case, young Spock deliberately abandoning Kirk there isn't very clever, is it?

I wasn't overly keen on the stupid comic relief of Scotty in the water pipe, or Kirk's swollen hands either.


Mostly, though, I loved it.

[bangalore_monkey]

If it's close enough for old Spock to see Vulcan collapsing into a singularity, isn't it therefore close enough to get sucked into the subsequent black hole?

i would suggest asking an astrophysicist. even thinking about this movie's concepts makes my head hurt. really, going anywhere past the face value of a movie that uses time and space to manipulate the story is futile. who knows how powerful a black hole created by "red matter" is, who cares, there's star ships shooting at each other.

on the other hand, i found that sequence frustrating on another level, as in there has to be a better way to get Kirk to meet old Spock, other than coincidentally being left on the same planet.

[lizzel]

The snow planet Kirk was marooned on was great. I feel like it may have been a nod to Star Wars.

The chased-by-a-monster-that-gets-eaten-by-a-bigger-monster part was lifted straight from The Phantom Menace.

.

ah well, I didn't see it so I didn't pick up on it. I was thinking more of the ice planet, whatever the heck it's called...

[lizzel]

If it's close enough for old Spock to see Vulcan collapsing into a singularity, isn't it therefore close enough to get sucked into the subsequent black hole?

i would suggest asking an astrophysicist. even thinking about this movie's concepts makes my head hurt. really, going anywhere past the face value of a movie that uses time and space to manipulate the story is futile. who knows how powerful a black hole created by "red matter" is, who cares, there's star ships shooting at each other.

on the other hand, i found that sequence frustrating on another level, as in there has to be a better way to get Kirk to meet old Spock, other than coincidentally being left on the same planet.

Well, not that it matters...but I wonder if the movie was basing their black holes on human created black holes that could be made with the collider. They're supposed to evaporate almost immediately, but then that's because they're on a nano scale.
The black holes that we think of aren't ever supposed to fill up and only ever become larger....
but then I've also read that a black hole can only keep swallowing junk as long as it isn't giving off more radiation than it's taking in...so let's just assume the red matter black hole was specifically made to only be able to swallow Vulcan before it started giving off too much radiation.
Or let's not care because it's just a movie.

[Blue Pillow]

Or let's not care because it's just a movie.

Just a movie? JUST a MOVIE?? Movies are stories, which as a concept are some of the most valuable elements of human culture! I can't let you say "just a movie."

At the same time, yes there are logic problems and the like in this movie, and many, if not most others. But I don't believe in dismissing those problems because it's "just a movie." I believe in dismissing those problems because the emotional story was told so well, the movie earned the right to have some logic cheats. In fact, this relates to one of the major themes of the film, as shown through Spock's character: the necessity of emotion to achieve that which logic fails to do.

As a lifelong "Star Wars Rulz, Star Trek Sux!" sort of fanboy, I am proud to say I totally loved this movie! Makes me want to catch up on at least some of the history of Trek...

[Moonman]

In that case, young Spock deliberately abandoning Kirk there isn't very clever, is it?

It's not even logical! Who pops a guy off onto a hostile planet with nothing beside a bag and the clothes on his back just because he's mouthing off?! What? The ship doesn't have a brig?

[spoiler]
There's your proof he's unfit due to emotional distress or whatever. Don't even need that stupid ass argument they had!
[/spoiler]

But yeah...as I said before. It's a movie that got the characters right, the spirit right, and the story oh. so. wrong.

[HellboyOne]

As a lifelong "Star Wars Rulz, Star Trek Sux!" sort of fanboy, I am proud to say I totally loved this movie! Makes me want to catch up on at least some of the history of Trek...

There's a doc on the History Channel now that's a great primer for non-Trek fans.

Loved the movie. Only a couple of nitpicks, which are the same for anything Trek, but I won't even bother with it. I was thoroughly entertained. And it was beautiful to boot.

[SeraphSword]

SPOILERS






Here's a logical conundrum for you: Nero apparently confronts old Spock right after Romulus is destroyed, and Spock defends himself by sending them all back in time. So why is a Romulan mining ship immediately able to take out a federation warship as if it was nothing. When exactly in the 30 seconds after his planet was destroyed did Nero turn his mining vessel into a war machine? Or did I miss something? Because he also apparently took out 47 Klingon warships and a small federation armada(though that was years later).



PS. I liked it, and will probably see it again. Props to Papa Kirk for going out like a champ.

[krisvahl]

SPOILERS



...and (old) Spock defends himself by sending them all back in time.

SPOILER



I thought them being sent back in time was an accidental side-effect when old Spock used the red matter to destroy the supernova. I don't think old Spock intended them to travel back in time.

[SeraphSword]

Quite right, my bad. It saves him though, so it works out that way.

[RodGuen]

what the fuck is thered matter???
Can we please shoot any midaged apparently Trekky woman from commenting
on every scene behind me while trying to enjoy the film?
Even my mild mannered 12 year old son complained at the end, as credits were rolling: "it was cool but that crazy woman was a real pain in the butt!!"
She was cheering and having this piggish snort/laugh at every reference that was making me wish for more of her geekish comment instead.
Anyway, i found it quite good, eventhough confusing and complicated.
The bad guy was depicted as such , all in black longcoat and angry and tatooed and all, he was absolutely laughable. (but i didn't 'cause i do care about not ruining the show to the rest of the audience, and you wouldn't have heard me over the piggish laughs anyway)
But please, seriously. Shoot them all.
Or they will be behind me for Terminator too, i bet !