Official I WATCHED TREK thread
POSTED BY: LincolnZ
UPDATED: Monday, May 18, 2009 11:06
VIEWED: 17337
PAGE 1 of 9
Ok WARNING SPOILER ALERT read no further than this first post if you wish to forgo spoilers. I'll try to keep this first post free of them but after this everything goes. If you have spoilers(yes even little ones) PLEASE USE SOME SORT OF SPOILER WARNING!?
I just saw the new Trek last night. Before I was skeptical but I was keeping an open mind. I'm not a diehard Trekkie or Trekker but I really enjoy the best the series has to offer, even some of the original series. While I'm a fan of Scott Bakula I never much liked Enterprise. Don't care much for the majority of Voyager either, or all of DS9 for that matter. It never stood out the way TNG seemed to from the second season on. TNG was a part of my childhood in the way I think the original was for my father's generation.
That's out of the way, now I can tell you what I liked about the new movie. In an age where films are typically done for the sole purpose of cashing in on a franchise it's easy to imagine this new and younger trek as just an excuse to squeeze the last buck out of the series after the travesty that was the Enterprise series finale. I'm here to tell you that is not the case by a long shot. I haven't walked out of a theater so thoroughly satisfied as I did last night after catching an early Thursday night showing.
The casting is spot on all across the board. Karl Urban as "Bones" McCoy stands out as much as Zachary Quinto does as Spock. I never once thought of Quinto as Sylar, even though I've watched plenty of Heroes(though I feel it's only mediocre). He's a damned good actor and plays Spock with such believability you really can't even think of him as anyone else. Simon Pegg blasted my expectations of his portrayal of Scotty out of the sky, his dialogue is flawless and no offense to Mr. Doohan, god rest his soul, I thought his Scottish accent was even better than the original. Everyone else was just, or nearly, as good too.
The movie was surprisingly hilarious, the surprising part was it wasn't in the bad way. I laughed through nearly a third of the movie. The humor is very Trek, and while it gets tongue-in-cheek at times, it never goes overboard and takes you out of the film.
The immersive quality is another aspect J.J. Abrams can do incredibly well. He really can make movies and television that you can get into and enjoy. Lost might have gotten a bit dry and off-kilter, but that certainly does not happen here. The plot fits well into the Trek universe and doesn't present anything to the series that conflicts with previous mythology, even when it diverges from the original timeline completely(a tiny spoiler but if you didn't know that much already you live under a rock).
I'll be heading back to the theater next week to watch this great action/adventure movie again. And I hope we see more movies this enjoyable, we could all use some positive, quality escapism in these hard times.
*EDIT* I can't believe I didn't mention Chris Pine as Shatn... I mean Kirk :P. Yeah he was awesome. He's a fair decent actor and made a great leading man. His chemistry with Urban and Quinto is obvious and works well towards building a believable on screen relationship between the three long-time friends. Shatner should relax, there will definitely be more Trek films in the franchise and this is Star Trek man! They'll find a place for you to do a short stint in another one. Unless the reasoning is Abrams having a personal issue, but I doubt that.
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"Guys, I know Kung Fu."
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Go see it. Even if you never liked Star Trek, see this movie!
My advice, spend your money seeing this on a big screen! Don't wait for the Blue-ray or the DVD. Preferably, see it in a iMax or mega screened theater, with digital projection!
I'm a nit-picky hardcore fan, old enough to remember Star Trek during it's first run on NBC in the late sixties. I went in to this screening with a cautious attitude about this "new" Star Trek. A bunch of young turks trying to take over characters Shatner, Nimoy and Kelly lived in for over 30 years? Good luck kids!
I certainly didn't like certain design elements, like the design of the ship, the "Apple Store" bridge set, and the chromed out props. Still don't love them, but the designs are slowly growing on me. Still think the Enterprise from ST:TMP is the best looking E ever!
Story; yeah there are a few weak plot points, but overall no worse than other Trek movies of the past. The pacing was fast and it kept the story moving! I did like seeing these classic characters grow into their familiar positions. For a prequel movie, this seems to be the only one that has done it right.
Casting: Pine and Quinto are fine as Kirk and Spock. Quinto looks like a young Nimoy, but he brings his own style to the character, while still being Spock! Pine thankfully does not play Kirk like Shatner. I love the Shat, but no one can play the character his way, without it coming off as a parody. Pine does bring in some of Kirk's swagger and confidence, and he's got the chops to lead this franchise!
Zoe Saldana as Uhura gets to do far more than poor Nichelle ever got to do, and she VERY sexy in the role! Uhura is a brilliant woman who finally gets to do more than just open hailing frequencies!
Karl Urban's performance as Bones is simply amazing! Any Deforest fans (like myself) will be moved by how well he seems to channel Mr. Kelly.
John Cho is wonderful as Sulu. I love the "parking brake" scene, and Sulu gets a chance to kick ass too!
Simon Pegg as Scotty, is clearly there as comic relief, and he makes the most of it. His accent is dead on Scottish, and he treats the role with respect due Mr. Doohan's engineer.
The one sore spot for me was Yelchin's Chekov. His accent was so thick it hard to understand at times.
The supporting cast is brilliant. Bruce Greenwood as Pike is the perfect father figure, and he plays the character with the same gentle but stern nature that Jeffery Hunter brought to the role.
Chris Hemsworth and Jennifer Morrison as Kirk's parents do fine with their brief roles, and Winona Ryder as Spock's human mother Amanda works better than I would have expected.
Ben Cross as Sarek was slightly disappointing, but only because Mark Lenard became the quintessential template for vulcans! Even an actor as good as Cross, seemed to have trouble filling those legendary shoes!
Eric Bana was also a bit of a disappointment, but only because he gets so little screen time. What I did see I liked. He plays Nero with a casual delivery that was almost Ledgeresque in how he made it look easy. This is not a typical over the top Trek villain.
Some have compared Nero to the character Shinzon in Star Trek: Nemesis! On the surface this seems correct. Yes, they both are from Romulus, and yes, they both have reasons for vengeance, but their styles are completely different. Shinzon was another in a long line of self important over the top villains. Nero is more subtle and contained, like a bomb that could blow at any time.
Lastly, Leonard Nimoy as Spock Prime. Yeah, he's showing is age. More so than even Shatner. Who cares! It was great to see him play Spock again, and his actions are pivotal to the whole movie and to this new time line.
Overall, this movie was one big amazing thrill ride! It delivered in so many ways. Is it perfect? No! Does it work? Yes! Is it fun? Hell YES!
If you can't get past the changes and accept this version, then take it for what it is, an alternate reality. Ignore it, and keep watching the classic shows and movies.
I'll st
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I guess I didn't have as big an issue with Chekov, but yeah his accent was impenetrable(isn't that be point?).
I too felt Nero was underused but he was sure one hell of a villain. In my book he goes down with Khan and the Borg Queen. He's got great motivation and even if it's a bit cliche, there is a reason, how would you feel in that situation?
I still can't believe how good this was. I went into it hopeful but keeping my judgments... I came out very happy.
BTW My father enjoyed it immensely. We went to see it last night(Thursday) because we couldn't today and he leaves tomorrow to return to Iraq until March. He works for the Army Corps of Engineers. We used to watch TNG and reruns of TOS together when I was a kid and it was a treat to be able to see this with him while he was home for a couple weeks.
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"Guys, I know Kung Fu."
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Quote:
Originally posted by LincolnZ:
BTW My father enjoyed it immensely. We went to see it last night(Thursday) because we couldn't today and he leaves tomorrow to return to Iraq until March. He works for the Army Corps of Engineers. We used to watch TNG and reruns of TOS together when I was a kid and it was a treat to be able to see this with him while he was home for a couple weeks.
Very cool that you got to share a common interest with your dad like that.
I'd given some thought to movin' off the edge -- not an ideal location -- thinkin' a place in the middle.
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Quote:Please curb your enthusiasm; I can't see it until tomorrow!
Originally posted by MacBaker:
After years of Picard, Janeway and Archer, it's great to see new stories about the original gang again!
The laughing Chrisisall
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Don't get too excited Chris... don't want you to expect sex and get a handshake or something like that(something an old friend used to say). lol
Really it's a great movie. :)
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"Guys, I know Kung Fu."
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Quote:I had a hunch it might work when they cast Zack as Spock.
Originally posted by LincolnZ:
Really it's a great movie. :)
I need a time machine.....
The laughing Chrisisall
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It took two viewings for me to decide that I liked most of it.
I was pretty let down the first time. I even drove 2 hours to see in in IMAX, and went home less than a happy camper.
I did think that the casting was spot-on; I was completely convinced that each actor was who they were portraying -- especially the essential nexus of Kirk, Bones and Spock. They managed to bring back the old chemistry perfectly.
That said, the overall plot left a lot to be desired. No, it's no weaker than many other in the Trek franchise, but I had hoped that we'd have gotten more with this reboot. As with most blockbusters these days, strong storytelling is of less importance than constant action and visual spectacle.
Also, Michael Giacchino is definitely no Jerry Goldsmith by any means. I was as disappointed with his music as I was when they didn't bring on Greg Edmonson for Serenity, except that David Newman is much better than Giacchino, in my opinion. For a series that, at least since the first movie, has been known for its dynamic and often innovative music, I was extremely let down by the mediocre scoring of Giacchino. I got a kick of them using the "classic" theme at the end, but I had hoped they'd have used some of Goldsmith's legacy.
Overall, it's worth seeing, and I expect a sequel to be much better now that they've gotten the cumbersome alternate universe shenanigans out of the way. It was certainly a "fun" movie and I think it did do a lot to inject fun back into a franchise that had gotten a bit on the boring side and was otherwise dead in the water. That said, it was by no means perfect and I'd give it a solid "B" grade.
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Just got home from the Matinee. I loved it. Beeing a TRekkie/er for as long as I can remember, I was seriously anxious about another "rebooting" of a classic I love. I really enjoyed the storyline. If you get a chance, go this weekend.......TWICE!
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That's the thing, all this talk of a "reboot". It's not really a "reboot" such as the recent version of BSG or the Batman or Bond films. Yes the cast is new(mostly) and the setting is pretty different. The thing that makes this NOT a reboot is the way it fits into the story. If this is a reboot then the TNG crew rebooted a lot of stuff over the years, all the time travel they did. Seriously, it fits into the storyline so technically... not a reboot, it's a prequel AND a sequel in a sense.
Really I'm just nitpicking. It's just a damn good film. Not the greatest ever made but fun. First Contact may still be my favorite Trek film, followed by The Wrath of Khan... give me some time to decide where this one goes.
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"Guys, I know Kung Fu."
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