New Star Trek Film (05/08/09)

[Mr. Maul]

[quote name='Rachmaninoff']I've watched so much Star Trek over the years that I'm pretty burned out on it.[/quote]


[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1][COLOR=DimGray]Are you kidding?


DS9 never gets old.










[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[Rachmaninoff]

[QUOTE=Mr. Maul][FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1][COLOR=DimGray]Are you kidding?


DS9 never gets old.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/QUOTE]Yes, I'm kidding and I posted that because I'm lying. [/sarcasm]

Yes, it does get old. I never bothered to finish DS9. =P

Ironically, in spite of that, I'll end up seeing the movie since Beth is a Star Trek fan and wants to see it. lol

[Mr. Maul]

[SIZE=1][COLOR=DimGray]"Are you kidding" is a rhetorical expression. I'm not literally asking if you are being serious or not.



But anyway, I'm going to be seeing it tomorrow with my brother and dad, who are both Trekkies.

[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=1][COLOR=DimGray]Personally, [/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=1][COLOR=DimGray]I am not a Trekkie, however, growing up in a household with two of them, I pretty much learned everything about Star Trek through osmosis.










[/COLOR][/SIZE]

[Sabrina]

[FONT="Tahoma"][quote name='Mr. Maul][SIZE=1][COLOR=DimGray]Personally, [/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=1][COLOR=DimGray]I am not a Trekkie, however, growing up in a household with two of them, I pretty much learned everything about Star Trek through osmosis.[/COLOR'][/SIZE][/quote]I can understand that. My mom and dad really love the series so I picked up a lot of it from them. I do enjoy watching it from time to time, but I was never a huge fan. I'll probably end up seeing it since I'm sure some of my friends want to go.
[/FONT]

[Roxie Faye]

[color=#9933cc]Disclaimer: I am not a Trekkie.

I saw the movie and I loved it! I thought it was really awesome. I think Zachary Quinto did an excellent job of developing Spock and [spoiler]bringing out the half-human/half-vulcan conflict. I felt like I could relate to him. ^^ (I'm half-asian myself...)[/spoiler]

There was a little bit of everything for everyone, I think. Action! Drama! Humor! Romance! (Okay, and speaking of which [spoiler]what did you think of the whole Spock/Uhura thing? I know it's like a new thing, but it wasn't too overdone, so I didn't mind it.[/spoiler])

All in all, I liked it. And I'm going to drag my mom, who likes Star Trek, to the movies to see it.[/color]

[James]

[font=franklin gothic medium]This movie just confirmed for me that JJ Abrams is fast becoming one of my favourite directors.

I think he almost pulled off the impossible here - to re-imagine the original Star Trek in a way that actually dovetailed beautifully with the original series while also being something completely new. Even the casting choices were great - I rarely sat there comparing these actors to their 60's counterparts.

I would say that the Star Trek films have desperately needed a massive shake-up like this anyway. After Insurrection and Nemesis (neither of which I liked and both of which I felt just didn't do any justice to the Star Trek concept), I'm relieved that we've got something that breathes some life into the ageing series.

One thing I particularly liked about this film was the design - it was retro 60's but with a modern twist. The high-intensity white lighting throughout the Enterprise's bridge, for instance, worked really well (there are even times where the light blooms block out characters for a moment because of their intensity - somehow it feels very suitable).

I also liked that Abrams wasn't afraid to make substantial changes to some of the characters [spoiler]like the relationship between Spock and...Uhura? I have no idea how to spell her name.[/spoiler] Far from being jarring, I actually thought that worked beautifully. Not to mention it gave added depth to a character that rarely had it in the past (and I'm not referring to Spock).

So, yeah, I was impressed with Star Trek. Beautiful visuals, some excellent shots, wonderful actors and even a fun yet completely logical (haha) cameo. Great stuff.[/font]

[Nerdsy]

[quote name='Roxie Faye'][color=#9933cc] (Okay, and speaking of which [spoiler]what did you think of the whole Spock/Uhura thing? I know it's like a new thing, but it wasn't too overdone, so I didn't mind it.[/spoiler])
[/color][/QUOTE]

[color=deeppink]i think [spoiler]I can't wait for the Uhura/Chapel catfight this is destined to bring about.[/spoiler]

I don't know [i]how[/i] I missed it (I think her voice has become so familiar I don't even hear it anymore) but it warms my soul that Majel Barret Roddenberry managed to get a part before she died.[/color]

[Sara]

[quote name='Nerdsy'][color=deeppink]The Star Wars fan in me thought [spoiler]Okay, there's the Death Star. Whoops, there goes Alderaan. Hey, Kirk's on Hoth. Better run from that Wompa! Whoops, ran into a cave. Oh, Obi-Wan'll save you. Better have a showdown with the Emperor on the bridge of the Death Star.[/spoiler][/color][/QUOTE][size=1]Hahaha. Yeah, that made me laugh a little.

But I gotta say, I loved this movie. It's been a [i]long[/i] time since a film has left me feeling so satisfactorily entertained. The casting was great--really, just a delight to watch.[/size]

[Gavin]

[quote name='James'][font=franklin gothic medium]This movie just confirmed for me that JJ Abrams is fast becoming one of my favourite directors.

I think he almost pulled off the impossible here - to re-imagine the original Star Trek in a way that actually dovetailed beautifully with the original series while also being something completely new. Even the casting choices were great - I rarely sat there comparing these actors to their 60's counterparts.

I would say that the Star Trek films have desperately needed a massive shake-up like this anyway. After Insurrection and Nemesis (neither of which I liked and both of which I felt just didn't do any justice to the Star Trek concept), I'm relieved that we've got something that breathes some life into the ageing series.

One thing I particularly liked about this film was the design - it was retro 60's but with a modern twist. The high-intensity white lighting throughout the Enterprise's bridge, for instance, worked really well (there are even times where the light blooms block out characters for a moment because of their intensity - somehow it feels very suitable).

I also liked that Abrams wasn't afraid to make substantial changes to some of the characters [spoiler]like the relationship between Spock and...Uhura? I have no idea how to spell her name.[/spoiler] Far from being jarring, I actually thought that worked beautifully. Not to mention it gave added depth to a character that rarely had it in the past (and I'm not referring to Spock).

So, yeah, I was impressed with Star Trek. Beautiful visuals, some excellent shots, wonderful actors and even a fun yet completely logical (haha) cameo. Great stuff.[/font][/QUOTE]

[SIZE="1"]All of this, it really sums up my feelings on the film. It's great to see the Star Trek franchise come back with a bang after the stuttered ending of Enterprise. Is there any word about potential sequel ? As they've created a whole new timeline to have fun with.[/SIZE]

[Zen]

[color=royalblue][size=1]

I was very anti-Star Trek before I watched this movie. I never liked the show because it never really snagged me with action and adventure the way Star Wars did, so I always shunned it.

But I am a huge fan of this movie. Everything I like about it has pretty much been said by James and Nerdsy, so I won't elaborate further. I would've liked to see more Sulu, Scotty, and McCoy, but to each his own. Great movie.[/color][/size]

[Gavin]

[quote name='Zen'][color=royalblue][size=1]I would've liked to see more Sulu, Scotty, and McCoy, but to each his own. Great movie.[/color][/size][/QUOTE]
[SIZE="1"]
I actually have to agree with this a little, not to spoil anything on anyone [spoiler]but the fact that Scotty only appears in the last 30 minutes of the film was a pity, especially give how good a performance Pegg gave for the character.[/spoiler][/SIZE]

[eleanor]

[font=trebuchet ms] Generally I hate JJ Abrams because of all the praise he gets despite the fact that I hated [i]Cloverfield[/i] and [i]Lost[/i] is dead to me, but this was a great movie.

I'm probably not going to ever watch it again, but it was an awesome summer blockbuster movie. 2 hours of pure entertainment, it was amazing. I wish all of them were like this. [/font]

[quote name='Gavin'][SIZE="1"] Is there any word about potential sequel ? As they've created a whole new timeline to have fun with.[/SIZE][/QUOTE]

[font=trebuchet ms]Under JJ Abrams on IMDB there's an "Untitled Star Trek Sequel" listed for 2011. Take it with a grain of salt, but I'm pretty sure Hollywood is eager to start a sequel.[/font]

[Rachmaninoff]

Okay, so I’ve seen it and in spite of being burned out on the series in general, I was still rather impressed with it. It had just enough to it to keep things grounded in who people were supposed to be, and yet they were different enough to make them memorable in their own rights.

And like James said, the lighting throughout the bridge really worked well. I also liked how engineering had a more industrial feel to how it was constructed. It just seemed more fitting somehow.

The bit with Spock and [spoiler]Uhura[/spoiler] did seem a tad odd, but since they didn’t go overboard with it, I didn’t mind it too much.

My only regret is that some of the characters like McCoy, Scotty and Sulu; I would have liked to see more of them. Chekov was fun too, the bit where he was struggling to get the [spoiler]voice recognition to accept him was amusing.[/spoiler]

[pooperson]

[quote name='Rachmaninoff']The bit with Spock and [spoiler]Uhura[/spoiler] did seem a tad odd, but since they didn’t go overboard with it, I didn’t mind it too much.
[/QUOTE]

[SIZE="1"][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]I didn't find that too odd at all. It's one of those things that tends to happen in Science Fiction, especially when the [spoiler]hot girls are all total nerds. They would naturally be attracted to the smartest, wouldn't you think?[/spoiler]

Besides, young Spock wasn't that bad looking. ;D (Kidding[spoiler], kind of[/spoiler])

Anyway, I thought the movie was fantastic. It's the first Star Trek film I've seen all the way through. I was a bit confused by the [spoiler]time travel[/spoiler], but eventually it began to all make sense.

Star Trek, in essence, is about the development of relationships. I think that was important in this movie, so... I dig it.[/COLOR][/SIZE]

[Gavin]

[SIZE="1"][url=http://www.theonion.com/content/video/trekkies_bash_new_star_trek_film]Trekkies Bash New Star Trek Film[/url][/SIZE]

[Allamorph]

[quote name='taperson][SIZE="1"][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Star Trek, in essence, is about the development of relationships.[/COLOR'][/SIZE][/quote]
[FONT=Arial]I would say more along the lines of social commentary, but yes, that plays a large part.

The only thing that put me off about that relationship is that I'm not a fan of fast relationships. Ever. However, the alternate timeline card does a lot for making up for what I viewed as almost a cater to fanfiction (almost), and there could very well have been something unspoken in the three years at the academy we didn't see.

So I'm not going to go ape over it. I'd like to see it develop more emotionally, psychologically, and/or spiritually (if that works in this context), instead of immediate physical gratification, which seems to be the current best-selling dominant trend and really comes off as unthought and James Bond-esque.

In other stuff, I like the portrayal of the Romulans, and I think a Star Trek universe with [spoiler]no Vulcan[/spoiler] is going to be rather interesting. The ship design was fantastic, especially the contrast between the bridge and engineering, and I approve of the new take on the tech and weapons. As far as casting, I'm going to go ahead and jump on the Urban/Pegg bandwagon; those two were spot on in their roles. I think Pine was a good Kirk, and he might have been glossed over because Shatner was such a . . . individual actor that it's hard to match him, good or bad.

In fact, the only casting decision I really question was Uhura. I just can't reconcile her with the image of slender, slinky, supermodel. I mentioned her to my father (who remembered the name of the Kobayashi Maru test before I got finished trying to remember what it even was) and he said "Yeah, she was definitely more of a buxom chick". That and the ponytail kinda screamed JRPG-length hair to me. :p

But other than that one minor glitch--and a very minor, very overlookable glitch it is--I am totally satisfied with this movie, and I feel safe saying that any Trekkie who thinks otherwise has their head stuck way too far up where the sun don't shine.

Also Red Matter = Strawberry Jam. :animesmil[/FONT]

[Gavin]

[SIZE="1"]Morbo's take on the science of Star Trek:

[CENTER][IMG]http://zeitgeistglee.250free.com/StarTrekMorbo.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER][/SIZE]

[Rachmaninoff]

I still say it was odd, the relationship. Allamorph puts it best here:[QUOTE=Allamorph][FONT=Arial]The only thing that put me off about that relationship is that I'm not a fan of fast relationships. Ever. However, the alternate timeline card does a lot for making up for what I viewed as almost a cater to fanfiction (almost), and there could very well have been something unspoken in the three years at the academy we didn't see.

So I'm not going to go ape over it. I'd like to see it develop more emotionally, psychologically, and/or spiritually (if that works in this context), instead of immediate physical gratification, which seems to be the current best-selling dominant trend and really comes off as unthought and James Bond-esque.[/FONT][/QUOTE]It was just an out of nowhere, oh guess what, those two have a thing for each other. Anytime a show skips straight to that without any form of lead up, it comes across as odd to me. =P I'm not so much objecting as I'd like to see more to it than the instant relationship deal.

[James]

[font=franklin gothic medium]I think the fact that the relationship between [spoiler]Spock and Uhura[/spoiler] mirrored the relationship between [spoiler]Spock's mother and father[/spoiler] gave the whole thing some weight. This is especially true when [spoiler]Spock's father said that he married his mother because "he loved her" and not just because it was logical. I also liked that Uhura seemed to be the only person who felt so terribly for Spock's loss... after all, losing almost all of your race in one single moment would have to be one of the most horrific things someone could go through.[/spoiler][/font]

[Allamorph]

[quote name='James][font=franklin gothic medium]I think the fact that the relationship between [spoiler]Spock and Uhura[/spoiler] mirrored the relationship between [spoiler]Spock's mother and father[/spoiler] gave the whole thing some weight. This is especially true when [spoiler]Spock's father said that he married his mother because "he loved her" and not just because it was logical. I also liked that Uhura seemed to be the only person who felt so terribly for Spock's loss... after all, losing almost all of your race in one single moment would have to be one of the most horrific things someone could go through.[/spoiler'][/font][/quote]
[FONT=Arial]Right, which is why I'm not actually against it. It just struck me as initially strange, is all. I mean, like I said, there could have been some unspoken stuff during the three years at the academy, and since we skipped over that time we won't know for certain--until someone writes a stopgap fanfiction. :p

Also somewhat telling was [spoiler]Uhura reassigning herself to the Farragut[/spoiler], so we have the interaction there to further our speculation if we so wish.

And since they're going that direction, I expect it to be decently played.[/FONT]

[SaiyanPrincessX]

[SIZE="1"]I really liked the movie. The casting was great, and I did enjoy the [spoiler]Spock & Uhura[/spoiler] relationship. I think James pretty much explained it though. [/SIZE]

[Nerdsy]

[color=deeppink]I forgot to mention how much I found Nero to be an underwhelming villain because I kept forgetting all about him.[/color]

[James]

[quote name='Nerdsy'][color=deeppink]I forgot to mention how much I found Nero to be an underwhelming villain because I kept forgetting all about him.[/color][/QUOTE]

[font=franklin gothic medium]Totally agree. I was sort of hopeful that the villain in this movie would match the overall quality and freshness of the movie itself... but nope.

It's sort of interesting that the movie managed to be good despite the villain, rather than because of him.

For me, Nero was probably the most negative part of the whole experience, frankly.[/font]

[Allamorph]

[FONT=Arial]I think Nero's blandness and the unmemorable quality of his plan and his crew were mainly due to the brevity of the film and the focus on the crew of the Enterprise. The entire backdrop for Nero was given in the brief mind-meld flashback sequence, and each major instance involving him spent more time looking other places.

In the first sequence with him our attention is directed to Kirk's parents; in the second it's more about [spoiler]Kirk and Spock butting heads[/spoiler]; then you have the brief bit on the drill platform; [spoiler]Pike's interrogation, which was really the only time we ever got to see behind Nero and which wasn't lengthy, though that seemed more real to me than a Bond-esque reveal-all monologue[/spoiler]; [spoiler]Kirk and Spock bonding, after a fashion[/spoiler], and so on.

The movie didn't need Nero specifically. In fact, I think the only reason he even had a name at all was to give the crew something to refer to him by other than "that Romulan dude". No one else who wasn't important to the movie had a name. The green girl didn't get a name, the red-shirt dead dude (who saw that one coming?, raise your hand) had a name for about thirty seconds; even Nero's second barely got a name, and who remembers him?

We would have been fine with any other villain with the same motives and material. Nero was just there to shake the universe up a bit, is all. And that's all that was needed, I think.

However, if Abrams does a second movie on this new timeline, I'd like to see him take some liberties with his time limit and do something a little more intensive. I wouldn't mind sitting two hours or so now that I know someone's trying.[/FONT]

[Gavin]

[SIZE="1"]I have to agree with Allamorph, I think the biggest problem with Nero is that he simply wasn't given enough screen-time to develop his character in comparison to the rest of the cast. It's a pity really because Bana gave quite a strong performance otherwise.

As for the sequel if he manages to keep a fairly tight pacing to the movie then I certainly wouldn't mind a two-hour feature the next time.[/SIZE]