"Star Trek... Whatever"
Added 11/23/2009
"Stardate 44...whatever" - Jim Kirk, Star Trek (2009). Sums up the care taken by Paramount to include the elegant and detail rich universe that once made up Star Trek. "Star Trek, Star Wars... whatever" is what I believe the writers and producers decided upon prior to setting out on this high-budget endeavor to destroy one great universe. Is it a good flick? Yes! Is it a good Star Trek? Definitely not.
They summed up their feelings towards us Trekkers in the movie quite nicely: by having "Admiral" Archer's prize beagle in a transporter accident thus being lost forever. Their way of saying to us: "it's our franchise and we can do what we want to it, show us the $".
3.5 stars if it wasn't a Star Trek Film
0 stars if they claim otherwise.
I'm very glad I boycotted the film in the theaters and decided upon renting it first. This one will not be in my STAR TREK collection, as it simply doesn't belong in that universe.
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Interesting Rewrite, Flawed but Has Possibilities
Added 11/23/2009
Being a fan of TOS since I was a very young child (I first became enthralled when it got syndicated in the early 70s when I was in elementary school), I awaited to see how Star Trek could be "re-envisioned" as it was never something I thought needed to be revisited. What this movie delivers is a bit like the original series itself, some good, some bad, some awesome and some just...meh. My husband and I watched the DVD the day it came and then again two days later as we were really torn over the whole "newness" of it during the first viewing. The second viewing definitely helped me better form my opinion. Overall, the movie is a good basis for what I hope will be a whole series of new movies but it is very far from perfect. This kind of feels like a pilot episode of a tv show. You get the basic premise but the whole series direction is still very up in the air with fine-tuning to occur as the series progresses.
The stuff that most definitely works.
Karl Urban as Dr. Leonard McCoy. In my opinion, the absolutely most perfect part of this film. It was like watching a young DeForest Kelley. I've liked Karl Urban since I first saw him in Xena and enjoyed him, as limited as his role was, in both The Two Towers and The Return of the King. Never could I have imagined that someone could be Bones, other than the original beloved character, but Karl Urban nailed the role so perfectly it was absolutely unbelievable. Two thumbs up and five stars for his outstanding performance.
Simon Pegg as Montgomery Scott. I hated Simon Pegg in Shawn of the Dead (the only other thing I've ever seen of his) and absolutely dreaded watching him massacre one of my favorite characters. However, I was more than pleasantly surprised in his portrayal and very much enjoyed the new Mr. Scott. Thank you Mr. Pegg for making such a fun and very true to character Scotty. I look forward to more of the same.
Chris Pine as Captain Kirk. Wow. I am actually surprised how much I have come to like the redone Kirk. The first time I watched the movie I wasn't sure how much I liked the new Kirk. After thinking about it, how Kirk would have been changed due to the difference in his upbringing with a loving father to one with a cold and unlikable stepfather and his removal from the original Kirk's early life, I realized that Chris Pine has very much created a Kirk who is believable in his changed circumstances but still retaining the basis for a Kirk to care about and want more of. Cocky, slightly angry but with the basic core of the cowboy diplomat we have long known and loved.
Bruce Greenwood as Captain Pike. Really enjoyed his portrayal of Captain (now Admiral) Pike and thought his character was well portrayed and liked his inclusion.
The stuff that mostly works.
Anton Yelchin as Chekov. Still having a hard time with this character. I liked the enthusiasm and I liked the energy but it was hard to get over the complete lack of similarity to Walter Koenig in either looks or characterization. He just did not feel like Chekov to me. And I'm not even going to go into the hair. He may grow on me...hopefully not in a fungus sort of way. I will reserve judgment for the next movie.
Zoe Saldana as Uhura. Pretty but not as exotic looking as Nichelle Nichols, this redone Uhura has promise. She has the intelligence of the first Uhura but is more sassy and aggressive (well, most of the time). Like Chekov, I'll wait for the next movie to decide yay or nay. I think I like her, but part of my holding back is discussed below in stuff I just didn't like.
The stuff that mostly didn't work for me.
John Cho as Sulu. His portrayal of Sulu feels as bland a bowl of cooked pasta compared to a serving of lasagne. Something was just missing. Sulu was never boring or bland. He might not have been considered a major character for most episodes but George Takei's Sulu was always interesting in my opinion. I personally wish that James Kyson Lee could have been released from Heroes long enough to take this role because Ando is probably about my favorite character on that show and Mr. Lee would have been able to make Sulu work so much better than John Cho did.
The stuff that didn't work for me.
Zachary Qunito as Spock. He has the look but goes through the movie with a smirk and an overwhelming show of emotion that is just so not Spock. Kirk is the one whose entire childhood and adolescence was changed, not Spock. Quinto plays Spock like he's channeling Sylar on meds. Only at the very last couple of minutes of the movie does he come close. Please, oh please, make him watch those few minutes over and over in preparation for the next movie and smack him with a rolled-up newspaper if he tries to portray Spock as he did through most of this one. If nothing else, please, whatever you do, get rid of the storyline issue that I mention below.
The stuff that so didn't work its not even funny.
The Enterpise. Why does this new Enterprise look like the Motion Picture version mated with a pregnant guppy, given the Andy Warhol treatment and then had botox injections? The engine nacelles are absolutely hideous and are the worst part of this nightmarish reimagining of our beloved Enterprise. The interior just doesn't work, some stuff way too futuristic looking for the time period and some stuff way too antiquated for the time period. Try to get a little closer to the feel of the Enterprise from the horrid Enterprise series from a few years ago to at least make it tolerable. Somebody needs to fire whoever came up with this design and get a real Star Trek designer in there for the next movie. And what's with the bizarre engine noises when the Enterprise is flying?
and the other thing that doesn't work....
(SPOILER - FOR ANYONE WHO HASN'T SEEN THIS MOVIE)
And last but not least, the Spock-Uhura romance. Okay. Ick. The lovey-dovey smooching on the transporter before they beamed over to Nero's ship made me want to turn off the movie or throw up (not sure in which order). I get that Uhura is interested in Spock in this movie and Spock has the hots for her too. This is a face/palm situation if I've ever seen one. I rolled my eyes at my husband when we first watched it and he had the exact same reaction. This is just not working at all. Uhura with Kirk, yes. Uhura with Scotty even (from the ST-V movie). But Spock with Uhura????? Uh, no. Even worse is that its protrayed like they are maybe 10 years old in a sickly sweet, get-me-my-insulin kind of relationship that is just completely unbelievable.
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Star Trek
Added 11/21/2009
Since I'm a 64 year old Star Trek fan, I must say that this movie was GREAT!
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Disappointing, could have been MUCH better
Added 11/21/2009
This film was interesting only from a historical perspective. It lacks depth and substance, and tries to make up for a lousy plot and shallow characters with flashy, useless special effects that only detract, bore and annoy.
SPOILER PLOT. We see how the paths of Kirk, Spock, Uhura, Scotty, Chekov and Sulu intersected, beginning from Kirk's birth. This timeline is different from that of the regular, known Trek universe. A Romulan from the future has traveled back in time to avenge the blowing up the planet Romulus, which apparently the elder Spock promised to avert but wasn't able to. Now Angry Romulan wants to kill major players in Starfleet, as well as blow up Spock's native planet Vulcan, in the hope that Spock will suffer as Mr. Angry did (in the future). Angry does, in fact, manage to kill Kirk's father on a ship; Kirk's about-to-give-birth mother and the rest of the crew escape while Kirk's dad dies defending them.
A now adult young Kirk joins Starfleet under unusual circumstances. Kirk and his cohorts prevent Angry Romulan from doing any more damage, thanks to the wisdom of Elder Spock, who shows up in this timeline to advise Kirk and his own younger self. Elder Spock gives Scotty the formula about life-saving technology Scotty will develop in the future -- or DID develop in Elder Spock's future timeline. (You still with me?) In this film, the now new timeline is not repaired. Kirk's father still died defending his pregnant wife and crew, young Spock and Kirk's friendship gets off to a bumpy start, and more. However, at least there will be no more damage from Mr. Angry.
CHARACTERIZATION. New Scotty sounds just like the old one (but we don't learn anything about him). Kirk does a pretty good job as a younger version of Shatner. And Spock is decent, if lacking in the essence of what it means to be Vulcan. Uhura is competent and spunky; too bad the original Uhura was never given this many professional credentials and tasks that this younger version was given. (I appreciate the efforts to overcome the sexism of the original, first Star Trek.) However, all this cannot rescue this film. (By the way, what was Uhura doing French kissing Spock -- and Spock kissing her back? It didn't fit in anyplace, and certainly did not follow the original.)
DOWNSIDES. This film is more of a novelty and the glimmering of an undeveloped, good idea. It lacks the spiritual dimension, psychological sophistication and developed relationships between the characters of Star Trek's best films and TV episodes. Elder Spock telling younger Spock to "follow your feelings" doesn't constitute enough of a worthwhile message to redeem this flick, although it's always nice to see Leonard Nimoy. The soundtrack is relentless, noisy and distracting, and overshadows the dialogue at times. The visuals are simply ugly and busy, looking as though too many hand-held cameras are working overtime. I got dizzy watching all this tiring pointless activity, and had my finger poised on the fast-forward button. And due to the excessive and unnecessary action, this film needed a good editing; about 20 to 25 minutes less would have made it much better.
CONCLUSION. What I loved most about Star Trek's finest TV and movies were its messages, acting, and character development. This film just didn't do it for me. Die-hard fans may like and even love this flick. But for my taste, the best in Star Trek -- where there are socially redeeming messages, great characters, humor and depth as well as action -- is still Voyager, all seven seasons on TV.
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Best 2009 film I've seen..a must for Trekkies and casual fans
Added 11/21/2009
Not being a Trekkie, I had heard 'good things' about this movie. So I rented it and I loved it.
The story was great, the cinema photography was great, the special effects & just the visuals were great..but on top of that there is some really great acting and a story thrown in to boot. This is steps above the mindless put to brain to rest explosion films that we usually get these days.
This film was everything Transformers Revenge of the Fallen & GI Joe should have been. Those movies went for either toilet humor or smart-ass been there done that attitudes..
This movie has characters that we can care about. The Capt. Kirk , Spock and the whole crew of today actually had personality, which a lot of movies such as this have been lacking. You want Kirk to succeed in defeating Nero, you want Spock & Kirk to get on the same page.
What is great about this movie is you need not watch the old TV show youre not fan or any of the earlier Star Trek films. I watched this as a 'stand alone' film and it paid off big time for me. This is the kind of film that should get a sequel, but if not, the Star Trek movie franchise can end on a very high note.
This was a fun ride for 2 hours, with the outer space battles , Kirk being chased around by some really cool creatures & well, i hope this doesnt count as a spoiler but Leonard Nimoy does play an important role in this as well.
I can confidently highly recommend this movie, not just for die hard Star Trek trekkies, but for those that want to see a good science fiction action film that takes itself seriously, which is very unlike a lot today's science fiction movies. There are some funny and amusing moments but this is not a comedy or shot in bad taste to insult the franchise...
Brilliant film !
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Uneven movie but high marks for the Blu-Ray
Added 11/23/2009
I'm not a Trekkie, but I grew up watching the reruns of the old show and the original movies in the 80s. What makes Star Trek what it is for me are the characters.
While the reboot idea here is probably good for the long-run to take these established characters to new adventures, some things feel out of place big time. The old Spock angle was used in Generations with Kirk instead. I'm a huge Leonard Nimoy fan but cameos are a really lazy way to advance the series. Just tell an original story. How hard is it really? I did like the young actors for the most part. The script lacks the characterizations of Star Trek IV or the nifty plot of Star Trek VI. I would rank this one somewhere in the middle of the whole collection. In short, Star Trek is fun without being overly engaging.
Hopefully the next film will have a more solid script with some good science and some good ORIGINAL fiction.
The Blu-Ray presentation is fantastic and ranks with The Dark Knight and Transformers on quality viewing on my Panasonic Plasma. Sound too is really crisp on my surround sound. There are plenty of behind the scenes featurettes, which are decent, but I found the commentary to be pretty run-of-the-mill. I stopped listening to it about half way through.
So as another review here has said, its a fun movie. Yet not really a great Star Trek movie. But the Blu-Ray is still a great purchase and a sight to behold if you have the screen to show it off.
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Star Trek rocks!
Added 11/23/2009
I`ve been a fan of Star Trek since I was a kid. I've seen all of the incarnations of the series and films. I was in awe as I watched reruns of TOS and was thrilled to enjoy TNG in its first run. I recall TOS fans were in an uproar when TNG came on the air in 1987. The outrage was proven to be unfounded. I suspect the same will said of this new film.
I was prepared not to enjoy this reboot, but I did. The casting was spot on, effects were amazing, music was great, and there is an emotional subtext to the film. I was thrilled to see the relationship between Spock and Uhura. For all of the other long time fans that find fault with this film I would suggest you view it as an interpretation of the Star Trek mythos. There's room for the stories of the new/old characters to be told. Just enjoy the ride! Live long and prosper!
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Great movie, even for non-fans
Added 11/23/2009
I saw this movie at the theater this summer and really enjoyed it. I was taken aback on the new direction taken by this new movie, and had a little trouble following it completely. Even so, I thought it was a good movie. Friends that went with me are not Star Trek fans, and they raved about what a terrific movie it was.
Having just watched it on dvd here at home, I have to say I LOVED it! I found so much more in it this time around, and had time to really appreciate the story, action, acting, humor, etc. I'm just speaking for myself, but being a huge Star Trek fan, I thought it was excellent in every way. And I'm thrilled the franchise has been renewed in such a positive way, and totally new direction. I can't wait for the next movie!!
2 out of 2 people found this helpful.
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