So, the new one: how'd it do, compared to what has gone before?First, you might want to read the essay "To Boldly Go," down the page a little, to see what I use as criteria, if'n you haven't already.
Second, if you are a hardcore fanboy who thinks Everything-but-the-original-series-is-crap, you can stop right here. You won't like the new movie -- and weren't gonna, no matter what they did. Go back and argue with the other HcFb's about what color the lint was in Sulu's pocket last Thursday. All I got for you is: Get a life ...
Now, for those of you are are more casual Trek fans ...
The new one. Was the science any better? Certainly not. The plot? What plot? Both still have more holes than a fleet of cargo ships full of colanders and swiss cheese, but that's not what matters.
Did the trio of Kirk/Spock/McCoy work together? Were Uhuru and Scotty and Chekov and Sulu there? How did Spock Prime play?
There's the measure of how well the picture did. Were they having a good time? Did it look and sound like they were having a good time? Did they behave as you thought, or maybe even hoped, the younger versions of themselves would have behaved?
It worked for me.
A movie either does or doesn't, and whatever you have to say about it hangs on that simple yea or nay question, everything else is essentially window-dressing.
It worked for me.
In fact, save for my brief moment of glory in my fly-on role in "World Enough and Time," and the fourth movie, in which the original crew goes back in time to save the whales, this was the most fun I've had at a Trek movie. Space opera, sure enough, and the new guys will never have the resonance of the originals, because we are all decades older and our eyes not so fresh; still, those of you old enough to remember when Disneyland had paper tickets, this was an E-ticket EFX ride and I enjoyed it. Nobody was doing Ibsen here, nor should they have been. Get your popcorn and your soda and Raisinetes, settle in, and enjoy the show.
There are some good lines, and the funniest ones come right out of character. My biggest laugh came from Spock Prime (Nimoy) and his comment about his normal leave-taking remark. Second biggest one was with Kirk and Spock discussing an offer to the enemy captain, with Kirk taking the logical position and Spock's response to it.
It played fast and loose with Trek canon, but explained it in a manner that ought not to surprise anybody who ever watched any of the movies or TV shows. And they all nailed their characters dead-on.
Was it a perfect movie? No, certainly not. The villain was kind of a weenie. The fight scenes were just okay. Being a redshirt is still a death-sentence. Was it a worthwhile edition to the moribund Trek franchise? Absolutely.
If you are a fan of the original show -- and you also have a life -- go see it. You'll have fun.
So you did enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteAs I did with the previous post, i have to agree with you. The movie was a 'sit back, get your soda and have fun' kind of movie and i hadn't had one of this in the theaters since Pirates of the Caribbean. I left the room with a huge grin and a sugar rush that lasted me for three days (partly because I saw it dubbed the next day with other friends - do not see movies dubbed, they give you a headache and usually the translation is a huge crap).
As a Leonard McCoy/DeForest Kelley fan, I was holding my breath over the new Trek’s treatment of his character.
ReplyDeleteFor me, Karl Urban’s performance was the highlight of the film. His mannerisms, cadence, attitude–all of it–were dead on. I think De would be proud.
The entire cast did a grand job of introducing a new generation to Trek. For me, the best part of the movie came when they rolled the credits, and my 11-year-old, who never cared much for Star Trek, asked when we could see it again...
I loved it. So did my kids -- we're probably going to go see it again at least once.
ReplyDeleteAnd no, they don't replace the previous crew, but it was a lot to ask them to. In particular, the kid playing Kirk has a thankless and near impossible job -- Shatner was unique and trying to follow that the way Urban followed Kelley and Quinto followed Nimoy was never going to happen. There were a couple nice moments of swagger at the end of the movie that reminded me of Shatner's Kirk ... that's probably all you could ask for, and it was enough.
ReplyDeleteWe saw it last night at the Kennedy. Good fun-- speaking as someone who was just enough of a Trek fan to feel all warm and fuzzy about Nimoy reciting the old intro at the very end.
ReplyDeleteGood writing and decent acting overall. The new McCoy and Scott were total screen-stealers.
Have to admit I was distracted in the opening scene, by recognizing my aunt as the Kelvin's navigator...