Star Trek!

[Mr. MacPhisto]

Just got back from seeing Star Trek. The movie went by at warp speed and really sucks you in. It starts out with a bang and never lets up. No lag here.

I'll admit it, I've been a fan of Trek since I was a kid. I've seen all the movies and seen most of the TV shows, though I'm not on the convention going level of the fanbase. Yet I can still talk Trek pretty well and seeing the Enterprise tonight, well it brought a tear to my eye. I grew up with this stuff. The Next Generation truly was my formative television show. It came on the air when I was in 4th grade and ended when I was a sophomore in high school I grew up with it and knew the original series well because my parents watched it when it originally aired on NBC. I remember going to the theater for every release since Star Trek III.

This film is true to Star Trek, yet not in a slavish or stodgy way. The technobabble is still there, though it is handled well. There is substantial comedy laced throughout and it works so very well. This film, quite frankly, makes Star Trek cool. Everything is streamlined. Oh, and most importantly, Uhura is H-O-T. Zoe Saldana is a fox, but also does well in the part. Glad they brought back the miniskirts for the female officers!

So much could've gone wrong with this film but none of it does. The cast is superb. Karl Urban in particular is amazing. He inhabits Bones, so much so that you could swear they found a time machine and brought back a young DeForest Kelley.

And the plot. Well, I won't spoil that. Suffice it to say that they've constructed a way to keep the current canon intact yet have a blank slate. I think it truly was a genius device.

Leonard Nimoy is excellent in his cameo.

The crowd loved the movie and most of them did not appear to be Star Trek geeks. Applause after the movie and smiles on pretty much every face at the end. I know I was grinning from ear to ear throughout.

You get to see Kirk take the Kobayashi Maru, something even a non-Trek person will enjoy.

This is a film that you want to jump back in and see again. I can't wait for a second goround.

Somehow, someway, Abrams and crew nailed everything. The ship is beautiful. There's just something magical about that design to me that makes me realize how brilliant Matt Jefferies was.

I am still amazed.

[Mr. MacPhisto]

And a great writeup over at AICN, not so much a review as a collection of thoughts by a fan.

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/41006

Merrick's 15 Year Old Son brought 4 guests to Monday night's screening of the film (the second time he and I had seen it - the first for our four guests). Among our companions were three teenagers who couldn't care less about STAR TREK, and an adult who was a well-versed fan. By the time the film's prologue had finished & its title boomed triumphantly across the screen, the three dispassionate teens were sitting (literally) slack jawed in awe and wonderment. During the film's end credits, their unsolicited comments were as follows:

TEEN #1: That's the best movie I'll see this year. There's no way it won't be.
TEEN #2: That's...good God. That's...awesome. It's just...
TEEN #3: It's bad ass.
TEEN #2: It's awesome. I mean...
(As Nimoy's credit flashes on screen)
TEEN #3: Which one was Leonard Nimoy?
MERRICK: He was Old Spock.
TEEN #3: THAT was him?
MERRICK: Yep.
TEEN #3: He was cool.
MERRICK'S 15 YEAR OLD SON: Bruce Greenwood rocks. We should all join Starfleet.

At this point the hardened TREK fan expressed solemn guilt that THE WRATH OF KHAN may now be bested in his estimate.

I glanced around the theater, eavesdropping on numerous conversations of a similar nature. It was in this instant that I realized something had happened which I'd never before experienced in the franchise's long history. Abrams and his gang have accomplished what even STAR TREK's own creator could not - they've fashioned a STAR TREK for everyone. Young and old, newbie and veteran. A STAR TREK for fans of action, lovers of drama, and folks just looking to kill two hours on a hot Summer afternoon.

A STAR TREK for everyone. Considering what TREK is about, at its core, can you think of any better gift for the franchise?
Maybe it'll be cool to like STAR TREK now. Teens, perennially worried about their perception by others, are now going to school urging classmates to join the party. Perhaps, at long last, the people who call it "STAR TRACK" will finally see the light.

I agree with the Trek fan mentioned. Better than Wrath of Khan, and that's not easy for me to say.

[Bill the Butcher]

I didn't read your posts for fear of being spoiled, except for your first sentence. I'm seeing it tomorrow! Woohoo!

[Mr. MacPhisto]

I didn't read your posts for fear of being spoiled, except for your first sentence. I'm seeing it tomorrow! Woohoo!

I should have said that I didn't put any spoilers in there. I'm not going to discuss the plot other than say I liked it and that they did a good job wiping the slate clean without truly doing so.

Enjoy Bill! I can't remember the last time I was as entertained as I was with this movie. It won't win Best Picture or anything, but it captures your attention, makes you smile, and just engages you throughout. There was no temptation to look at the watch. In fact, I thought of nothing except the film as I watched.

Being able to pull this off is a remarkable achievement.

[Tymaster]

My Trek story mirrors MacPhisto!!! You must be in your early 30's like me!
My Dad and my brother-in-law used to watch Star Trek reruns on WTTE every night (followed by M*A*S*H) and about that time Star Trek: TNG began it's run. I went to theatre for every Star Trek movie. I didn't follow any series after TNG, but I did spend a lot of time reading novels and comics from the original crew. Definitely a fan, but not (and never will) go to a convention.
I'll be seeing this movie at 9:40 with my "WWKD?: What Would Kirk Do?" shirt.

[Guest]

Great, great movie!

Review coming later this weekend.

I was blown away, though...even though going in I started getting a little worried that the hype would exceed the delivery.

It didn't.

[Naxos]

I liked it.

They shook things up a little bit. It was good summer movie fun.

[Guest]

They shook things up a little bit.

Yep.

But at the same time, Abrams was still totally respectful to the core material.

Love the Kobayashi Maru reference that they put in. Nice twist though on the way they talked about it in Wrath of Khan.

And Kirk boinking a green hot chick? Laughed my ass off in that scene.

But other places? (like Uhura)...great little "tweaks" in totally unexpected places.

[Mr. MacPhisto]

My Trek story mirrors MacPhisto!!! You must be in your early 30's like me!
My Dad and my brother-in-law used to watch Star Trek reruns on WTTE every night (followed by M*A*S*H) and about that time Star Trek: TNG began it's run. I went to theatre for every Star Trek movie. I didn't follow any series after TNG, but I did spend a lot of time reading novels and comics from the original crew. Definitely a fan, but not (and never will) go to a convention.
I'll be seeing this movie at 9:40 with my "WWKD?: What Would Kirk Do?" shirt.

Hope you enjoyed.

Yep. Turn 31 in a little over a week.

Funny that when I was young it was Star Wars that I loved most, but as time went by Star Trek passed it by. I did follow DS9 a bit and have borrowed the series on DVD from a friend and am watching it straight through now. Good stuff. I think it was Voyager where Trek lost its footing a bit. It was really losing the interesting stories that killed the franchise at that point.

Picked up the Blu-Ray of The Original Series, Season 1 last week. Wow. 35mm film made it perfect for HD and the new effects work well. I had forgotten how good the originals were because they syndication times have been weird down here for so long.

But at the same time, Abrams was still totally respectful to the core material.

Love the Kobayashi Maru reference that they put in. Nice twist though on the way they talked about it in Wrath of Khan.

And Kirk boinking a green hot chick? Laughed my ass off in that scene.

But other places? (like Uhura)...great little "tweaks" in totally unexpected places.

The Kobayashi Maru bit was hilarious - and done in such a way that even non-fans who have no clue about the significance could get in on the fun.

I'm looking forward to seeing what got left on the cutting room floor. Apparently there's a whole Klingon subplot.

SPOILERS BELOW:

It seems that Nero got captured by the Klingons and spent part of the 25 year gap between the Kelvin attack and the maiden voyage of the Enterprise in prison. You do get Uhura mentioning picking up info on a prison attack. They filmed that. Nero was on Rura Pente (the asteroid that Kirk and McCoy were imprisoned on in Star Trek VI), imprisoned by the Klingons before he escaped to go wait for Spock.

I want to go out and get the comic, Star Trek: Countdown. The screenwriters wrote a story that led into the movie. The synopsis from Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_trek_countdown

The comic is set eight years after the film Star Trek Nemesis. Federation and Romulan tensions have generally subsided, with Spock the official Federation ambassador to the Romulans. Data is still alive and has become captain of the Enterprise-E after successfully imprinting his memories onto the prototype android B-4. Jean-Luc Picard is now Federation ambassador to Vulcan, Geordi La Forge has retired to develop his own ships, and Worf is a General in the Klingon Empire.

The galaxy is threatened by the Hobus star, which will become a supernova. Spock proposes that the Romulans transport the precious mineral Decalithium to Vulcan, where it can be converted into red matter capable of turning the star into a black hole, therefore ending its threat. The senate opposes Spock, but he finds a comrade in Nero, the leader of the miners. Nero witnessed Hobus consume a planet first-hand and offers to secretly transport Decalithium, noting it would be better than doing nothing and then leaving his wife and unborn son to die. Nero's ship, the Narada, is attacked by the Remans, but the Enterprise rescues them and escorts them to Vulcan with Decalithium taken from the Reman ships. On Vulcan, the council opposes Romulan use of red matter, infuriating Nero; he vows if Romulus is destroyed, he shall hold them accountable.

Nero returns to Romulus to discover Hobus has gone supernova and destroyed his home world. Driven mad by his loss, he attacks Federation Olympic class hospital ships that have arrived to give aid, believing they have come to claim his people's territory. He beams aboard surviving senators onto his ship and kills them for not listening to Spock, and then claims the Praetor's ancient trident, the Debrune Teral'n, which is the greatest symbol of Romulus. He and his crew then shave their heads and apply tattoos to signify their loss. Nero goes to the Vault, a secretive Romulan base, and has the Narada outfitted with Borg technology to begin a rampage against his enemies.

With the supernova expanding, Spock decides to deposit the red matter weapon. He takes the Jellyfish, a ship developed by La Forge that can withstand extreme environmental conditions. The Narada goes about destroying and assimilating Federation, Klingon and Cardassian ships alike, wounding Worf and damaging the Enterprise in the process. When Spock successfully destroys the supernova, the Narada appears to attack when the black hole flings it and the Jellyfish back in time, leaving Picard and the crew of the Enterprise as witnesses to Spock's sacrifice.

http://www.amazon.com/Star-Trek-Countdo ... 547&sr=8-1

[justmebd]

Saw it last night, loved it.

NOT better than WOK, though. WOK is one of the best Sci-Fi movies ever, not just best Star Trek. I could sit here for 2,000 words and break it down, but that's my opinion on the matter.

Anyway, loved all the tweaks they did, and I was surprised how they didn't try and "make everything better" in true Star Trek fashion by the end of the movie.

One minor gripe: They spent so much time trying to move you from one action set piece to the next, they barely ever paused to get "meaty" with the characters. I only counted two instances. But that's a minor gripe and by no means ruins the movie.

Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto were both fantastic and the writers did a good job of organically bringing the crew together. MacPhisto is right, Urban as McCoy is eerie in how good he is.

I also loved all the callbacks to earlier Star Trek movies, however, I missed the Tribble. I was looking for it, I knew it was going to be in the movie, but I missed it. I'll catch it the next time I see it.

[Naxos]

Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto were both fantastic and the writers did a good job of organically bringing the crew together. MacPhisto is right, Urban as McCoy is eerie in how good he is.

I also loved all the callbacks to earlier Star Trek movies, however, I missed the Tribble. I was looking for it, I knew it was going to be in the movie, but I missed it. I'll catch it the next time I see it.

I didn't see any tribbles either.

"I'll make no Bones about it" I thought Urban nailed his character the best. I could not believe how good he was. All of them did very nice jobs but MacPhisto is right, eerie.

[Mr. MacPhisto]

"I'll make no Bones about it" I thought Urban nailed his character the best. I could not believe how good he was. All of them did very nice jobs but MacPhisto is right, eerie.

Urban was the guy I was the most concerned about before reports started leaking about his performance. I liked him as Eomer in Lord of the Rings, but the look and feel of that character is so very different. Much of it had to do with not being familiar with Urban outside of Lord of the Rings.

Also important to note is that the writers really understand the voices of the original characters. It's important not to put the wrong words into the mouth of an actor. It really is a team effort between writer, actor, and director.

And it really does all come down to Abrams. He chose the writers. He selected the casting director and had final say on major casting. I had some doubt, though I had only seen one of Abrams' films before (MI:3). I thought MI:3 was entertaining, though I'm sure Abrams' hands were a bit tied in working with Cruise. Never was interested in seeing Cloverfield and still am not.

[davemanddd]

And Kirk boinking a green hot chick?

to boldly go where no man has gone before!!!

[Bill the Butcher]

I see it in 4 hours...

Me so excited.

[Tymaster]

GREAT MOVIE! Now, this whole "best Trek movie ever" thing is taking it a bit far. The Wrath of Khan is not only the best Trek film, but it transcends Star Trek is just plain one of the best movies ever. From the "Moby Dick" themes to the allusions of a classic Naval Battle, it is just a great movie period. At any rate:
The kid who played Kirk did great. The Shat should be proud.
Spock was awesome, very Spocklike.
Uhura. Hotter than Nichelle Nichols ever was, and probably had more lines in this movie than she did in the entire 6 the original crew did.
Chekov: again, not familiar with the actor, but he was ten times the Checkov that Keonig ever was.
Sulu: Had trouble thinking I could take anyone from Harold and Kumar serious, but see above. He was a better Sulu than Takei.
Scotty: Again, taking the guy from "Hot Fuzz" seriously seemed a tall order, but he was awesome! Under used if anything. He and McCoy brought some levity to the movie. He was a great Scotty.
McCoy!? Was that a young DeForest Kelley that they managed to get in the whole time travel thing? He was spot on perfect.
Nimoy: sort of Ben Obi Wan Kenomi like. Nice cameo.
Eric Bana: killer villian.
Solid plot.
Wonderful effects.
Amazing job of acting.
Nice script.
Direction was good.
No real complaints.
If I had to nitpick, I'd throw out a couple of things (very minute things btw) Where was Nurse Chapel?? And where was one iota of Roddenberry's theme of "discovery."
For those of us that grew up with the show and the movies, there were some nice nods to the old school. The Kobayashi Maru bit was cool. I thought the Romulan Ship was reminiscent of "V-Ger," and they alluded to Star Trek IV in a way. Also, if you paid attention, there was a TRIBBLE in the film!

[Mr. MacPhisto]

If I had to nitpick, I'd throw out a couple of things (very minute things btw) Where was Nurse Chapel?? And where was one iota of Roddenberry's theme of "discovery."

We didn't see Nurse Chapel, but I'm pretty sure I heard Bones mention Nurse Chapel in the Sickbay once.

[Naxos]

I was thinking about going to see it again.

However it was such a big hassel for us to get a night out on our own (baby sitter, ect) thats not going to happen.

I do not own any of the Star Trek movies but I will get this one on Blue-Ray when it is out.

[Bill the Butcher]

Here are my thoughts on the viewing of my first Star Trek...

1) awesome.
2) Awesome.
and
3) Awesome!

No complaints here (how could I when I've never seen the originals to compare?). Regardless, anything J.J. Abrams touches turns to gold, I'm convinced. Cho and Pegg (along with Abrams) did a good job of helping us forget who we mostly remember them by. Everybody else did an awesome job. Even though I am not familiar of the originals, I did catch the famous phrases such as "God dammit, I'm a doctor! Not a physicist!" and "I'm giving it all she's got!" (at least those lines sound familiar to me).

I'm my way home the first thing I said was, "I cannot wait for this movie on Blu-ray." and then proceeded to fantasize about joining Star Fleet.

Great flick.

[Bill the Butcher]

Actually, I do have one gripe.

Why in the hell was Tyler Perry in this movie? Doesn't get enough attention on TBS?

Apparently, he was requested by Abrams? Uhhh, wtf.

[Mr. MacPhisto]

Star Trek is at 96% on Rotten Tomatoes.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/star_trek_11/

It has an 8.6 on IMDB, good for the #82 movie of all time.

And an A rating from Yahoo users with about 7000 voting.

It seems that most people like the movie. I think it'll have very good legs, maybe even as good as Iron Man last year. I think it compares well to Iron Man.

I'm sure Paramount is grinning from ear to ear. Star Trek and Transformers 2 this summer mean that they should make a killing. Paramount had avoided making really big budget features for years, then they dove in with Transformers and Star Trek. Seems to have paid off for them.

[jordan kramer]

i had nothing to do tonight so i took my girl to see Trek. after all these good reviews i had to see it for myself. to my surprise, it was actually very good. Nimoy was way more than just a cameo though, he had a ton of camera time and was Spock still. Harold and Shaun, i mean Sulu and Scottie were good. IMO it wasn't as good as Watchmen, but it'll probably be one of the better movies i'll see this year

[swerb]

Finally got a chance to see this tonight. Very well done.

[Cerebral_DownTime]

Swerb, you need to watch The Proposition and This Is England.

[motherscratcher]

Swerb, you need to watch The Proposition and This Is England.

CDT - It's 11:00 on a Saturday night. Why aren't you drunk yet?

[Cerebral_DownTime]

Swerb, you need to watch The Proposition and This Is England.

CDT - It's 11:00 on a Saturday night. Why aren't you drunk yet?

I've been drinking, i'm buzzed but not close to drunk.

8 beers

4 tumblers of Turkey with ice

[motherscratcher]

Swerb, you need to watch The Proposition and This Is England.

CDT - It's 11:00 on a Saturday night. Why aren't you drunk yet?

I've been drinking, i'm buzzed but not close to drunk.

8 beers

4 tumblers of Turkey with ice

Christ

I'd be useless until Tuesday if I drank all that.

Well, I'll be useless no matter what; but you know what I mean.

BTW - I'm in the bag with some wine and Lake Erie Monster. I don't think I'm too bad though, as it appears my grammar and speling are OK.

[Cerebral_DownTime]

Well i've been drinking since about 5pm so it's been spread out. I'm not much of a binge drinker anymore. Plus a guy my size takes alot to get hammered.

And kudos for the spelling and grammar, my drunken rambling posts are the polar opposite.