Hype User Reviews: Star Trek XI

[rogue trooper]

Someone just tell me; is it better than any of the Star Wars prequels overall?

 

[roach]

Someone just tell me; is it better than any of the Star Wars prequels overall?

I think so and I liked all the prequels

 

[rogue trooper]

Thanks. I'll see it today for sure.

 

[roach]

you wont regret it

 

[TheVileOne]

Star Wars prequels are trash. This was actually good.

 

[GhostPoet]

Maybe someday when they reboot the prequels

I really enjoyed the kobiashi(sp) test and showing that sequence it was really ode to the Star Trek movies it was nice to see that.

That scene had the crowd laughing. I thought it was hilarious the way Kirk wasn't worried at all and everyone around him is like "uh...captain...?"

haha

 

[Holiday]

Like most it seems, I've never been a Star Trek fan but was intrigued by this movie so decided to check it out. Totally glad I did because I had an awesome time watching it. The special effects were superb here. Action scenes were great, had me literally on the edge of my seat. I thought the whole cast was fantastic and the cameos were fun too. Definitely looking froward to more from this franchise.

 

[GhostPoet]

I'm strongly looking forward to a tv series that takes place in this time line. I keep reading how everyone wants one done...maybe not the enterprise, but something.

 

[roach]

anyone catch the nod to Enterprise?

 

[TheComicbookKid]

anyone catch the nod to Enterprise?

Admiral Archer's dog.

 

[Paradoxium]

I don't understand... the praise this film is getting.

Look I am not a Trekkie fanboy - meaning I haven't seen every movie or episode, save for the recommended ones like "Wrath of Khan" and the "City on the Edge of Forever", but I found this movie a nicely dressed up but stupid movie. How the hell are you guys saying this is the best film since TDK?

Spoiler

- Nero was pretty much a one dimensional trailer park villain. I don't have a problem with one dimensional villains - as long as they have some kind of personality. Or help drive the plot in an organic way, like the Joker. The whole I want revenge for my wife, is just an illusion of depth...

- The quick promotion of Kirk who was not even suppose to be on board, and on academic suspension was stupid.

- The science behind the red matter black hole plot device was stupid, especially how it conveniently places Nero and Spock in terms of Time lines...

- Landing on a big barren planet and accidentally finding Spock was really stupid.

- The most important decision makers on the crew all get sent on the most dangerous mission (with little backup) was stupid. More importantly, IIRC, the Vulcans don't learn of the Romulan heritage thing this early on right?

- Spock-Prime risking the entire population and the whole of the Federation to force cultivate the Bromance between Kirk-2 and Spock-2 takes the cake of Kingdom Come stupid...

I don't think Abrams is a bad director, and the film is entertaining, in a Michael Bay'ish way (albeit, Bay directs better action). But I don't understand how this is getting the RT score it is getting, and the praise of how it is the best film since TDK.

 

[Paradoxium]

Look I am not trying to insult people who liked the film, as I said, it was entertaining for what it is worth. But the hyperbole of the film has me confused. I think the script was bad, but Abrams managed to tweak the actual direction into something redeemable.

To me, good stories has to have a balance of plot and characterization. This film tries go all emotion, nostalgia and characterization with the protagonists but fails with plot. It kind of reminds me of Superman Returns but with some action.

 

[Christmas]

The opening 10 minutes or so....Phenomenal. Truly great pop-filmmaking. The score was fantastic. It was done so well.

I really enjoyed the rest of the movie and had a hell of a fun time.

Bottom line, this movie had an amazing amount of humanity I wasn't expecting at all and it connected. Big Time. It was rich in character development and the world I was seeing on screen felt real and dangerous and tangible. Cgi was always in line too.

I loved the huge panoramic vista's as well. Beautiful stuff. Gonna see this again, at least once more, at least.

 

[C. Lee]

I don't understand... the praise this film is getting.

Look I am not a Trekkie fanboy - meaning I haven't seen every movie or episode, save for the recommended ones like "Wrath of Khan" and the "City on the Edge of Forever", but I found this movie a nicely dressed up but stupid movie. How the hell are you guys saying this is the best film since TDK?

Most of the praise being given to this movie are from NON Trekkies or actual previous Trek haters...so being a Trek Fanboy has nothing to do with liking it.

They are not saying it is better than TDK...but the best film since it. I don't see that as a put down of TDK.

Spoiler

- Nero was pretty much a one dimensional trailer park villain. I don't have a problem with one dimensional villains - as long as they have some kind of personality. Or help drive the plot in an organic way, like the Joker. The whole I want revenge for my wife, is just an illusion of depth...

- The quick promotion of Kirk who was not even suppose to be on board, and on academic suspension was stupid.

- The science behind the red matter black hole plot device was stupid, especially how it conveniently places Nero and Spock in terms of Time lines...

- Landing on a big barren planet and accidentally finding Spock was really stupid.

- The most important decision makers on the crew all get sent on the most dangerous mission (with little backup) was stupid. More importantly, IIRC, the Vulcans don't learn of the Romulan heritage thing this early on right?

- Spock-Prime risking the entire population and the whole of the Federation to force cultivate the Bromance between Kirk-2 and Spock-2 takes the cake of Kingdom Come stupid...

Spoiler

I see nothing wrong with a revenge plot.

Being on acedemic suspension and kicked out are two different things. He was suspened until a review was completed....before it was completed, he was whisked away on a mission and managed to SAVE THE PLANET EARTH FROM COMPLETE AND TOTAL DESTRUCTION....that kind of makes up for "taking initiative" to change the computer simulations perameters.

I thought that was rather simple and straight forward....they entered the black hole at different times, so they arrived at different times.

That was standard Trek plot 17A....coincidences put characters together at opportune times....a great homage to the series.

Again...Star Trek the original series was all about kirk and Spock jumping into danger together. And as too learning about the Romulans heritage....time was changed 25 years back....we don't know what all was changed because of it.

So, uh....you would have preferre for Spock Prime to just sit in the ice cave with Kirk 2 and carve chess pieces out of ice and play games for the next 40 years instead of have him try and save billions of people?

I don't think Abrams is a bad director, and the film is entertaining, in a Michael Bay'ish way (albeit, Bay directs better action). But I don't understand how this is getting the RT score it is getting, and the praise of how it is the best film since TDK.

Because maybe they feel like this is the best film since TDK.

 

[Sam Fisher]

Maybe someday when they reboot the prequels

I really enjoyed the kobiashi(sp) test and showing that sequence it was really ode to the Star Trek movies it was nice to see that.

With Lucas around, we'll get prequels to the prequels.

 

[Paradoxium]

Most of the praise being given to this movie are from NON Trekkies or actual previous Trek haters...so being a Trek Fanboy has nothing to do with liking it.

They are not saying it is better than TDK...but the best film since it. I don't see that as a put down of TDK.

Spoiler

I see nothing wrong with a revenge plot.

Being on acedemic suspension and kicked out are two different things. He was suspened until a review was completed....before it was completed, he was whisked away on a mission and managed to SAVE THE PLANET EARTH FROM COMPLETE AND TOTAL DESTRUCTION....that kind of makes up for "taking initiative" to change the computer simulations perameters.

I thought that was rather simple and straight forward....they entered the black hole at different times, so they arrived at different times.

That was standard Trek plot 17A....coincidences put characters together at opportune times....a great homage to the series.

Again...Star Trek the original series was all about kirk and Spock jumping into danger together. And as too learning about the Romulans heritage....time was changed 25 years back....we don't know what all was changed because of it.

So, uh....you would have preferre for Spock Prime to just sit in the ice cave with Kirk 2 and carve chess pieces out of ice and play games for the next 40 years instead of have him try and save billions of people?

Because maybe they feel like this is the best film since TDK.

I know, I did say "since TDK" twice. And I obviously know "that's how they feel" because I did cited this case. I don't understand why and thus present my problems with the movie. The only thing I can grasp on to is maybe the new designs and action. On another level I think people like it, because they are primed to think they ought to like it.

My main point is, they orchestrated stupid plot conveniences to suit a particular character and or emotional "moment". This is lazy and stupid. Good writings call for something more organic.

As for you spoiler

Spoiler

Of course it seems coherent after the fact. It is logically problematic for the prior. It remains stupid promoting a inexperienced cadet to First Officer, when there are tons of experienced people on board. I am not asking uber realistic, but some kind of verisimilitude would be nice. It's not like it is a necessity to make Kirk a captain (maybe an adviser or up a rank or two). Subsequent movies could be about why he earned this role; giving them more material to work with. Hell they didn't make Gordon Commissioner in Batman Begins. They were rushing it to status quo.

I've also said nothing about preferring Spock-Prime and Kirk 2 dilly dallying in the Ice Cave (I presume an allusion to the Onion video). I am saying they should not even be there at all, because the odds of them meeting each other by accident in a big barren ice desert planet is slim to none.

One of the purpose of reboots is to correct old illogical contrivances, like Kirk and Spock (aka most important decision makers for a huge crew) jumping in like cowboys on their own.

What TDK gets at least on some level, is cause and consequences done in an organic way. Joker was thrown in as a wild card to make things very interesting. This Trek movie was a slew of convenient plot devices to suit emotional character moments.

 

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

Look I am not trying to insult people who liked the film, as I said, it was entertaining for what it is worth. But the hyperbole of the film has me confused. I think the script was bad, but Abrams managed to tweak the actual direction into something redeemable.

To me, good stories has to have a balance of plot and characterization. This film tries go all emotion, nostalgia and characterization with the protagonists but fails with plot. It kind of reminds me of Superman Returns but with some action.

I agree, the movie had a very rushed feeling like it didn't wasnt to concentrate on anything. Hopefully the future sequel without the need for obligatory ground foundations taking up screentime, we can get a better, tighter story with more meaningful characters.

 

[El_Citrus]

Okay, after seeing this movie last night, I'm ready to review as much as I can remember from such an amazing film. I've been a HUGE Trek fan all of my life (I can look at an episode of TNG for five seconds at any point and most likely give you the plot. Still working on DS9) and so when I first heard of this film two years ago, I was more than skeptical. As you'll see from my probably overly long review, my stance has changed considerably upon seeing the movie. Spoilers are abound, so read at your own risk. Forgive me if I jump around a lot.

Spoiler

I'm not really sure where to begin, so I'll start with the plot of the story. Basic time travel, alternate reality, revenge story. I don't have too many complaints about it since it was terrific science fiction action mixed with great characterization and dialogue. This film could easily have been fleshed out to two and a half hours in order to provide immense depth to the characters and give the action a bit more time. There were points where the transition from scene to scene felt a little sloppy and I wasn't a fan of the "IOWA" "VULCAN" "IOWA" on the screen, but it's hardly a major issue. The initial scene with the Kelvin and Kirk's birth was simply fantastic and emotional. I really felt sorry for George Kirk, but it also gives Jim some big shoes to fill and surpass. That alternating scenes on Earth and Vulcan served their purpose of showing what drives and motivates Spock and Kirk.

I can't help but wonder about the Vulcan "bullies". Their actions seemed highly illogical for Vulcans. It would be logical to them to view Spock as an outsider, but the need to insult and disgust at Spock's human half is just as much of an emotional response. Granted, they haven't matured as Vulcans yet, but I would have liked to have seen a slightly different take on Vulcan bullies. I would have liked to have seen a bit more opposition from Sarek about Spock entering Starfleet, but the Vulcan scenes got their point across very well none the less.

Young Kirk did a passable job conveying the defiant nature we all know, but did he have to wreck the Vette? Anyway, the bar scene was absolutely splendid in showing a young, cocky Kirk with a lot growing to do. He seemed almost too cocky on the Kobayashi Maru, but then again, Shatner's Kirk was more toned down than what they've done here, and I really love this new Kirk.

I would have liked a brief bit of dialogue about Uhura and Spock's relationship, but I was not disappointed by the fact that they are together, even making for a great bit of comedy on the transporter pad. I think this potential triangle will be great to explore in the sequel(s), or even just the relationship between Spock and Uhura. I wanted so much more but understand they couldn't dwell on subplots like that for too long.

People will complain about Delta Vega and how convenient it was Kirk found Spock and Scotty there and its proximity to Vulcan, but it's not so far fetched that it made me cringe. If they had explained Delta Vega as a moon of Vulcan, I don't think anyone would nitpick and complain except intolerant Trekkies who will claim the end is near at the smallest of details being off.

As for Kirk's rise to Captain, I felt it was a bit forced and rushed compared to the original timeline, but it still works in the movie due to the fact that he saved Earth, helped stop Nero, and displayed all of the characteristics of a Captain that Starfleet would need, especially after losing what, seven or eight ships in the span of a couple days. Starfleet is still developing at this time, and with that many losses, they almost had no choice but to make Kirk Captain. It works and I love it.

The action scenes were spectacular, absolutely fabulous. The new Enterprise was amazingly designed. Elegant yet classic, although I tend to agree with most that Engineering could use a bit of a refit to make it less industrial and make the controls a little more collected rather than almost random stations throughout the deck. I do like that the Warp Core was ejected in segments, as it was different and a bit reasonable. The new bridge was incredible and sleek, with some room for improvements here and there if they wish, but not a single complaint from me. I'm HIGHLY intrigued into seeing more of these new Starfleet ships, as there were some new designs seen at Spacedock that I want to analyze in detail so badly. The technology was great, especially the phaser flipping from stun to kill; a bit hokey, but great in action, as was the rest of the technology, I can't praise the sets and props enough. Abrams has created a great new design to the universe to explore.

I've said before though that I wasn't a fan of the Narada design, both inside and out, but I'm so used to the symmetrical designs of Trek ships that this through me for a loop. Upon my eventual second viewing, I'm sure I'll see it more of a Kraken-like vessel than just a Borg-ified mining ship.

Okay, onto some character analysis.

Kirk- I said it above, but I want to reitterate (sp?) that Chris Pine, Abrams, and company nailed the character of Kirk, and not Shatner. Having to go from cocky kid to confident leader, it was amazing to watch. It's different to see Kirk as a fresh out of the Academy young man, and I absolutely love the potential Pine has with this character.

Spock- Again, the performance of Quinto was different from his predecessor, Nimoy, but it works as a younger Spock on so many levels. His realization that he can't control himself is great as he deals with his human half. Losing his mother was a shock to me and added further depth to his character, although it almost felt forced to me and a tad rushed, but that's more due to the pace of the movie. I can't wait to watch Quinto evolve Spock in the sequel. As for Nimoy, he was a lot less Spock-ish, but that's not a complaint. He was definitely more human in this movie, but still in control of himself and it works as it creates a polar opposite almost of Quinto's Spock, who is still young, cold, calculating, yet still learning to fully control himself. The two of them meeting at the end simply piled onto the geekgasm I had during the movie.

Nero- He was more of a plot device than a villain. If they could have worked in more of his past and why he's doing what he's doing during the movie instead of the comics, it woudl have amde his character much more tragic. Bana does a great job portraying the raged insanity of Nero with a venomous hatred for Spock in both timelines. In the end, he was nowhere near the three best villains of the Trek movies, Kahn, Chang, and the Borg/Queen. Hopefully, the sequels allow for a villain to truly develop against the Enterprise and Federation.

McCoy- Seriously, what more can be said in praise of Urban's performance? DeForest would surely be proud and flattered by this performance, as Urban nails the skeptical, bitingly sarcastic doctor absolutely perfectly. I love how they explained "Bones" and his friendship with Kirk. I wanted so much more screentime from him. "Green-blooded hobgoblin..."

Uhura- Nichols made history with the character during the originial series and defined the character as a woman who doesn't back down from anyone, but Zoe refined that character in this movie. She has tons of depth in this movie and makes her mark as a cornerstone of the bridge crew, both in her usefulness and with her relationship to the crew.

Scotty- I want to see so much more of Pegg's Scotty in the sequel, because he was pure gold in this movie. The comic relief of the movie as he's always been while still being a genius, Pegg is absolutely perfect for Scotty. "I just beamed three people from two different locations onto the same pad! I've never done that before!"

Sulu- Cho is great as a nervous Sulu getting to pilot the flagship of Starfleet and shows off the piloting and fighting skills that Takai exuded and portrayed during the films and series. I wouldn't mind seeing Sulu get a chance to command the Enterprise, even for just a few minutes, in a sequel and show off just a sample of command skills that would bring him to his own command almost, what, twenty to thirty years later.

Checkov- They even made the Soviet Beatle seem cool! The accent was great and Yelchin provided a great whiz-kid vibe, and is much less annoying than Wesley.

Pike- A great performance from Greenwood in giving Pike a father/mentor role to Kirk. It's no surprise he's advanced to admiral by the end of the movie, again, due to the significant fleet losses, and I hope they give him a small role/cameo in the sequel. A great part of the movie overall, especially during the torture scene.

I have to mention the score. The new theme was truly inspiring, and while not as memorable, to me, as TDK's, it was still a fantastic touch to the movie, especially with the shots of the Enterprise. I'll most likely pick up the soundtrack.

Last year, I thought my life was complete upon seeing TDK, and I wasn't even a huge Batman fan, that's how good the viral marketing and the movie itself was. This movie, however, appealed to me so much more due to being a Trekkie. Abrams and Paramount have created a new, refreshing, action packed Star Trek universe. Yes, it was rushed and the plot was very convenient in areas, I agree Kirk became Captain far too quickly, but it still makes a bit of sense in the overall picture and doesn't detract from how amazingly fun and great I thought this movie was. The parents have their Trek, and now we have ours, and the parents are along for the ride. This movie is by far my favorite Star Trek movie of all time, and one that I'll surely wear out watching on dvd. Just a fun ride for everyone, and even more enjoyable as a Trekkie. Go. See. This. Movie.

10/10

 

[roach]

On another level I think people like it, because they are primed to think they ought to like it.

or maybe you didnt like it because you are primed to think you shouldnt like it

 

[The Guard]

The intro was certainly exciting. That is the kind of danger a Star Trek movie should have. People terrified, dying, being sucked out into space, etc. That aura of very real danger was never repeated during the rest of the film, and I felt that to be a bit of a letdown. What exactly was the point of Nero killing the Kevin's captain unprovoked ("It was symbolism! He was mad!")? It's a bit hard to swallow Kirk being born right then and there, or that they wouldn't know Kirk was a boy that far into the future. Still, this was an emotional opening sequence, and played very well by the actor playing George Kirk.

I love the title sequence. Shades of Tim Burton's BATMAN, with a sort of timeless, Atomic era Sci Fi feel to it.

I thought the scene with Kid Kirk stealing a car was cheesy and absolutely pointless. The bit where he leaps from the car (which is a classic now, what would it be that far into the future), which he destroys for no good reason, and almost-but-not-quite-goes over the cliff was simply absurd and derivative of so many other movies. We get it. He's a rebel. Always has been. I think the movie missed a golden opportunity to show us how much Kirk needed his father, and the effect his absense has on him, as well as his mother again. It could have happened right after this scene. Then there would at least have been a reason for the scene to exist.

An interesting introduction to Spock, with the "Vulcan bullying". It does, at least, set up a nice paralell for later in the film, although the scene ends with a really cliched "find your own path" speech from his father.

The bar sequence is mostly handled well, with the obligatory pun-inspired barfight, which started off pretty poorly, but became a good scene by the time Kirk was getting his butt handed to him. Pike's introduction was well done, and although his speech to Kirk felt a bit staged, the actor pulled it off well. In a series about hope and optimism, I sort of wish Kirk wasn't a straight genius, just an ambitious, driven young man. I did like Kirk simply tossing his motorcycle keys to the dockworker and boarding the transport, meeting Bones, etc. I wanted to see Starfleet Academy. Even a montage would have been nice. Something to show that Kirk didn't just hop aboard a transport shuttle as a fully trained Starfleet officer.

I really liked Spock's scene where he declines admittance to the Science Academy, with the bit about his "disadvantage" and his controlled emotions.

Kirk seducing a green woman? Ok. I rolled my eyes a bit when we discover that the green woman's roommate happens to be Uhura, and that JJ Abrams apparently wants to show off her body right up the point he doesn't. Bah. I guess it was supposed to be tasteful.

The Kobayashi Maru test sequence is hilarious, with the other cadets taking it less than seriously, and Pine channeling William Shatner probably more than he does anywhere else in the film, at the same time presenting a relaxed, carefree demeanor that Shatner never quite had.

The hearing scene fell somewhat flat for me, although the bickering between Kirk and Spock was nice to see. I'm gonna get on my soapbox for a moment, and I think everyone knows why. Perhaps it's because I was forced to watch like three trailers for his incredibly subpar comedy show MEET THE BROWNS befor the movie, but Tyler Perry showing up almost singlehandedly ruined the movie at this point for me. If he's a massive Star Trek fan or something, hey...great. Make him a Romulan, or put him in other alien makeup. You don't simply put Tyler Perry onscreen and expect people to take those moments seriously. Not because he wasn't serious, but because it was clearly a piece of stunt casting. Ditto with Winona Ryder. The first time Spock's mother showed up, I thought "Wow, they picked an actress who sounds a lot like Winona Ryder". The second time, I wished they'd not cast her at all. Incredibly distracting performance, and incredibly wrong for the role.

When the cadets are being assigned, is it just me, or was it hinted that Uhura gave Spock oral favors? I think it kind of was. "oral sensitivity" is too convenient a phrase for them to use otherwise. This scene was definitely some sort of play on the usual "sex for grades" concept. "Logic for grades", perhaps?

McCoy sneaking Kirk onto the Enterprise with a series of symptoms was hilarious. I think some of the tension of Kirk's realization of the danger they were all in was lost when he was still struggling with symptoms through it all, although it was certainly funny.

Loved seeing young Sulu not knowing quite what to do in his first day on the job, and Spock correcting him. The suddeness with which the Enterprise goes into and comes out of warp and into the midst of pitched battle is jarring, but that was a phenomenal sequence.

I could have done without the space jump sequence. It strains the limits of credibility to ask us to believe that the Starfleet cadets, many of which clearly already have defined job duties, have been trained in that sort of thing. I think I would have much preferred Pike to take several infantry cadets with him onto Nero's ship, and to have to have some of them have to be beamed back when all hell broke loose. It also made me wonder why the hell they don't have jetpacks instead of parachutes. I do have to admit, though, I LOVED the bit about the Red Shirt cadet with the "death wish". A hilarious nod to their use in the original series. I don't particularly understand why the Romulans had to get to the core of Vulcan to detonate their black hole device. Why couldn't they just have created a black hole, period, as Spock did a hundred some years later? The actual destruction of Vulcan is sort of glossed over, aside from the crumbling temple area. The effect of an entire planet's destruction is never felt enough. And Winona Ryder just happening to fall off the cliff which just happens to crumble enough that she perishes? A bit much, though the idea of Spock losing his mother provided a powerful emotional tool.

Back on the Enterprise, Uhura trying to find out what Spock needs and Spock burying his feelings under Vulcan logic was well handled.

I thought the scene where Nero interrogates Pike was alternatively cheesy as hell when he was monologuing, and then incredibly well done, with Pike repeating his officer status and refusing to give in.

Kirk and Spock's conflict is handled quite well. It's fairly convenient that Kirk is jettisoned onto the planet that Spock Prime happens to be on. It's also fairly convenient that he is not even scratched by those monsters (Ripping off STAR WARS, guys? Come on). Spock's tale is revealed rather abruptly, and that's an awful lot of convenient exposition for the pivotal event of the film, and perhaps this franchise. However, his interaction with Kirk is heartfelt, and the method under which Spock helps Kirk become Captain is pretty clever. I did enjoy meeting Scotty. I do wish Spock had fought Kirk with less emotion at first, and then more and more as the fight continued.

I also wish Spock and Kirk had beamed aboard the Narada with some other redshirts, to show the cost of doing battle in space, versus just two of them sneaking aboard. The stakes would have felt a bit higher. The action aboard the Narada is decent, albeit a little cliche. If I never see another "Oh no, I'm about to fall off a bridge or a catwalk scene but the villain doesn't quite finish me off", it will be too soon. Kirk and Pike's reunion is well done, as is Spock's use of his ship to aid in destroyng the Narada.

When Kirk is back aboard the Enterprise, I really liked him offering Nero mercy and his logical reasons for doing so, and I equally loved his immediate reaction when Nero dramatically declines. There was a bit of a lack of tension to the Enterprise being caught in the pull of the black hole, and I really wish Scotty had uttered something along the lines of "I don't have the power", but it is pretty dramatic when the Enterprise escapes the imploding black hole via the explosion of their core.

Back on Earth, the stuff with Two Spocks...the paralells drawn between them, and their respective fates in such a casual moment...fantastic. I half expected to see Kirk Prime standing with Spock Prime on the overlook there, though I don't know why.

And then, lo and behold, Tyler Perry almost ruins the movie again. I don't know that Kirk should have been made Captain this early in the game, although it's certainly a touching moment between him and Pike. I guess in the future, there's no such thing as qualifications, though, you just get to be Captain if you do something brave and if enough people like you. It's nice to see Spock ask to be his First Officer, and the classic Trek moment is really the only way the movie could have ended. And it ended well.

As the movie ended, for some reason, I was struck by Spock saying "Where no one has gone before". More than almost anything else, that spoke to the new version of Trek. It's ironic, however, that the female character is one of the least interesting in the film. Love the main theme during the credits. Sort of a SUPERMAN RETURNS credit sequence feel.

The cast inhabited their characters, while making them their own. There are a few scattered moments, scant words and sentences, where Chris Pine channels William Shatner. But for the most part, he's nothing like the Captain Kirk we've always known, he's younger, smarter, funnier, and that's not a bad thing. Elements of this movie sometimes feel almost parodic, as if they're poking fun at the conventions of Star Trek, and I do believe they often were. There were definitely some not so subtle critiques of the original characters.

Chris Pine's Kirk is appropriately brash, confident and bumblingly heroic, while maintaining the inherent humor that makes the character and concept so good to begin with. However, while they definitely got him right, Kirk as a character sort of just IS, and he IS when we open the movie. He never goes anywhere or surprises us as a character. He feels less like a humanized character than a force of nature at best, or at worst, an occassional parody of himself from the show and movies.

Zachy Quinto's Spock quietly and expertly steals this movie. It is the performance he doesn't give that truly makes this character special. He is so reserved, and yet channeling so much emotion.

Karl Urban's McCoy was fantastic. There's really nothing more than needs to be said. I think he displayed a range many people were unaware he had. I would have liked him and Kirk and Spock to bond a little more, but I'm sure we'll see that soon enough.

Anton Yelchin's Chekov was a silly accent and a weird confidence, and almost nothing else, and I loved that as a critique and reimagining of the original character, though I hope he becomes more in future films.

Simon Pegg's Scott was humorous, and filled his smaller role well enough.

Unfortunately, I felt that Zoe Saldana's Uhura was wasted. Hey, she's hot and she kisses people. Oh, and she's good at intercepting plot devices and has a weird name. Yeah. That's gold.

The portrayal of Captain Pike was a nice surprise, and I thought Bruce Greenwood did an admirable job. I hope to see more of this character in sequels.

I thought Eric Bana's Nero was a terrible villain. Horribly thin motivations, hardly believeable as a character, and occassionally overacted by Bana. But when you have so little to work with, there's not much you can do with it, I suppose.

While it was great to see Nimoy reprise his role, Spock Prime was sort of hit or miss for me. Nimoy often sounded like he was reading lines. There were some that fell flat, and several that were instantly charming.

Overall, the Trek characters are well acted and portrayed properly, but with the exception of Spock, character development is almost nonexistent. I think anyone that believes this movie to be rich in this area needs to rethink exactly what's presented. Especially with the main character, Kirk, who never goes anywhere developmentwise besides magically becoming Captain at the end of the movie. He's never concerned about his lot in life, he has no real inner conflict to speak of, he simply IS Kirk, which I think does a disservice to the whole "Enlist in Starfleet to change your life" thing. What, was he bored? Oh, he wants to follow in his father's footsteps? Were there scenes I missed where he laments not growing up with his father, wishing he knew him, etc? In a movie as unsubtle as this one occassionally was, that's some exposition it could have used. Instead, the movie relies on what we already know about the characters to flesh them out. Luckily, Spock is given something resembling character development, and that's nice to see.

The basics of the movie's story are solid if simplistic, but in classic Star Trek fashion, the story is all over the place, and the story itself relies on too many absurd conveniences for the dramatic elements. Characters happen to run across each other in weird locations. Capable people just happen to die or fail miserably at their jobs, paving the way for all the classic Trek characters to become officers, instead of those characters stepping up and proving themselves, period. Stuff like this makes this feel less like an organic world, and more like a planned, structured cinematic movie. And I understand that this kind of thing is a staple of Trek mythology, but it's also one of the things that has kept Trek mythology, in my opinion, from achieving greatness in its stories and concepts.

The dialogue is mostly fantastic, with a few really cliched misses, like Spock's father's ridiculous "Find your own path" bit and some of Spock's speeches. Most of the puns were woven into the regular dialogue, and felt very real.

The cinematography was usually very good, but I do think that Abrams rushed the first shots of the Enterprise in space. I'm not asking for STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE slowness here, but that quick pan over the hull just didn't quite do it justice. Overall, this is a well edited, beautiful movie, but it is also often very artificial looking due to the effects. The effects are mostly incredible, but there were times I feel that even the NEXT GENERATION era effects got the elements looking more realistic at times. The Enterprise itself often looked very "hyper real" in the backdrop of space, with a strange sheen to it. Didn't affect the movie's quality, it was just noticeable.

Pacingwise, the film moves at a brisk clip, and this both helps and hinders it. For the most part, to the writers and Abrams credit, when the movie needs to slow down for character moments and exposition, it does. But while the third act doesn't suffer for it, the final events of the film are noticeably rushed through, and several sequences simply have too much going on too quickly for things to have much emotional or dramatic weight.

The action is fun, but feels a bit staged. It'd be nice to be able to see things a bit more clearly, and some of the action feels gratuitous and obligatory. You could barely see what was happening in some of the fight scenes and the phaser battle. Yes, you could see it well enough to make out what's going on, but you could barely see it.

Set design was great. The Enterprise looked much more advanced and interactive while maintaining it's pseudo-retro feel, and everything, including Starfleet's facilities, had a sort of lived-in futuristic retro feel. The short skirts were a nice touch and nod to the series. And then they had those cheesy looking "under armour" shirts, which I grew to love.

The music, with it's marches and its pulse pounding score was phenomenal, but there were several sequences I felt called for a more subdued, less bombastic score, where the music was just blaring for no apparent reason. The composer is ambitious and talented, but I don't know that he had quite
enough restraint at times.

As for whether this is STAR TREK or not, I think the answer is obviously yes. This movie honors the mythology, even it's sillier elements, but didn't seek to reinvent it on any real level. There are obvious and welcome homages to the previous films, which make sense. Stuff like "I have been, and will always be...your friend", classic lines like "Damn it, Jim", etc. Much was made over potential continuity issues, but the continuity is really only given a nod in this movie, and they went out of their way to explain why things are different. It's an interesting approach, but I don't think the bit about "Did I know my father?" was neccessary, especially since the movie never DEALS with Kirk wishing he'd known his father. This element, this "see, it's sort of like the world you knew, except different, felt very forced, like they were pleading for die hard Trekkies to get onboard.

STAR TREK is a success, to be sure, but not a triumph.

The main issue I have with this movie is that it broke the first tenet of Star Trek: It didn't really boldly go where no movie had gone before. It relied on what Trek fans and even casual fans already know. And it made sure people knew it. There's very little that's really new here. As such, this movie isn't brilliant. It isn't even particularly intelligent. But it is honest. And it is a hell of a ride. Easily of the better TREK movies. Probably up there with WRATH OF KHAN, and more fun than any of them.

It's a hell of a lot of fun. It has a lot of admirable qualities. There's an easy, genuine honesty to this movie that is very refreshing. In the end, though, it doesn't quite make the cut as a great film due to some script flaws and some background elements that could and should have been fleshed out a bit more.

8.5/10.

Wasn't there supposed to be a Tribble in this movie?

 

[Kud-Dukan]

Just got back from seeing it, and if I hadn't had other things to do, I would have hopped back in line to see it again.

 

[M.O.Steel]

5/5--i had absolutely zero knowledge of this universe. I have never seen a single episode. I know of kirk and spock and picard, but the extent of my knowledge is from pop-culture references from other shows like simpsons, family guy, etc.

I was pleasantly surprised. very entertaining film. Again, i was never emotional invested in the universe, so i wouldn't notice any changes they made.

 

[hitmanyr2k]

I agree, the movie had a very rushed feeling like it didn't wasnt to concentrate on anything. Hopefully the future sequel without the need for obligatory ground foundations taking up screentime, we can get a better, tighter story with more meaningful characters.

Funny. That's my feeling on The Dark Knight and why I didn't think it was all that great.

My main point is, they orchestrated stupid plot conveniences to suit a particular character and or emotional "moment". This is lazy and stupid. Good writings call for something more organic.

Do you REALLY think TDK isn't guilty of this?

 

[M.O.Steel]

I don't understand... the praise this film is getting.

Look I am not a Trekkie fanboy - meaning I haven't seen every movie or episode, save for the recommended ones like "Wrath of Khan" and the "City on the Edge of Forever", but I found this movie a nicely dressed up but stupid movie. How the hell are you guys saying this is the best film since TDK?

Spoiler

- Nero was pretty much a one dimensional trailer park villain. I don't have a problem with one dimensional villains - as long as they have some kind of personality. Or help drive the plot in an organic way, like the Joker. The whole I want revenge for my wife, is just an illusion of depth...

- The quick promotion of Kirk who was not even suppose to be on board, and on academic suspension was stupid.

- The science behind the red matter black hole plot device was stupid, especially how it conveniently places Nero and Spock in terms of Time lines...

- Landing on a big barren planet and accidentally finding Spock was really stupid.

- The most important decision makers on the crew all get sent on the most dangerous mission (with little backup) was stupid. More importantly, IIRC, the Vulcans don't learn of the Romulan heritage thing this early on right?

- Spock-Prime risking the entire population and the whole of the Federation to force cultivate the Bromance between Kirk-2 and Spock-2 takes the cake of Kingdom Come stupid...

I don't think Abrams is a bad director, and the film is entertaining, in a Michael Bay'ish way (albeit, Bay directs better action). But I don't understand how this is getting the RT score it is getting, and the praise of how it is the best film since TDK.

you have valid points. i still enjoyed the film very much. here is my response

Spoiler

-he was pretty one-dimensional i agree. i would have liked it if he was royalty, and the destruction of ALL his people would have made more of an impact instead of just his wife and child. and i don't see how he could blame the entire federation on poor spock's attempt. the destruction of vulcun should have been the main end of the revenge. that would have made more sense. not going against the entire federation.

the joker was pretty one dimensional. ledger's performance was amazing, but the villian was still one dimensional. the reason why he was great was really because of his relationship with batman, which people tend to overlook. what made the joker great was batman. poor bale. ledger didn't just steal the scene, not only did he steal the movie, he literally stole the franchise.

-i agree with this. even if you do amazing things, what typically takes 8 years, you do in a couple of hours doesn't make sense. i'm sure all the members who are at year 7.9 aren't happy about that. they could have given him a medal or something. that super-promotion would never happen in the real military.

the suspension makes sense tho because they were in the middle of the briefing. so i don't think that was stupid.

-you can't really argue against a scientific principle that is science fiction. we dont' know about red matter or how it works. so you can't really say it doesn't make sense.

-i don't think the barren planet was stupid. it was a coincidence. there's a difference. any and every movie that has a hero against unsurmountable odds who wins at the end is because of a coincidance.

-yes and no. the reason the captain went on the mission was because they were asked to come. both captains knew it was a suicide mission. the skydiving mission were not the most important members but those with "combat" experience. the reason why kirk and spock went was because spock knew of their heritage, and kirk knew of the ship.

--yeah i understand what you're saying, but it didn't bother me as much as it bothered you.

i do agree that JJ Abrams has a certain style also. it's funny how people make fun of bay for his creative choices, but Abrams does that also and no one really has an issue with it. I like them both so i never had a problem with either director.

 

[roach]

Funny. That's my feeling on The Dark Knight and why I didn't think it was all that great.



Do you REALLY think TDK isn't guilty of this?

Blasphemy you speak about the Great TDK...stone him stone himt: