internet campaign to restore star trek final frontier starts

[Greg Cox]

I don't know. This whole idea still sounds a lot like closing the shuttlebay doors decades after the ship burned up in re-entry.

I mean, it's not like we're talking about restoring a lost classic that was butchered by the studios before its initial release, like TOUCH OF EVIL or even BLADE RUNNER. It's THE FINAL FRONTIER for "God's" sake.

[LOKAI of CHERON]

Greg Cox wrote:

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I don't know. This whole idea still sounds a lot like closing the shuttlebay doors decades after the ship burned up in re-entry.

I mean, it's not like we're talking about restoring a lost classic that was butchered by the studios before its initial release, like TOUCH OF EVIL or even BLADE RUNNER. It's THE FINAL FRONTIER for "God's" sake.

Horses for courses I guess. I still maintain the movie is pretty decent even in its current state. I honestly believe with editing, and less importantly, some new FX, there's a much better film waiting to be brought into existence.

[Lance]

Greg Cox wrote:

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I don't know. This whole idea still sounds a lot like closing the shuttlebay doors decades after the ship burned up in re-entry.

I mean, it's not like we're talking about restoring a lost classic that was butchered by the studios before its initial release, like TOUCH OF EVIL or even BLADE RUNNER. It's THE FINAL FRONTIER for "God's" sake.

Absolutely. People aren't exactly falling over themselves clamoring for an extra-special extended Director's Cut edition of Plan 9 From Outer Space, are they?

[Josan]

Lance wrote:

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Absolutely. People aren't exactly falling over themselves clamoring for an extra-special extended Director's Cut edition of Plan 9 From Outer Space, are they?

I'd buy it. But then I love old B&W 50s B-movies. If Plan 9 even makes it up to a "B".

[Tosk]

It always surprises me when people get very vocal about NOT wanting something to be released. Like it somehow makes their lives worse.

[ChristopherPike]

It's the internet campaign aspect that always seems to get people's backs up. That there's any single consensus or the danger that one group with an opinion might be taken as speaking for everyone.

If somebody with influence wants this to happen, I expect it will. Fans can then debate its merits having bought, borrowed or stole the darn thing.

I'd welcome any improvements to The Final Frontier and have no fear a different edition, will suddenly mean its makers will have to break into my house at night to take back the original.

With DVD and Blu-rays of these films out there, it's not even remotely close to a George Lucas situation...

[Grant]

Tosk wrote:

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It always surprises me when people get very vocal about NOT wanting something to be released. Like it somehow makes their lives worse.

Amen.

[Greg Cox]

Grant wrote:

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Amen.

I don't know. I think it's less about saying "No, no, kill it with fire!" as debating the (rather more interesting) topic of just how "fixable" TFF is, and whether the movie's problems are primarily technical, budgetary, conceptual, or whatever. Which invariably tempts one to dissect the movie into its constituent parts--and opine on just how much of it is salvageable.

That's a discussion you can sink your teeth into, and makes for good message-board fodder.

I mean, how boring a thread would this be if everybody just said "Good idea. Go for it!"

[Anji]

The SPFX are not that outdated. And if you want to fix anything, fix the script.

[trevanian]

Anji wrote:

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The SPFX are not that outdated. And if you want to fix anything, fix the script.

The only reason you say that about the FX is because so much stuff in the last 15 years has been shot with the no-blur look. The artistic disaster of shooting miniatures in such a manner makes them strobe, which is a visual discontinuity (to put it mildly.)

The fact that this look is getting stuffed down our throats doesn't make it better, just more common, and it certainly doesn't excuse the seriously flawed planning and execution on TFF VFX. (I'm not picking on the show's physical effects - they did the best they could there, and flying a shuttlecraft full of people in to land and seeing them all disembark in the same shot was pretty snazzy.)

[Tosk]

Anji wrote:

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The SPFX are not that outdated.

They were outdated before the film even came out.

[Grant]

Tosk wrote:

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They were outdated before the film even came out.

Yeah, i was surprised someone would even say that.

I was wincing at 2/3 of the Fx shots in the theater and it was taking me out of the story often. Too much good FX had been done between 1977 and 1988 to give the FX for this movie a pass.

[Greg Cox]

I honestly didn't notice any SFX problems way back when. I just thought the story was muddled and occasionally cringe-worthy.

[R. Star]

Well you can groom it all you want, get it the finest trainer, food, horseshoes and what not, but an ugly old donkey is never going to win the Kentucky derby.

[Tosk]

What's wrong with having a nicer donkey than what you had before, even if it still comes in last?