Levar Burton aka Geordi La Forge criticizes Star Trek 2009

[yousirname]

Rocky IV is pretty metaphor-licious, I wouldn't call it 'smart' by any manner of means.

[Sector 7]

King Daniel wrote:

---

Also, the holodeck came from the animated Star Trek episode "The Practical Joker" way back in 1974 and not The Next Generation. So there

Yep. Then again, Burton's is more a case of, "Hey! I'm still relevant over here..."

Amasov wrote:

---

Didn't Orci say the original timeline is still there?

Nope. Actually, due to his success with Lost, Abrams purchased time-travel technology. He destroyed the original timeline, changed history, raped childhoods and worst of all... my Star Trek won't play in my Blu-Ray player! Well, the VHS ones won't... it's a conspiracy!!

[TorontoTrekker]

BillJ wrote:

---

Facts have no place in threads bashing Abrams and modern films in general.

Well, facts have no place in a post that mentions Argo, at any rate.

[The Wormhole]

Nerys Myk wrote:

---

But its not a smart use of metaphor.

Meh, the use of a metaphor alone at least generates the illusion of intelligence. And if there's one thing I've learned in life pretending to be intelligent wroks out very well indeed.

[DalekJim]

Ben Affleck is a very good mainstream Hollywood director and Spielberg showed he's still got it with Lincoln. Plenty of great directors out there so don't dismiss modern mainstream cinema on the strength of JJ Abrams' oeuvre. People like him and Michael Bay make their dumb stuff as loud as possible in order to make the audience docile and defeated enough to accept it.

[BillJ]

DalekJim wrote:

---

Ben Affleck is a very good mainstream Hollywood director and Spielberg showed he's still got it with Lincoln. Plenty of great directors out there so don't dismiss modern mainstream cinema on the strength of JJ Abrams' oeuvre. People like him and Michael Bay make their dumb stuff as loud as possible in order to make the audience docile and defeated enough to accept it.

This is one of the most poorly thought out comments I've seen on this board in a long time. Neither Affleck or Spielberg made big-budget action adventure films the last time out.

Audiences have certain expectations when they go to movies that are science-fiction or space opera. They want fast paced films with lots of explosions, it simply is what it is.

I simply don't know any of these "defeated" ticket buyers you continue to go on about. People aren't going to buy tickets to films they don't want to see, it is as simple as that.

[Tom Servo]

BillJ wrote:

---

This is one of the most poorly thought out comments I've seen on this board in a long time. Neither Affleck or Spielberg made big-budget action adventure films the last time out.

Audiences have certain expectations when they go to movies that are science-fiction or space opera. They want fast paced films with lots of explosions, it simply is what it is.

I simply don't know any of these "defeated" ticket buyers you continue to go on about. People aren't going to buy tickets to films they don't want to see, it is as simple as that.

Wait so you're saying Abrams DIDN'T break into your house and beat you with a pipe and loud music till you broke down and saw his film?

Shit. I could probably sue for that.

[SalvorHardin]

Tom Servo wrote:

---

Wait so you're saying Abrams DIDN'T break into your house and beat you with a pipe and loud music till you broke down and saw his film?

Shit. I could probably sue for that.

I hear he will be doing abductions and anal probings this time around.
We should expect him sometime in the next month.

[BillJ]

Tom Servo wrote:

---

Wait so you're saying Abrams DIDN'T break into your house and beat you with a pipe and loud music till you broke down and saw his film?

Abrams tried, but LeVar Burton swooped in to save the day!

[Jeyl]

Jackson_Roykirk wrote:

---

If anything, the potential continued success of AbramsTrek may give a ray of hope to some future ST projects -- perhaps maybe a TNG re-visit in several years (albeit with a different cast, most likely).

Oh, yeah. That's going to be something to look forward to. The same stuff all over again. Don't broaden the universe and don't take any chances. Stick with what's familiar and recycle the same old tropes all over again.

[Squiggy]

CaptainMurdock wrote:

---

To elaborate, I meant that "most" movies not all. There is the occasional Gem.

People in the 80s thought that about the 60s. People in the 60s though that about the 40s. People 20 years from now will say that about today.

Nostalgia. It's a helluva drug.

[DalekJim]

BillJ wrote:

---

Audiences have certain expectations when they go to movies that are science-fiction or space opera. They want fast paced films with lots of explosions, it simply is what it is.

And I don't share your taste in movies at all, thankfully. I'd also say that the great box office success of movies like Inception, Prometheus and Looper shows that audiences will also like more ideas driven sci-fi/fantasy movies instead of Transformers or Abrams Trek level of cookie cutter runarounds.

Dumb people are the majority and I understand from a financial perspective why big expensive movies should be aimed at them but I shouldn't really be happy about it. I loved The Hobbit and saw it 5 times in the cinema over Christmas. Big budget blockbusters don't have to resemble what Orci and Kurtzman write. Audiences for a while were so defeated that they just ate it up but people like Christopher Nolan have tried to elevate the blockbuster action movie in to something slightly more cerebral. I'd like Star Trek to follow suit.

Tom Servo wrote:

---

Wait so you're saying Abrams DIDN'T break into your house and beat you with a pipe and loud music till you broke down and saw his film?

These types of replies are so formulaic and empty. Reminds me of on Star Wars forums how people would reply to anybody that didn't gush about The Phantom Menace with posts like "Did George Lucas rape your childhood or something!?. It's not even a valid point and offers nothing to the discussion.

[Squiggy]

DalekJim wrote:

---

Dumb people are the majority and I understand from a financial perspective why big expensive movies should be aimed at them but I shouldn't really be happy about it. I loved The Hobbit and saw it 5 times in the cinema over Christmas. Big budget blockbusters don't have to resemble what Orci and Kurtzman write.

Comparing a work of Tolken to a work of Orci makes invalidates pretty much you ever have, and ever will do.

[DalekJim]

Squiggy wrote:

---

Comparing a work of Tolken to a work of Orci makes invalidates pretty much you ever have, and ever will do.

I struggled to even make out what this post means as it's such a mess but I think I got it.

Tolkien is uh, dead. He didn't have any involvement with the movie.

[Sindatur]

Tom Servo wrote:

---

Wait so you're saying Abrams DIDN'T break into your house and beat you with a pipe and loud music till you broke down and saw his film?

Shit. I could probably sue for that.

I went volutarily. Those visits of encouragement were only for those who needed to be encouraged to go see it.