I am still trying to take this all in...this film is, in a word, disorienting...it's very good, and I voted above average, but it's one of those things I'm going to have to take time to digest...
At first, I was a bit dissappointed...the opening scenes are extraordinary, but the way outer space scenes look in this film is VERY similar to the dissapointing Lost In Space film...everything looks just like that film...and yet, as time went on, I realized that where Lost In Space failed, Star Trek works...the movie has a very comic-bookish look to it..if you don't know what I mean, then recall the space scenes from either Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer or Superman Returns...again, this film succeeds where those failed, but it took a while to win me over with the style...It's just such a novel idea for Trek, but it's done well...
The lens flares were irritating as hell...I don't know how anyone could not have noticed this...too much...hopefully, Abrams cuts back in the sequel...
The actors were all great, except that Chekov's accent is so annoying, that if he wasn't such a goofy, likeable character, you'd want him marooned on Delta Vega along with Kirk...but the standout here was Pine. Why? Because even though Pegg, Urban, and Quinto do excellent jobs at imitating their predecessors (Quinto is a bit nasally, but still fantastic), Pine takes the Kirk character and runs with it. I was totally unconvinced until the swagger and arrogance I saw in the Kobayashi Maru scene...it's absolutely hilarious and it's an original take...I expected Pine to be nothing more than a pretty boy...I was wrong...I was never a huge Kirk fan until now...seriously, he's that good, you just root for him the whole time..
Leonard Nimoy's appearance was a lot more substantial than I expected, and I know I will take flack for this, but I was a bit dissapointed...it is wonderful to see him on screen, and it's surreal (I should say that his appearance in this film adds to the comic-book nature...you truly feel like you're in an alternate universe when he shows up)...He still has the quiet dignity, and he's still Spock, but he had this tendency to re-hash his best known lines ("I am, and ever shall be, your friend") in moments where they lost their impact. It's still cool that he's in this continuity.. I doubt that Nimoy will make another appearance, but at least we have some sense of Spock's ultimate fate by the end of the film...plus, this Spock has mellowed ALOT with age...he's VERY emotional, as if he has come to accept his human side alot more with age...there's no "fascinating", no "if logic dictates", and he's almost hyperactive when he sees Jim, which is touching because it's so sweet to see old Spock look on his long dead friend's young face again... but again, I was happy to see him...
I'm not going to see this film again in theatres...it was very well done, but I'd rather watch it on DVD and take time in between to let it sink in...again, while I enjoyed it, it's just such a radical take on Star Trek that it takes a while to really comprehend...but I can say this: I am swelling with pride to see these characters again...everyone did a great job (Pine and Cho surprisingly well), and you get the feeling that despite the fact that you are VERY well aware that this is another reality, these are the same people...I can't explain this, it's an emotional thing that you either feel or don't feel...again, surreal...
To to sum up: this is Star Trek done comic book style - whizzbang fast, with bold new effects, and a dynamic young cast...the sci fi is more along the lines of Fantastic Four than say previous Trek series...the look is like Lost in Space: bright, shiny, lots of holograms and visual displays everywhere...I didn't like the engineering deck (it looks like a damn chemical plant), but I liked the brisk pace of the ship (everyone is actually DOING something, running around to keep the damn thing running, not just standing at a console)
I'm sorry that my post is so disjointed...I don't mean to ramble, but I really feel like I was in an alternate reality just now, and I need to sleep on it...
Oh yes, and one last thing...no matter what anyone says, this film takes place in 2258...why? Because Countdown is explicity stated to take place in the year 2387...during the mind meld sequence, Old Spock tells Kirk ("The future..thats where I'm from, Jim...129 years from now") So do the math...it all adds up...2233, Kirk is born...2258, the events in this film...just thought I'd throw that in there as it was something that I thought was so obvious that I can't believe people are still debating it...
Well, good night for now...I have a feeling I'll be having some trippy dreams
At first, I was a bit dissappointed...the opening scenes are extraordinary, but the way outer space scenes look in this film is VERY similar to the dissapointing Lost In Space film...everything looks just like that film...and yet, as time went on, I realized that where Lost In Space failed, Star Trek works...the movie has a very comic-bookish look to it..if you don't know what I mean, then recall the space scenes from either Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer or Superman Returns...again, this film succeeds where those failed, but it took a while to win me over with the style...It's just such a novel idea for Trek, but it's done well...
The lens flares were irritating as hell...I don't know how anyone could not have noticed this...too much...hopefully, Abrams cuts back in the sequel...
The actors were all great, except that Chekov's accent is so annoying, that if he wasn't such a goofy, likeable character, you'd want him marooned on Delta Vega along with Kirk...but the standout here was Pine. Why? Because even though Pegg, Urban, and Quinto do excellent jobs at imitating their predecessors (Quinto is a bit nasally, but still fantastic), Pine takes the Kirk character and runs with it. I was totally unconvinced until the swagger and arrogance I saw in the Kobayashi Maru scene...it's absolutely hilarious and it's an original take...I expected Pine to be nothing more than a pretty boy...I was wrong...I was never a huge Kirk fan until now...seriously, he's that good, you just root for him the whole time..
Leonard Nimoy's appearance was a lot more substantial than I expected, and I know I will take flack for this, but I was a bit dissapointed...it is wonderful to see him on screen, and it's surreal (I should say that his appearance in this film adds to the comic-book nature...you truly feel like you're in an alternate universe when he shows up)...He still has the quiet dignity, and he's still Spock, but he had this tendency to re-hash his best known lines ("I am, and ever shall be, your friend") in moments where they lost their impact. It's still cool that he's in this continuity.. I doubt that Nimoy will make another appearance, but at least we have some sense of Spock's ultimate fate by the end of the film...plus, this Spock has mellowed ALOT with age...he's VERY emotional, as if he has come to accept his human side alot more with age...there's no "fascinating", no "if logic dictates", and he's almost hyperactive when he sees Jim, which is touching because it's so sweet to see old Spock look on his long dead friend's young face again... but again, I was happy to see him...
I'm not going to see this film again in theatres...it was very well done, but I'd rather watch it on DVD and take time in between to let it sink in...again, while I enjoyed it, it's just such a radical take on Star Trek that it takes a while to really comprehend...but I can say this: I am swelling with pride to see these characters again...everyone did a great job (Pine and Cho surprisingly well), and you get the feeling that despite the fact that you are VERY well aware that this is another reality, these are the same people...I can't explain this, it's an emotional thing that you either feel or don't feel...again, surreal...
To to sum up: this is Star Trek done comic book style - whizzbang fast, with bold new effects, and a dynamic young cast...the sci fi is more along the lines of Fantastic Four than say previous Trek series...the look is like Lost in Space: bright, shiny, lots of holograms and visual displays everywhere...I didn't like the engineering deck (it looks like a damn chemical plant), but I liked the brisk pace of the ship (everyone is actually DOING something, running around to keep the damn thing running, not just standing at a console)
I'm sorry that my post is so disjointed...I don't mean to ramble, but I really feel like I was in an alternate reality just now, and I need to sleep on it...
Oh yes, and one last thing...no matter what anyone says, this film takes place in 2258...why? Because Countdown is explicity stated to take place in the year 2387...during the mind meld sequence, Old Spock tells Kirk ("The future..thats where I'm from, Jim...129 years from now") So do the math...it all adds up...2233, Kirk is born...2258, the events in this film...just thought I'd throw that in there as it was something that I thought was so obvious that I can't believe people are still debating it...
Well, good night for now...I have a feeling I'll be having some trippy dreams
