The Official STAR TREK Grading & Discussion Thread [SPOILERS]

Discussion in 'Star Trek Movies: Kelvin Universe' started by Agent Richard07, Apr 30, 2009.

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Grade the movie...

  1. Excellent

    711 vote(s)
    62.9%
  2. Above Average

    213 vote(s)
    18.8%
  3. Average

    84 vote(s)
    7.4%
  4. Below Average

    46 vote(s)
    4.1%
  5. Poor

    77 vote(s)
    6.8%
  1. JoeD80

    JoeD80 Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    Los Angeles
    There were a lot of TOS sound effects in the movie. I thought this a nice touch.
     
  2. Amaris

    Amaris Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    This movie is apparently touching off sales for older Star Trek.
    I was at Walmart last night and all of their Star Trek TV Series & Compilation DVDs were sold out (except for Alternative Realities, which there was one more on the shelf, and that I bought). Today, I'm out getting a few things and I pick up the Star Trek novel (last one on the rack), and I find two special Star Trek DVDs for sale, one TOS and one TNG, representing the "Best of" with the new Star Trek logo and box art. These are brand new. Here's a pic:

    [​IMG]

    They're $9 at Walmart. :D

    I got the last set there, too. The thing is, our Walmart never has any Star Trek anything, so this was a surprise.

    J.
     
  3. Blue_Trek

    Blue_Trek Captain Captain

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  4. Dave Scarpa

    Dave Scarpa Commander Red Shirt

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    Ok Finally Got to see it tonight. Overall it was a good entertaining movie, the Actors and characters all fit. With all the hype this movie's plot is getting it really is no better or worse than the last movie, frankly I was surprised after Nemesis Tanked that they would go the route of another Romulan villian that wants to destroy the Earth. In fact nero's ship reminded my alot of Shinzon's ship, maybe just larger. Bruce Greenwood stoodout as Pike and Pine was fine as Kirk with a slightly more wiseass personality, but he toned down in the movie. Karl urban was Fine as MCcoy and Quinto as a bit more conflicted Spock with a secret love life I guess Pon Far is gone in this version. I Would have like to seen a bit more reflection from these characters.. more caring from Kirk..More Wisdom from Bones..and a bit more of Spock's motivations, still that was not what the picture wanted to be.

    Roddenberry's Utopian Future is a bit more Steampunked, I mean Earth seems to be still suffering from alot of today's problems with big refinery's ,smoke, pollution etc. Starfleet's and the Federation was a bit murky here in their motivations, althou pike Mentions they are peacekeepers.. something that harkens back to the 1st season of Trek where the Enterprise was more like intersteller cops. The Enterprise was fine but that engineering room has to go, I never knew the enterprise is water cooled.. and who the hell is scotty's mascot here he's one cool little leprechan bugger.

    I guess Spock Prime's fate is now rebuilding his race and not unifying Romulans i can live with that. It was Fun and it will be interesting to see where they go from here.
     
  5. Roberto

    Roberto Lieutenant Red Shirt

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    Mar 22, 2009
    I just got home from the theatre, I was hoping that the movie would knock my socks off.....didn't happen.

    I really liked:
    Kirk
    Spock (both)
    McCoy
    Pike
    Uhura
    George Kirk

    I didn't care for:
    Chekov
    Sulu
    Scotty
    Nero
    The new look of the Enterprise (inside and out)


    The Plot and some of the FX weren't very good, the half-assed matte painting of the Enterprise that Kirk was looking at while sitting on his motorcycle was very poor.

    My grade for Star Trek is B
     
  6. Mach5

    Mach5 Admiral Admiral

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    You call this poor? :confused:

    [​IMG]
     
  7. CommanderRaytas

    CommanderRaytas DISCO QUEEEEEEN Rear Admiral

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    QFT, I thought that was the best part, as well. That and the characterisation.
     
  8. Jim Steele

    Jim Steele Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Yeah, that was a good thing and pretty bold of them.
     
  9. KirkusOveractus

    KirkusOveractus Commodore Commodore

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    J-

    I found those at my Wal Mart yesterday, too! I only picked up the TOS one.

    But, if you read the back, it mentions the new movie, and...
    They're the TOS-Remastered ones, instead of the originals. It was a cool surprise!
     
  10. Roberto

    Roberto Lieutenant Red Shirt

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    Yeah, that's the shot I was talking about......it just looks like a very large painting (yes, I know that's what it is).
    It just doesn't look like it's real (yes, I know it isn't).
    When I first noticed this poor quality by watching the trailer on my PC a few months ago I was praying that it would be improved for the theatre but it looks even worse up on the big screen.
     
  11. Jax

    Jax Admiral Admiral

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    hey you need to look again, it looks wonderful.
     
  12. indranee

    indranee Vice Admiral Admiral

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    are those the whole series, or just the first (or second, etc) season?
     
  13. Roberto

    Roberto Lieutenant Red Shirt

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    Mar 22, 2009
    I have looked at it again many times and it just does not work for me at all, but hey it's great for you and other people that want to believe it looks wonderful.
     
  14. KirkusOveractus

    KirkusOveractus Commodore Commodore

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    Nah, they're just "Best Of" DVDs, each containing 4 episodes from each series (one being TOS, the other being TNG).

    But, for me, since I can't afford the TOS-R complete sets, the Best of TOS was quite a nice addition for me, and I didn't spend a lot to get some of it on DVD.
     
  15. indranee

    indranee Vice Admiral Admiral

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    oh, okay, thanks. that makes sense :)
     
  16. KirkusOveractus

    KirkusOveractus Commodore Commodore

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    ^ Hell, I wish that was the complete TOS Remastered on DVD for $9.00. I would really have been happy!
     
  17. Vic G

    Vic G Ensign Red Shirt

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    Okay, my two pennies worth! The very first Trek film I saw at the cinema was TUC (perhaps it’s because if that, or the fact I saw it with my parent and sister as well, but that film will always have a special place in my heart). Since then, I’ve seen very Trek film on the big screen, with the last being, naturally, Nemesis. Unfortunately, that was not a great experience. I remember getting a sinking feeling watching the sequence with Picard giving the speech at the wedding reception; it felt like it was trying so hard to be funny, but failing miserably. Unfortunately, it didn’t really get any better. I left the cinema with a mixture of emotions – severe disappointment was one of them, especially as I’d been looking forward to it for so long. It didn’t help that it seemed to alienate anyone who didn’t know about the intricacies of Romulan politics. It seemed that Trek seriously needed a break, which was a real shame.

    Fast forward a few years; I heard the rumblings about JJ Abrams being interested in a new Trek film. It was an intriguing concept; here was a guy who had obvious successes with Lost and Alias who wasn’t a part of the Old Guard. I had to agree that Trek needed new blood desperately, and Abrams seemed to be a fascinating prospect. Mind you, I was interested in what Bryan Singer could do as well, another interesting director who expressed an interest in doing a Trek movie.

    I spent the next few years devouring every scrap of info I could; the prospective casting, who would be writing, etc. When the very first trailer was released, I don’t remember feeling as excited about a couple of minutes footage for a long time.

    Finally, on 8th May, I got to see it. It was, for me, absolutely incredible. I left the cinema buzzing with excitement. As far as I was concerned, it was as far from Nemesis as you could possibly get. A non-stop action adventure film with great characters, some wonderful dialogue, and superb acting that left me wanting more. Even now, parts of the movie are still whirling around my head; Pine’s Kirk was amazing; the moment I saw him, he was simply Kirk. The Kobyashi Maru scene makes me laugh every time I think of it. The same can be said for Urban, who simply inhabited McCoy with gusto. I have to issue an apology to Urban – although I was looking forward to the film, the casting of Urban surprised me – the guy from Doom was playing McCoy?! What? I couldn’t have been more wrong – he was amazing and a real stand out from his very first scene. Zachary Qunito’s Spock was great too, as were all the cast. Simon Pegg as Scotty makes so much sense now!

    As a result of seeing the film, I started reading Constellations, something I’ve meant to read for a while. The cast did such a great job that I keep imaging Pine, Urban, Quinto aboard the new Enterprise instead of Shatner, etc – something I really didn’t expect to happen.

    The chemistry between the cast is palpable; another scene which always makes me smile is the sequence relating to McCoy essentially smuggling Kirk aboard the Enterprise – the interaction between them is comedy gold. The humour throughout the film really worked for me (I was doubtful when I first heard about this scene, feeling it appeared to come across as too slapstick/cheesy, but it was anything but). The way the humour was counterbalanced by the tragedy was cool as well – the destruction of Vulcan and the death of Amanda were really jaw dropping moments for me. I’m glad I kept myself spoiler free!

    The opening sequence with the Kelvin caught my attention from the very first second – everything from the sound effects, the acting and the visuals were amazing. The death of George Kirk was a heartbreaking scene, the Labor of Love track fitting it perfectly. I’m not afraid to admit that even listening to it now, brings a tear to my eye! Speaking of which, special thanks to Michael Giaccino – the score is brilliant, the end credits and Enterprising Young Men being absolute standouts. I have to admit, my heart was thumping wildly when the Star Trek title came up on the screen as well as when the Enterprise was revealed for the first time; in no small part, that was due to the score.

    What I love is that even my sister and brother and law, who have zero interest in Trek, wanted to see it. When they came out of the cinema, they felt the same as me. It was simply the best film they had seen in a long time, regardless of genre. I loved watching their reactions as they watched the movie, and they laughed at all the right places (she was excited to see Urban – she didn’t know who he played, but the minute he came out with the line about his ex-wife leaving him nothing but his bones, she whispered to me excitedly, “is he Doctor McCoy?”). If this film can do for Star Trek what Russell T Davies has done for Doctor Who here in the UK, IE, turned it into a major mainstream hit, then all I can say is, superb.

    No matter if you’ve never seen an episode before; you know of Captain Kirk. You know the Enterprise. You know Spock. Going back to the beginning and making stories with these characters makes perfect sense. As much as I love Picard, Sisko, et al, Star Trek for myself and my Dad will always be Kirk and Spock. For a mainstream audience, I think this holds true as well. For us, seeing these beloved characters having new adventures is simply glorious.

    I’ve seen it twice so far, and am seriously considering seeing it again. OK, was it perfect? No. Did the plot make total sense? No. Was it too convenient for Kirk to stumble on the exact cave with Spock Prime? Probably. But you know what? I don’t care. It was a breathtaking movie that has given new life to what was considered by many to be a dead series. For that, JJ Abrams and his amazing team will have my gratitude.

    The only thing now is, I feel at a bit of a loose end, movie wise. I’ve been looking forward to this for so long, that I’m like “Um, now what?”. Look forward to the new cinema adventures of Kirk and his crew aboard the Enterprise, I suppose!

    Thanks very much for taking the time to read what I thought – if you read the whole thing, thanks and well done! There’s so much I can say, but thought I’d better stop now.
     
    Last edited: May 14, 2009
  18. Bob The Skutter

    Bob The Skutter Complete Arse Cleft In Memoriam

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    Just got back from my third viewing, with my dad. He enjoyed it, and honestly, I still think it's a lot of fun. Dropped by my cousin's house on the way home, and her husband is interested in seeing it, so I might see it for a fourth time with him.
     
  19. CordrazineOD

    CordrazineOD Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

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    Finally saw it Tuesday and award it 4/5 stars or A-; not quite as good as TWOK or TVH, more on par with TUC. As with TUC, I was unsatisfied with the climax. Also take into account that after 2 years of build-up, my expectations were impossibly high, esp. after seeing all the reviews. Plus I was almost completely spoiled by gradual osmosis of the story, despite my assiduous efforts to avoid anything explicitly labeled "spoiler".

    Agree that no reset button is good, but I felt the destruction of Vulcan was a little short-changed and under-exploited for the sake of maintaining a hyper fast-paced plot. It wasn't melodramatic enough. I guess it was equivalent to Krypton's destruction in Superman I, and certainly more involved than Alderaan's destruction in Star Wars. But to fans, this is the most important alien species in the series and I felt it lacked emotional punch, almost in the same way the scenes of the 13 Colonies' downfall in nuBSG were understated, except with that it was like watching neutral, passive news coverage of genocide (although you had the rest of the series for the characters to absorb and contemplate it). Instead of the flashy closing credit title sequence ala Superman Returns, they should've thrown that money into at least showing some urban centers and people on Vulcan being sucked into oblivion.

    It's good that it was charcter-driven but the only character who I felt had a nearly complete and compelling arc was young Spock, and the short scenes of his childhood are my favorite of the movie. And the most crucial missing character...where was Spcok's pet Sehlat? :(

    [​IMG]

    I also would've liked to see acknowledgement or recreation of TFF scene of Spock's birth with Sarek's "so human" comment, which was highly relevent. I thought the way the Councilman equated Spock's mother to a disadvantage, and Spock's reaction, was genius.

    I can accept a simplistic, strawman villian in an orgin story that centers on the protagonists, but it was annoying not to have any explanation of Nero's 25 year gap (Klingon scenes cut). I'll buy that he not only had to wait to get the red matter, but wanted to wait for Spock Prime (how the hell did he know where and when to locate Spcok's emergence from the black hole?!) to witness Nero's revenge---which would explain why he didn't just go straight to Romulus and have them reverse-engineer his technology. Had he done so, the Romulans could have conquered the quadrant in short order.

    And speaking of technology, I'm ASSUMING that ships arrived on scene subsequent to Kelvin's destruction and found a few pieces of Nero's tech that influenced and altered the tech that led to the nuEnterprise? It would've been reassuring to have this acknowledged, at least in a throwaway line.

    Unlike Roger Ebert, I can also accept the lack of exceptionally deep ideas in an origin story, but he does have a point and the next movie, while not necessarily being some grand allegory, should have some deeper, more thought provoking themes.
     
  20. CordrazineOD

    CordrazineOD Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

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    I agree. People are complaining about the puffy-hands scene, but I think it worked perfectly. It was no where near as superfluous as the marshmelon scene in TFF, etc.