ST09 fans, why did you like it?
- Thread starter Warped9
- Start date
I LIKED the Green Girl!
She was...exciting!
there. i said it.
She was...exciting!
there. i said it.
Mostly I liked it because I had good time when watching it, first in the theatre and then at home when I got the DVD. And I am/was a TOS fan of the first magnitude. Saw it first run as a kid and then the reruns as a teenager. I was at the head of the line for TMP and most of the TOS movies, often seeing the "preview" before the actual release. So I like to think I know a good Trek film when I see it. Or a least what's a good Trek film for me. (And that’s different from a good Trek TV show!)
Kelvin: Started off with a bang. The Kelvin sequence is probably among the most moving and emotional 12 minutes ever seen in a Trek film. "The needs of the may outweigh the needs of the one." Right there on screen. The film grabbed me right then and there.
The Young Ones: I liked the fast and furious Jimmy Kirk. It was a nice preview of guy who will buck authority and takes risks. Young Spock and the bullies: right out of Journey to Babel and Yesteryear My continuity sense was tingling in the positive. Adult Spock the Science Academy was well done. Who knew that "Live long and prosper" could convey such a sentiment?
Fussy mom Amanda was cute touch.
Rebel without a cause Kirk: An illustration of how, if unchecked, Kirk’s baser emotions and attitudes would lead him down the road of self destructive behavior. Pike is there to give him a better path. Uhura gets a good intro as someone who can stand up to and hold her own against Kirk’s cocky, self assured and somewhat arrogant attitude. Lucky for Kirk “Cupcake” stepped in, Jim was losing that battle. McCoy’s intro was classic Bones. Just like De in the original films, Urban brings the humor and heart to the movie. His casting was the biggest question mark for me, but he nailed it. Irritable, irascible and his heart on his sleeve.
Cadet Kirk: Kirk goes for his third try at the unbeatable Kobayashi Maru and beats it. (as alluded to in TWOK, apple and all) Once again my continuity sense tingles positive. The Bones-Kirk relationship is well handled as McCoy goes to bat for Jim. And in a nice twist, Spock and Kirk do not hit it off.
Enterprise: We meet Sulu and Chekov, (who don’t make a good impression on Pike, but I liked the humor). Some funny slapstick with McCoy and Kirk, too. (think A Piece of the Action)And Kirk gathers another clue.
Vulcan: Action time. Some cool SFX as the E drops into a field of debris. Orbital sky diving (fascinating how they did that “old school”). Kirk and Sulu kick some Romulan ass and a red shirt kicks the bucket. (tradition must be observed) Continuity tingle: Sulu is a fencer.
And some non action as Spock deals with loss and Uhura deals with Spock. Pike hangs tough as Nero monologues . Some exposition as Spock and Kirk discuss and disagree on the best course of action. Kirk loses. Some people don’t like Spock and Uhura (Spokura? ) For me it’s a call back to the flirtation between the two early in season one. Plus people are expecting Kirk to get the girl, so nice change up.
D’l Tah V’Gah: More Action and Exposition. Intro Spock Prime and Scotty. Loved Pegg as Scotty. Always good to see Nimoy as Spock. Nice continuity wink as Spock plays Scotty to Scotty’s Dr Nichols in a callback to STIV. I liked the CGI monster chase as it ramped up the action again. Thought it was more Indiana Jones than Star Wars. Old Spock’s mind meld with Kirk gave us a “classic moment” that isa touch stone of the franchise. Have we ever seen the “inside” of a mind meld before?
On the Enterprise Spock and McCoy have fight. Again Urban channels just enough Kelley to make it work. “Green Blooded Hobgoblin.”
Enterprise Again: Scotty and Kirk return to the Enterprise and Kirk takes command. Spock and Kirk brawl in a fashion that recalls their classic fights in the past ( This Side of Paradise, Amok Time ) with Kirk pushing all the right buttons to piss off Spock. Nice moment between Spock and Sarek as the elder Vulcan admits to marrying Amanda because he loved her.
Sol System: Nero Attacks Earth. The crew has a plan. Love the SFX of the E rising up from Titan. Bonding moment between Kirk and Spock as Spock calls him “Jim.” is well played. And my favorite Kirk line: “I got your gun.” Pike has a great moment while being rescued. Spock orders Nero to surrender and then does a George Kirk impersonation. ( Which calls back to his comments at Jim Kirks hearing )
Nero dies, spurning any help as all good villains do.
Earth: Liked the exchange between the Spocks and Old Spock farewell of “Good Luck”. ( Immunity Syndrome? .) The gangs all here ending worked for me.
Is it "Star Trek"? I dont see why not. It had action. but Star Trek never shied away from a fight scene or a ship blowing up. It had some quiet moments too. Science? Yes, some good and some bad, but thats Star Trek too. The humor mostly worked and wasn't out of place. Deep thoughts on pressing issues of the day? Not this time around. It was more about the characters.
Casting. I'm more than pleased. Urban, as I mentioned, was the only question mark for me and he was playing by favorite character. Quinto's Spock needs a little work in the voice department. No complaints otherwise
The Ship. I wouldn't mind a little nacelle reduction surgery and some light shades. But overall a workable update.
Kelvin: Started off with a bang. The Kelvin sequence is probably among the most moving and emotional 12 minutes ever seen in a Trek film. "The needs of the may outweigh the needs of the one." Right there on screen. The film grabbed me right then and there.
The Young Ones: I liked the fast and furious Jimmy Kirk. It was a nice preview of guy who will buck authority and takes risks. Young Spock and the bullies: right out of Journey to Babel and Yesteryear My continuity sense was tingling in the positive. Adult Spock the Science Academy was well done. Who knew that "Live long and prosper" could convey such a sentiment?
Fussy mom Amanda was cute touch. Rebel without a cause Kirk: An illustration of how, if unchecked, Kirk’s baser emotions and attitudes would lead him down the road of self destructive behavior. Pike is there to give him a better path. Uhura gets a good intro as someone who can stand up to and hold her own against Kirk’s cocky, self assured and somewhat arrogant attitude. Lucky for Kirk “Cupcake” stepped in, Jim was losing that battle.
McCoy’s intro was classic Bones. Just like De in the original films, Urban brings the humor and heart to the movie. His casting was the biggest question mark for me, but he nailed it. Irritable, irascible and his heart on his sleeve. Cadet Kirk: Kirk goes for his third try at the unbeatable Kobayashi Maru and beats it. (as alluded to in TWOK, apple and all) Once again my continuity sense tingles positive. The Bones-Kirk relationship is well handled as McCoy goes to bat for Jim. And in a nice twist, Spock and Kirk do not hit it off.
Enterprise: We meet Sulu and Chekov, (who don’t make a good impression on Pike, but I liked the humor). Some funny slapstick with McCoy and Kirk, too. (think A Piece of the Action)And Kirk gathers another clue.
Vulcan: Action time. Some cool SFX as the E drops into a field of debris. Orbital sky diving (fascinating how they did that “old school”). Kirk and Sulu kick some Romulan ass and a red shirt kicks the bucket. (tradition must be observed) Continuity tingle: Sulu is a fencer.
And some non action as Spock deals with loss and Uhura deals with Spock. Pike hangs tough as Nero monologues . Some exposition as Spock and Kirk discuss and disagree on the best course of action. Kirk loses. Some people don’t like Spock and Uhura (Spokura?
) For me it’s a call back to the flirtation between the two early in season one. Plus people are expecting Kirk to get the girl, so nice change up. D’l Tah V’Gah: More Action and Exposition. Intro Spock Prime and Scotty. Loved Pegg as Scotty. Always good to see Nimoy as Spock. Nice continuity wink as Spock plays Scotty to Scotty’s Dr Nichols in a callback to STIV. I liked the CGI monster chase as it ramped up the action again. Thought it was more Indiana Jones than Star Wars. Old Spock’s mind meld with Kirk gave us a “classic moment” that isa touch stone of the franchise. Have we ever seen the “inside” of a mind meld before?
On the Enterprise Spock and McCoy have fight. Again Urban channels just enough Kelley to make it work. “Green Blooded Hobgoblin.”
Enterprise Again: Scotty and Kirk return to the Enterprise and Kirk takes command. Spock and Kirk brawl in a fashion that recalls their classic fights in the past ( This Side of Paradise, Amok Time ) with Kirk pushing all the right buttons to piss off Spock. Nice moment between Spock and Sarek as the elder Vulcan admits to marrying Amanda because he loved her.
Sol System: Nero Attacks Earth. The crew has a plan. Love the SFX of the E rising up from Titan. Bonding moment between Kirk and Spock as Spock calls him “Jim.” is well played. And my favorite Kirk line: “I got your gun.” Pike has a great moment while being rescued. Spock orders Nero to surrender and then does a George Kirk impersonation. ( Which calls back to his comments at Jim Kirks hearing )
Nero dies, spurning any help as all good villains do.
Earth: Liked the exchange between the Spocks and Old Spock farewell of “Good Luck”. ( Immunity Syndrome? .) The gangs all here ending worked for me.
Is it "Star Trek"? I dont see why not. It had action. but Star Trek never shied away from a fight scene or a ship blowing up. It had some quiet moments too. Science? Yes, some good and some bad, but thats Star Trek too. The humor mostly worked and wasn't out of place. Deep thoughts on pressing issues of the day? Not this time around. It was more about the characters.
Casting. I'm more than pleased. Urban, as I mentioned, was the only question mark for me and he was playing by favorite character. Quinto's Spock needs a little work in the voice department. No complaints otherwise
The Ship. I wouldn't mind a little nacelle reduction surgery and some light shades. But overall a workable update.
*Trek 09' brought back the 'fun'...the adventure of outer space; a crew that had 'life' to them....(Things didn't seem so routine this time around; it actually seemed like the producers wanted to breathe new life into the franchise).
*You saw different racial backgrounds, something Trek is supposed to be known for.
*Cool villian, even though his part could have been written with more meat. (Ayel, the henchman was cool as well).
*Cool space battles, of course. Space is huge again, but it seems like space is more dangerous.
*The skirts and go-go boots were back...(looking at you Zoe Saldana, and attractive extras in the background!)
One thing I liked from TOS was that the uniforms were comfortable.
I think the idea of shorts for the men was suggested by a poster in another thread; I wouldn't mind seeing that, since I'm more of a short-wearing guy...
*That music score was awesome...
*Interesting characters, I think...
*The Vulcans! You had bowl headed males and LONG HAIRED FEMALES! (Not that there 'can't' be bowl-haired females...i.e. T'Pol...but Trek from TNG on tended to make the Vulcans a bit stiff and boring; not only with how they acted but how they looked). Come to think of it, T'Pol looked better with longer hair.
*They had Romulans as the villains, and didn't go with the cliche of having Klingons....(as if they are the only race in the HUGE galaxy that opposes the Federation).
*Constitution-class Enterprise makes her return....
*The original Alexander Courage TOS theme makes it's return....
*I love that sound editing....(i.e. ships go BOOM when going into hyperspace...er, warp speed)...
*The ships are huge: Kelvin...Enterprise...Narada...(No matter their size in relation to each other, to the audience they were all big ships)....
^
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Precisely!
^
Okay, here's my thoughts on various aspects.
Prepare for a biased love-fest, in the family-friendly sense
The Cinematography and Design
This was a fresh approach to Star Trek, with dynamic camera movements, and a strong visual style that conveys the idea of a "bright future" in a very literal way (lens flares).
The visuals were absolutely stunning in terms of the VFX and design work, and although a departure from Berman-era Star Trek, was very pleasing to the eye, and conveyed a sense of reality. I was drawn in very much by the general look and feel.
The designs for the Enterprise, Kelvin and Narada were great, IMHO, and served their roles in the story nicely. I wanted to go back and soak it all in again.
The Sound Editing/Mixing/Design
This is one of the strongest elements of the movie, with many nods to TOS, and proving that those sounds could work very well to flesh out the Star Trek universe on screen.
From the was starships jumped to warp (BOOM), to the sonar pings heard right in the beginning, to the ambient sounds on the Enterprise and Kelvin Bridge, everything old and new worked perfectly together.
Story and Characters
The new writing team NAILED the characters, IMHO, making the both familiar and fresh, giving each character a fitting introduction.
The Alternate Reality provides an elegant solution to the problem of making an origin story work with the new crew, and to allow the changes necessary for the big screen, and as a bonus, makes the future unwritten, so anything can happen. IMHO, a masterstroke.
Leonard Nimoy provides a way to pass the baton, and the humor and fun makes the movie more of a joy to watch.
The Score
Michael Giacchino's score worked extremely well, and has grown to be one of my favorite recent movie scores.
TWOK, TMP and TFF scores are still favorites, but this score stands on it's own terms, and reflects the stylistic change from the old to the new.
I should also note that the score was criminally underrepresented on the Soundtrack CD, which omitted some fantastic key music cues, such as:
- The preperations at Starfleet in the hangar bay, with Uhura transfering to the Enterprise and McCoy sneaking Kirk on the Enterprise shuttle.
- The sequence where Pike takes the shuttle over to the Narada, and drops off Kirk, Sulu and Olsen.
- The platform battle, with Sulu's hero shot, Olsen dies red-shirt style and they disable the drill.
- Spock beaming down to rescue the Vulcan Council from the Katric Ark thru to Amanda dying at the start of transport.
- The sequence where Vulcan is destroyed, Spock notes that he is a member of an endangered species, and Uhura and Spock are in the turbolift.
- The cue for the monster chase on Delta Vega.
- The cue for Kirk and Scotty beaming up, as spock says "Live Long and Prosper".
- The cue where the Enterprises emerges from Titan.
Nods to TOS and Trek Lore
This was done in a fun, but reverent and fluid way, from lines of dialog, to bits of background business, to easter eggs, such as the Tribble in Scotty's Lab.
This film got so much right, IMHO, that could have easily gone wrong.
Prepare for a biased love-fest, in the family-friendly sense
The Cinematography and Design
This was a fresh approach to Star Trek, with dynamic camera movements, and a strong visual style that conveys the idea of a "bright future" in a very literal way (lens flares).
The visuals were absolutely stunning in terms of the VFX and design work, and although a departure from Berman-era Star Trek, was very pleasing to the eye, and conveyed a sense of reality. I was drawn in very much by the general look and feel.
The designs for the Enterprise, Kelvin and Narada were great, IMHO, and served their roles in the story nicely. I wanted to go back and soak it all in again.
The Sound Editing/Mixing/Design
This is one of the strongest elements of the movie, with many nods to TOS, and proving that those sounds could work very well to flesh out the Star Trek universe on screen.
From the was starships jumped to warp (BOOM), to the sonar pings heard right in the beginning, to the ambient sounds on the Enterprise and Kelvin Bridge, everything old and new worked perfectly together.
Story and Characters
The new writing team NAILED the characters, IMHO, making the both familiar and fresh, giving each character a fitting introduction.
The Alternate Reality provides an elegant solution to the problem of making an origin story work with the new crew, and to allow the changes necessary for the big screen, and as a bonus, makes the future unwritten, so anything can happen. IMHO, a masterstroke.
Leonard Nimoy provides a way to pass the baton, and the humor and fun makes the movie more of a joy to watch.
The Score
Michael Giacchino's score worked extremely well, and has grown to be one of my favorite recent movie scores.
TWOK, TMP and TFF scores are still favorites, but this score stands on it's own terms, and reflects the stylistic change from the old to the new.
I should also note that the score was criminally underrepresented on the Soundtrack CD, which omitted some fantastic key music cues, such as:
- The preperations at Starfleet in the hangar bay, with Uhura transfering to the Enterprise and McCoy sneaking Kirk on the Enterprise shuttle.
- The sequence where Pike takes the shuttle over to the Narada, and drops off Kirk, Sulu and Olsen.
- The platform battle, with Sulu's hero shot, Olsen dies red-shirt style and they disable the drill.
- Spock beaming down to rescue the Vulcan Council from the Katric Ark thru to Amanda dying at the start of transport.
- The sequence where Vulcan is destroyed, Spock notes that he is a member of an endangered species, and Uhura and Spock are in the turbolift.
- The cue for the monster chase on Delta Vega.
- The cue for Kirk and Scotty beaming up, as spock says "Live Long and Prosper".
- The cue where the Enterprises emerges from Titan.
Nods to TOS and Trek Lore
This was done in a fun, but reverent and fluid way, from lines of dialog, to bits of background business, to easter eggs, such as the Tribble in Scotty's Lab.
This film got so much right, IMHO, that could have easily gone wrong.
It is a complete travesty that this score was not even nominated at the Academy Awards!
Michael Giacchino was robbed, and by Michael Giacchino of all things. This is like stealing a pizza from yourself.
At least we can now refer to STXI as "the Academy Award-winning STXI".
I have to say, re: Star Trek, it was a really great score, but I'd say Up deserved it.
Avatar was also a favorite for the year, and gets plenty of CD time.
Oh, just to add to the reasons I loved the movie: the first 15 minutes. Nuff said.
Since I see no reason, at this point, to just repeat what others have already successfully said, I'll put my QFT under Nerys Myk's, Joel_Kirk's & OneBuckFilms' posts.
.
.
It was like running into an old friend after having spent years apart. Naturally things are different. Things change, after all. But I quickly saw that the essence of what made me a TOS fan in the first place was still there. There was a spark. I was a 48 year-old man who fell more and more back in love with Trek as every minute of the movie passed.
It didn't have to be perfect. Things didn't have to look the same. It just had to entertain me the way Trek used to. And, it did.
It didn't have to be perfect. Things didn't have to look the same. It just had to entertain me the way Trek used to. And, it did.
Withers
Captain
I liked a lot of the same things other people did. I liked the music, I liked the special effects, I liked little moments here and there that I thought worked really well.
But the real reason I like this movie is that it exists and proves that something with a Star Trek label on it can be wildly popular. Now, whether it deserves that honor or not, is of course up for debate (as we all know.) But the fact that this movie exists and has done as well as it has means there will be more Trek to come. Maybe I was the only one but I assumed that, after the cancellation of Enterprise and the straight up failure of Nemesis the franchise was done. I honestly thought I was more likely to see a Titanic sequel than anything else from Star Trek.
This film changed that in a big way. While it isn't exactly what I wanted... meh, not everything can be an episode of DS9 Seriously though... the sky is the limit again and that's a good feeling.
But the real reason I like this movie is that it exists and proves that something with a Star Trek label on it can be wildly popular. Now, whether it deserves that honor or not, is of course up for debate (as we all know.) But the fact that this movie exists and has done as well as it has means there will be more Trek to come. Maybe I was the only one but I assumed that, after the cancellation of Enterprise and the straight up failure of Nemesis the franchise was done. I honestly thought I was more likely to see a Titanic sequel than anything else from Star Trek.
This film changed that in a big way. While it isn't exactly what I wanted... meh, not everything can be an episode of DS9
Seriously though... the sky is the limit again and that's a good feeling. -Withers-
Nardpuncher
Rear Admiral
It was big and fun and fast and tried to entertain.
This sums up my feeling perfectly. Yes, the movie had giant plot holes and plenty of flaws. But I was enjoying myself so immensely during my first viewing of it that I didn't even notice them.
It also was a completely different theatrical experience compared with the previous Trek film. I remember sitting in an almost-empty theater watching Nemesis, cringing throughout the movie, and the small handful of viewers were dead silent during the entire movie. Everyone slunk out afterwards, feeling kind of embarrased to have paid to see the movie (and this was on opening weekend!) At ST09, in comparison, I saw it in a packed theater and everyone just seemed to dig the movie - some people even applauded at the end. Made it a much more enjoyable experience.
and he drove that mustang off the cliff that pwned and it was kirk not professor x and scotty was funny lolol
Now that we're on another page, I can talk like a normal person again.
omg no wai lol i 4got when that chick took of her shirt, that was awesum lolol
Nardpuncher
Rear Admiral
^^ Oh Oh. Its the beginning of the end. Apparently if I liked the movie it means I only like explosions and I guess I say "kewl" a lot.
Out before the lock!
Out before the lock!
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