Anyone else changed their opinions from bad to good?

[plynch]

I like it because my Trekkie son, now 12, liked it. We saw it twice together in the theater, in costume on opening night.

Were it not for that, I'd not be a liker of it. I'm more of a TMP guy. But I'm grateful to the makers for giving him something he likes so much, and for the times we shared.

 

[lonewriter]

I loved it at the theater and loved the bluray. I thought it was the best Trek movie since TWOK.

 

[BlobVanDam]

Not to turn this thread into a nitpicky one, but I thought the point of the "transwarp beaming" was that it was a magical formula from the future, and that exceeding normal transporter range was the whole point (as well as beaming from a relatively stationary start onto a ship at warp)

That was exactly the point: transwarp beaming made it possible (albeit with a less-than-negligible uncertainty factor attendant) to exceed what were then (2258) believed to be the limits of transporter tech capability. What I especially liked was that, when Spockʹ laid the formula out on the display, Scotty was quickly able to grasp what was at work in the process, recognizing the bit which had up to then been escaping him in his own transporter experimentation.

I disliked that aspect. It's the common Trek idea that any piece of hardware can do anything just with a few lines of code, and I don't believe that something that far beyond what Trek ever did was so simple that Scotty was on the verge of cracking it decades beforehand and was able to so quickly understand it at a glance.
I hope they get rid of the whole transwarp beaming thing in the next movie, because it was too contrived for me (and I have a pretty high tolerance for contrivances ).

It's funny that most of my grievances with Trek XI were not at all to do with the reboot, but aspects like this that were fairly specific to the plot itself. I walked out of the cinema disliking the movie, yet excited to see the next one, if that makes sense. And I'm still excited to see the next one.

 

[Beef Squatthrust]

I hated the idea before seeing it, but I liked it well enough when I saw it in the theatre. I've watched it three times since then and every time I watch it I like it less and less. It just doesn't seem like Star Trek to me. I don't just mean that it isn't the Star Trek I'm familiar with, I mean it's not Star Trek at all for me. It makes me sad because I've loved this franchise for as long as I can remember.

 

[The Doctor]

I loved the idea of returning to Kirk, Spock and McCoy from day one and went into the theater totally psyched. I left much the same. The movie wasn't terribly smart and there were plenty of things that didn't really track regarding plot, what passes for science in Trek, etc. However, it did two things really, really well:

1) Made the crew seem both familiar and new.
2) Make Star Trek fun again.

The movie oozed fun from its pores: it was excellently shot and paced, offered each of the principles their chance to shine and gave us, as fans, a shockingly huge number of nods, winks and re-assurances that Trek was in the hands of people who really cared about it. From the way that the shadow fell on Pike's face when first sat on the bridge to the virtually unchanged shipboard uniforms to the way that Karl Urban arched his eyebrow exactly the way Deforest Kelley did, we were shown time and time again that the production team loved Star Trek just as much as the (dwindling) fan-base did.

I loved it and I very much look forward to the follow-up.

 

[jgalley]

um. that "ice planet" you guys are complaining about is one of Vulcans moons.

the movie states it more then once.

Nero even said he planted spock there so he COULD see vulcan destroyed.

Spock ejects Kirk out of the enterprise while they're still near vulcan..onto the moon.

honestly with all the nit-picking it's odd that at least two of you have missed what was obviously explained

 

[Devon]

um. that "ice planet" you guys are complaining about is one of Vulcans moons.

the movie states it more then once.

It was never once stated as one of Vulcan's moons (I'm not saying it isn't or can't be, I'm not in any camp, but it was never stated in the film.)

 

[SPCTRE]

I got the blu-ray at home, there was something really good about it on a 50-inch screen.

Agreed. The movie looks awesome on Blu-ray and it certainly has grown on me further after the 2nd and 3rd re-watch.

 

[kirk55555]

I'm the opposite. When I saw it in theature's, I thought it was ok, but nothing more. but, after watching it on DVD a few times, I despise it. Its the only Star Trek movie that I can't get any entertainment from. I watch it and think "They don't get Star Trek at all, its just a generic Sci-Fi/Action movie with a star trek skin".

 

[Gojira]

I loved the movie in the theater and have seen it literally 40 times on DVD and it only gets better. I think they really captured the spirit of the original series. It was like being a kid again in the 70s when I first started watching Star Trek.

 

[ChristopherT]

I watched it at home on the library's DVD. After everything I gave it a 8 out of 10, then I took 2 more points off for all the Spock, Uhura make-out scenes. I wouldn't even let my 13 year old son watch that movie! It's not as bad as I thought it was going to be but it was close. I would rate this movie as less canon than, oh Star Trek V?

Thanks

ChristopherT

 

[Tan Ru]

I'm the opposite. When I saw it in theature's, I thought it was ok, but nothing more. but, after watching it on DVD a few times, I despise it. Its the only Star Trek movie that I can't get any entertainment from. I watch it and think "They don't get Star Trek at all, its just a generic Sci-Fi/Action movie with a star trek skin".

This.

Walking out of the theatre I felt, "meh..."

Now when I rent the DVD and watch it I am really not fond of it. It doesn't feel like it will ever be "classic Trek". It really does feel like an alternate time-line movie made for an alternate time-line audience. Just not for me...........

 

[MasuPu'a]

I watched the movie for what it was; an action film that happened to be called Star Trek. I already knew and expected that it was going to be all about the special effects and blowing ships up, really flashy (especially with all that damn lens flare). I did like it, saw it a second time and still liked it. It's a good action flick, the casting was good, and it seems that while this film wasn't made for Trek-fans, the powers-that-be still tried to give a nod or two for the Trekkies watching.

My biggest complaint isn't really the whole timeline issue. There are many episodes that have already skewed and twisted the timeline anyway, parallel universes and whatnot. So this is just par for course, we have an alternate universe now, probably one of those many universes Worf saw in the TNG episode Parallels. However, I did take issue with the casting choices for Spock's parents. Maybe this is just nitpicky, but I felt that they did an overall decent job with the main crew. And then completely messed up for Spock's parents.

Winona Ryder...seriously?! Why? Just, why? I remember how Jane Wyatt portrayed Amanda Grayson; charming, dignified yet with a sense of humor and backbone. Winona Ryder was simpering, dull and lackluster. I was actually happy when she fell off the cliff. And that guy who stood around with a WTF expression on his face for the entire movie as Sarek. Compared the quiet dignity of Mark Leonard. I almost felt like NuSarek was astonished and baffled to find himself in a movie.

NuSarek: "Where am I? Is this...Is this a movie? I think I'm in a movie...but I'm not sure. Oh my God, Spock is beating up Kirk! Should I do something? Do I just stand here and watch in complete confusion? I think my wife died earlier...I'm not sure..."

Yeah, so that was my biggest issue with the film. It's entertaining, though it doesn't really have that Trek 'feel' to it. But hey, there are worse Trek films...V comes to mind...

 

[MasuPu'a]

Oops..double post...sorry

 

[Saxman1]

I loved it at the theater and loved the bluray. I thought it was the best Trek movie since TWOK.

THIS!!!! I cannot tell you how many friends, their kids and my relatives who are hard-core Trek fans share this opinion! I know this film gets a lot of hate on this blog, but my only fear is how in the world are Abrams and company going to top it or even equal it? My then 86-year-old mom, who was there at the beginning with me in 1966 said it was "about even with TWOK." Sorry people, a LOT of people LOVE this film!

 

[ChristopherPike]

No. Still mixed feelings.

On the one hand, it's inventive... but I would've maybe liked that ingenuity used toward telling a traditional prequel story, over several pictures ending with the 5-year mission about to start. Even if that had only been in spirit, with no excuses given for updated sets and so forth. To me, Kirk was too radically changed and ultimately the person I liked was informed by the life experiences he'd had. Some of that stated onscreen, but the important stuff was vague enough to fill in with something new. But obviously not allow him too much responsibility too soon.

On the other, an alternative universe allows all sorts of exciting possibilities for what happened to the Federation post Nero, creating a very different world to TOS and after the destruction of Vulcan, who knows?

Unfortunately, I have a nasty feeling the sequel will follow up on none of that. By necessity, given movies years apart generally have to aim at an audience unlikely to have seen the first. So that feels like a waste. Abandoning one universe for another that'll be treated just as disposably.

 

[WhatIzBrain]

I agree with some of the nitpicks posted here about XI, but I thought it was a great film. But what really got my attention was when I talked my redneck-NASCAR-lovin'-fish hunter-of-a-cousin into watching it, and he flat-out loved it! Trust me, if they wanted a new audience... they did something right.

Brian Matthews
Creator, STONE TREK

 

[Saquist]

I think a balanced trek fan wouldn't hate the movie period. enjoy? possibly but hate is difficult....it's a fun film, clearly but it's still not what I wanted out of the movie. (something serious and dramatic) JJ-Lucas did a good job.

but I won't be expecting...Mission Impossible/Allias level writing from the next one.

 

[Doom Shepherd]

I agree with some of the nitpicks posted here about XI, but I thought it was a great film. But what really got my attention was when I talked my redneck-NASCAR-lovin'-fish hunter-of-a-cousin into watching it, and he flat-out loved it! Trust me, if they wanted a new audience... they did something right.

Brian Matthews
Creator, STONE TREK

Indeed, the truth is, you can nitpick ANY of the Star Trek movies (or series) to death, in the way that this film has been nitpicked, and end up with pretty much the same results. (People often forget how much NEGATIVE reaction there was to Wrath of Khan from some quarters, including Roddenberry's, when it first came out. Up to and including death threats to the Director for "murdering" Spock.)

In my case, it was that I saw the film with my Old-School Trek-loving father (Who looked uncanilly like Mirror Spock in his youth), and my All-Things-Sci-Fi-HATING mother, and they BOTH loved the film to death.

 

[NSTrekfan]

ST 09 and The Final Frontier are about the same place for me. Saw them both once in the theater and got the video when it was released for the sake of completion. I've watched all the others from time to time, although Nemesis only got watched once more, but 09 & TFF have yet to hit the DVD player since I got them.