How Cinematic Are the Star Trek Movies?

[A Little Otter]

This article examines each movie as to how well they are presented as a motion picture as opposed to just seeming to be a big TV show episode:

How Cinematic Are the Star Trek Movies?

 

[sojourner]

So, are you just promoting a blog, or do you have an opinion on the subject?

 

[A Little Otter]

I'm sharing and trying to start a conversation. Is there anything wrong with that?

 

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

it seems everyone on the board has been very touchy lately. i'll read it and post an opinion.

What's the big deal?

Thanks for sharing it.. I look forward to checking it out!

 

[ngc7293]

It's odd how this "article" presents most of the movies made to be in the cinema rather than movies made to be on TV. It's also more of a "I liked this movie but I didn't like that movie."

 

[xortex]

Trekkies are usually interested in ideas done well and spectacle second which is why i still like TMP the best even theough it's potential wasn't met. Was V'Ger the origin of the Borg? Even shatner approached Roddenberry and told him there was something missing. Kirk didn't do anything. It had the 2001ish feel with the visuals. I think some of the fan films are more visually exciting than these multi-multi million dollar things that are really very static and uninteresting.

 

[SchwEnt]

I've always thought TMP was the most cinematic of each and every ST film, easily.

Nothing to do with better or worse films, or which looked better than others, or better effects. If any ST movie looked and felt epic enough to confirm "yes, THIS is a big screen cinematic feature" I'd have to say TMP.

 

[The Dominion]

TMP, WoK and TUC were by far the most cinematic in my opinion. Of the rest, I get an uncinematic vibe from First Contact actually, that I'm sure its fans will disagree with. And I think INS had the most cinematic direction of the TNG movies, but of course the rest didn't pan out too well.

I guess you could also say the TFF ans GEN were cinematic as well, but I don't like to even think about those, much less examine their cinematography. Besides, their ridiculousness really hurt their presentation for me.

 

[Cyke101]

In light of the article, I think Nemesis is one of the more cinematic entries, which is kind of contradictory to its non-cinematic, very much TV script.

 

[Galileo7]

TMP, WoK and TUC were by far the most cinematic in my opinion. Of the rest, I get an uncinematic vibe from First Contact actually, that I'm sure its fans will disagree with. And I think INS had the most cinematic direction of the TNG movies, but of course the rest didn't pan out too well.

I guess you could also say the TFF ans GEN were cinematic as well, but I don't like to even think about those, much less examine their cinematography. Besides, their ridiculousness really hurt their presentation for me.

I agree on the cinematic nature of TMP, WOK, TFF, TUC and I must add J.J. Abrams' 2009 movie too.

 

[22 Stars]

Crowds respond to movies that work as cinematic pieces by paying at the box office. TMP, TWOK, TSFS, TVH, TUC, GEN, FC and Trek '09 were a successes because people were willing to pay to see them in the cinema, making them 'cinematic' by public consensus.

They resoundingly rejected TFF, INS and NEM. They were deemed not worthy to pay for and watch in a cinema.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

it seems everyone on the board has been very touchy lately. i'll read it and post an opinion.

What's the big deal?

Thanks for sharing it.. I look forward to checking it out!

"Some people" are perenially touchy.

 

[A Little Otter]

It's odd how this "article" presents most of the movies made to be in the cinema rather than movies made to be on TV. It's also more of a "I liked this movie but I didn't like that movie."

The author doesn't state whether he liked or disliked the movies but looked at the elements like the story, special effects, and directorial style. A movie can be cinematic and still be "bad" and be TV-ish but still be entertaining.

Why did you put "article" in quotation marks? Do you not think that it's an article?

 

[The Wormhole]

Plus, the threat to Earth by V-ger was massive and more than any episode of the TV series ever attempted.

"More than any episode of the TV series ever attempted"?
The plot of TMP is near identical to the TOS episode The Changeling. The main difference there is that the planet-destroying probe seeking its creator is about a meter long as opposed to being a massive ship a few AU long which generates its own nebula. Sure, TMP may have more scale than anything attempted on the show, but the threat is one done before.

 

[ngc7293]

Why did you put "article" in quotation marks? Do you not think that it's an article?

Just because of how Sojourner thought it came from a blog. Usually articles will come from news sites or review sites or the like. But it can easily go either way.

 

[ngc7293]

Crowds respond to movies that work as cinematic pieces by paying at the box office. TMP, TWOK, TSFS, TVH, TUC, GEN, FC and Trek '09 were a successes because people were willing to pay to see them in the cinema, making them 'cinematic' by public consensus.

They resoundingly rejected TFF, INS and NEM. They were deemed not worthy to pay for and watch in a cinema.

That doesn't quite work. A movie isn't 'cinematic' because people like the move or not cinematic because they don't like the movie. There are a lot of movies that started out in film not on TV. If the public doesn't like it doesn't mean it is now a TV show.

 

[22 Stars]

Crowds respond to movies that work as cinematic pieces by paying at the box office. TMP, TWOK, TSFS, TVH, TUC, GEN, FC and Trek '09 were a successes because people were willing to pay to see them in the cinema, making them 'cinematic' by public consensus.

They resoundingly rejected TFF, INS and NEM. They were deemed not worthy to pay for and watch in a cinema.

That doesn't quite work. A movie isn't 'cinematic' because people like the move or not cinematic because they don't like the movie. There are a lot of movies that started out in film not on TV. If the public doesn't like it doesn't mean it is now a TV show.

Actually you are wrong...http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cinematic

see #1. The public decides what is 'suggestive of, or suitable' for motion pictures or the filming of motion pictures.

In philosophy there is a concept known as the General Will, and if the masses deem something suitable or more evocative of TV, or at least not worthy of a trip to the movie theatre and don't go to the CINEMA to see it, you could say those films are less cinematic.

 

[JarodRussell]

"Cinematic" is very subjective. Way too many factors define that. People often say "broad" or "epic" without really knowing what they themselves actually mean by it.

The cinematography in Generations beats any of the movies, including nuTrek, in my opinion. The format, lenses and set redresses make everything look wide/huge/vast. The lighting is just amazing.
I'll never understand why people think Nemesis "felt like a real movie". The cinematography was very dark and claustrophobic, the sets got even smaller, the costumes even cheaper, the plot was very much like a TV episode. At the time we were bombarded with amazing visuals in Harry Potter, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, etc... the best thing they could come up with for an alien planet was a yellow filter and over exposure. Yawn. Insurrection at least had an amazing mountain range landscape.

The most interesting observation is the A-plot/B-plot structure in the TNG movies. That's absolutely true, and the TOS movies didn't really have that.

 

[Nero's Shadow]

I've us thought that the TMP was the most cinematic film of all of the movies I've always thought that seeing the TOS series then seeing the TMP was a big leap in grandness with the movies.

The only TNG film that I thought had cinematic feel was Generations. The rest I thought was tv movie standard, nothing special.

The JJ film that I really love is a great cinematic film money well spent In the right places apart from parts of the engineering sets that I liked but we all knew it was a brewery. But what makes a star trek film cinematic ?? Money spent on sets effects costumes etc etc etc .?

 

[sojourner]

Why did you put "article" in quotation marks? Do you not think that it's an article?

Just because of how Sojourner thought it came from a blog. Usually articles will come from news sites or review sites or the like. But it can easily go either way.

Um, it is a blog. What do you think wordpress does?