Preview reaction in Australia - "Looks a sure bet"
- Thread starter donners22
- Start date
Well life is a funny thing. Back in the mid 90s everyone watched Trek at Uni and First Contact was big. These days the younger crowd don't know too much about Trek but know Star Wars. It is nice to however occasionaly hear at work some Trek references from the older crowd like "anyone got a Romulan cloaking device" etc etc!
Actually, you were right the first time. His comments for the Australian media screening were pre-recorded.
really! depressing isn't it?I'm not 100% sure...but I don't think anybody has seen the whole movie yet.
Funny to think that if they'd kept the original release date...we'd be seeing it in about three weeks!
Umm, excuse me?
Not in my experience. Or at least, it certainly wasn't underground in the 80s and 90s.
I ran a Star Trek club in Sydney, ASTREX, entering as member #222 in 1980 and, by the time TNG was at its peak, we had over 1000 members. While Australian's are great a good-natured digs at almost anything, I encountered very few negative comments about ST here. Melbourne had (and still has) a club called AUSTREK, and they had good numbers, too. Every capital city had a ST club, and there was even an Australian Official ST Fan Club, but the politics involved in that tended to kill off interest for many fans.
Mind you, after a brief attempt at running TNG in prime time (the tapes were already out on sell-thru), Aussie TV buried ST in a late night timeslot, so it certainly slipped out of the collective consciousness of average Aussies. Especially with kids, unless their parents are already fans who taped episodes or buy boxed sets of DVDs.
So I don't believe the situation here is all that different to parts of the USA. Galaxy Bookshop, here in Sydney, continues to maintain a huge ST book section, and new ST novel titles are stocked by chains such as Dymocks and Borders.
I might mention - for those too young to remember - that when ST: TMP was imminent, in 1979, one of our Sydney newspapers ran a series of five daily double-page centrespreads (ie. in our biggest circulation afternoon newpaper). The reporter was Australian James Oram, a highly respected journalist, who had flown to LA to do a set visit. Big bikkies! Then Paramount brought out Persis Khambatta and DeForest Kelley to promote the movie. The novelization was being sold in display racks at supermarket checkouts. ST was no secret Down Under!
it's always been hard to be a Trekkie in Australia. Hopefully, Abrams' film will change that attitude.
For some reason, in Oz, it seems Star Wars is OK, but Trek is nerdsville and to be avoided at all costs.
That has never been my experience, although SW is certainly very popular with young people, and most of today's kids simply don't get exposed to ST.
Wow. I should move to Sydney. My experience of Trekdom in Oz has never been that positive. I wasn't actually here during the 'First Contact' popularity years (moved to the UK in 94, and came back to Oz in 1999). Trek seemed a bit more popular, or at least, less stigmatised, in England.
Maybe you're right. Maybe people here diss Trek because they don't really know anything about it. There's hardly any exposure to it, whereas SW is practically flooding the media.
JJs film needs to bring Trek back into the public consciousness.
^ I guess the big question is, will the new film make it seem like Trek in general is great, or will it come across as the new film being a reinvention of a camp, "uncool" show? In short, will it bring new viewers to old Trek, or simply bring them in for the new films?"
^I think it will probably only bring people in for this new film. Look at the new Dr Who. It has brought in new fans, ones who wouldn't have dared to watch the old version. Many of these younger fans aren't going to go and check out the old Tom Baker years.
Trek XI will probably create a faction of Abrams only Trekkers. Hell, there's even a (small minority) of ENT only fans.
Trek XI will probably create a faction of Abrams only Trekkers. Hell, there's even a (small minority) of ENT only fans.
I tend to agree with this.
I did watch the old video version of "Doctor Who" when I was younger, but I never was terribly impressed with it for very long. Big fan of nuWho, though.
Most new people who like this movie will probably be the same way.
which, as it turns out, I was a member of back in the day.
Exactly. A person who appreciates quality.
Did you feel that ASTREX members were victims of a lifetime of teasing by the general public?
Absolutely. My own scars may never heal.Did you feel that ASTREX members were victims of a lifetime of teasing by the general public?
A mixture. TMP brought me to TOS, and I had to learn to appreciate the earlier version. TNG brought thousands of new fans in, only some of whom explored TOS. CBS TV ordered the CGIing of TOS so that it might bring in some modern fans who didn't care for 60s SPFX.
My strong hunch is that the vast majority of the audience will go in knowing about as much about Star Trek as people knew about Iron Man (i.e., virtually nothing) and the ability of the movie itself to deliver the slam-bang Hollywood blockbuster goods that the world expects in a summer movie will be what makes the movie a hit. And I feel confident that Abrams has got that part covered.
The geek-continuity stuff will also be there, for us. But it won't factor into the movie's success, any more than Iron Man was a success because Captain America's shield could be glimpsed in the background of one scene, or S.H.I.E.L.D was mentioned. It's just an added bonus to reward us for our loyalty in the face of long odds.
What's ironic is the effects are being done by the same company that did the SW prequels - ILM!
I have many issues with the Star Wars prequels, and the VFX, especially in Episode 3 is one of them. I feel that while ILM did as good as they could for the films, I feel Lucas relayed on them WAY WAY WAY too much. I mean it got to the point of insanity, and I really feel thats why partially the prequels do not have the lived in feel that the OT had.
However, after hearing Abrams interviews, and listening to him say he is trying to do as many practical effects as possible, I feel that the VFX in this film are going to be mind blowing, and most likely Oscar worthy.
That's not settin yourself up for a fall, is it?
While I'm sure they'll be top notch, you get to an age when you stop using and believing hyperbole. You've seen it all before.
FTR Dr. Who is still shoot on videotape.
I think a lot of people posting on this board were not around in 1979, in Oz or anywhere else.
I'm not so sure donners22 falls into that group, however.
What's ironic is the effects are being done by the same company that did the SW prequels - ILM!
I have many issues with the Star Wars prequels, and the VFX, especially in Episode 3 is one of them. I feel that while ILM did as good as they could for the films, I feel Lucas relayed on them WAY WAY WAY too much. I mean it got to the point of insanity, and I really feel thats why partially the prequels do not have the lived in feel that the OT had.
However, after hearing Abrams interviews, and listening to him say he is trying to do as many practical effects as possible, I feel that the VFX in this film are going to be mind blowing, and most likely Oscar worthy.
That's not settin yourself up for a fall, is it?
While I'm sure they'll be top notch, you get to an age when you stop using and believing hyperbole. You've seen it all before.
I don't quite get what you're saying.
Star Wars FX were considered Oscar worthy and I think were nominated.
"Hyperbole" or not, just what I've seen in the trailer looks far superior to
anything in all of the SW prequels. I don't think he's setting himself up for
anything, that's his impression of the effects and more than likely he'll be
right. Even if not nominated I think they'll be Oscar worthy for sure.