RLM finally did it / Plinkett reviews Star Trek

[FarStrider]

Did she really appear believable as a woman in her mid to late 50s? That’s the issue of contention.

That's up for the individual to decide. Most people didn't know it was Ryder until they were told it was her. . .I'm really beginning to think a lot of people have outdated notions of what a woman in her 50s should look like, think of it like this: in the 23rd century, where people commonly live to be 120-130 years old, 50 isn't going to be (or look) old. . .

~FS

 

[AJBryant]

"Three guys, one saucer."

Heh.

 

[Sabataage]

We may be talking at cross-purposes here. . . What does the age of an actor have to do with the age of the character that they are playing?

For instance,very rarely in do we see actual teenagers playing teens on TV. . . those actors are usually in mid-20s to early thirties. . .

~FS

I understand that. I don't think every actor should be the same age as their character. What I'm talking about though is 'believability'. In the same a way an actor in his early thirties can be unconvincing as a teenager, an actress in aged make-up playing a middle-aged mom (when she's only a few years older than her 'son') can be distracting.

Winona Ryder is just an odd fit as Spock's mom. Ben Cross, on the other hand, actually remebles Nimoy at certain angles, and he has a scholarly presence and coldness that's perfect for Sarek. An actress closer to Ben Cross's age (63) would have been a more believable choice, in my opinion, both as his wife and Quinto's mother...

Once again though, this was a casting decision made over a year ago involving a character who was only on screen for a little under eight minutes and who will most likely never be seen again. So its not that big a deal to me.

... Ooh- ooh! [waves arms] Hang on... how about Monica Bellucci!? She's like forty-six and way hotter than Diane Lane! Too Italian? How about Helen Mirren? Too old? Annette Benning, then! She super smart and was way hot in The American President. I'll admit I have a thing for older women.

 

[FarStrider]

Her believability is something you to decide for yourself. . . like I said in the other post. . . most people didn't know it was her and had to be told. . . she looks like she could be related to Zachary Quinto, she was young enough to play someone in her late 20s, and could be aged with makeup. . . that was all that was really required of the role. . .

~FS

 

[A.V.I.A.F.]

Her believability is something you to decide for yourself. . . like I said in the other post. . . most people didn't know it was her and had to be told. . . she looks like she could be related to Zachary Quinto, she was young enough to play someone in her late 20s, and could be aged with makeup. . . that was all that was really required of the role. . .

~FS

Boom! FarStrider, you nailed it! She was cast for all those reasons, it totally works. Also, several members of the cast seemed to have been selected for their resemblance to the actors from TOS (Karl Urban totally looks like he could be related to Dee Kelley! Ben Cross and Mark Lenard also share some facial similarities pre-pointed ears). The resemblance between Winona and Jane Wyatt I found to be quite striking as well.

 

[TedShatner10]

Re: Great Review of Latest Star Trek Movie

Have you heard of redlettermedia? This guy does great reviews of films.l

What great movie reviews?

Is this thread still rolling on?

Wiona Ryder was OK for her comparatively minor supporting role and she was more bearable than she was in Alien: Resurrection, but it felt bit weird, like Jeri Ryan turning up in that Mortal Kombat trailer, and she was perhaps too young.

 

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

RLM is finally doing Episode 3 next. Check out his "webzone" for the excellent trailer.

 

[shapeshifter]

I wonder, could Wiona Ryder been casted, made to look younger, whichever, so that Sarek would look more of a horndog in this Universe? I like the implications of that.

 

[G2309]

Her believability is something you to decide for yourself. . . like I said in the other post. . . most people didn't know it was her and had to be told. . . she looks like she could be related to Zachary Quinto, she was young enough to play someone in her late 20s, and could be aged with makeup. . . that was all that was really required of the role. . .

~FS

It is easier for them to make a young actor look old than an old actor look young. She was meant to be shown as a young woman gving birth to Spock. It's in the deleted scenes.

 

[jimoinj]

I gotta say...I see his point that they were aiming at mainstream audiences and hypercharging everything to make it more interesting for them...and that the TNG cast did look a bit tired and weren't suited to action films... Even if they had to make this film into an action one, it wouldn't have hurt to have given it some more heart and morals. Surely action and morality are not mutually exclusive?

 

[Satyrquaze]

He does kinda put it into perspective.

 

[Devon]

it wouldn't have hurt to have given it some more heart and morals.

That's subjective. It may not just had enough for you, for instance. I thought the opening sequences, Spock and Sarek's moments, Kirk and Pike's moments, had a lot of heart, and in some cases had a better emotional impact than some of Trek's other attemps. So YMMV.

 

[jimoinj]

Perhaps, but I don't think I'm alone in this point, isn't it one of the more common ones from long-time fans? It's what makes Star Trek different from Star Wars. I didn't feel the new movie was much different.

 

[Char Aznable]

Perhaps, but I don't think I'm alone in this point, isn't it one of the more common ones from long-time fans? It's what makes Star Trek different from Star Wars. I didn't feel the new movie was much different.

Actually, the vast majority of long time fans loved the movie. Hell, they most likely appreciated XI more than the general public. Its only a tiny minority that never really understood what Star Trek (TOS mainly) was and what made it work to begin with. People keep bitching about messages and heart and intellect when XI really wasn't any dumber than most of the Trek moves we had so far. Granted, the plot could have been tighter with a better developed villain and Kirk could have been challenged better than he was in XI (though I imagine the sequel will address these issues), but getting away from Trek's awful pretentious preachiness and exclusionary (is that a word?) attitude was a GOOD thing. Star Trek was always meant for the general public to consume, even as far back as TOS. This is anb objective fact.

 

[Ryan8bit]

People keep bitching about messages and heart and intellect when XI really wasn't any dumber than most of the Trek moves we had so far.

Yeah, I wouldn't say it didn't have as much heart or anything like that, but it didn't seem to have as strong a theme as some of the others. And that's probably because they were trying to cram so much in. Hopefully the second movie will have a stronger one.

but getting away from Trek's awful pretentious preachiness and exclusionary (is that a word?) attitude was a GOOD thing. Star Trek was always meant for the general public to consume, even as far back as TOS. This is anb objective fact.

Being preachy or heavy handed doesn't really equate with failure since Avatar was hugely successful.

 

[Set Harth]

Saving the Federation from certain destruction?

Nah - not enough morals.

 

[VOODOOXI]

Great stuff.

His review of TPM was 1000 X better than the actual film.

 

[Satyrquaze]

TMP?

I liked the bit with the woman on the street after STXI "had it's way with her"... 'Oh, that wasn't so bad!'

 

[M'Sharak]

TMP?

TPM = (Star Wars) The Phantom Menace, I'm pretty sure - the RLM review of that movie got quite a bit of attention.

 

[Sabataage]

SF Debris has a pretty great review of/rant over TMP on his youtube page.