It probably would have had too much nostalgia for my tastes, and I love callbacks.
Spoilers STAR TREK BEYOND - Grading & Discussion
- Thread starter Commander Richard
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I imagined it would be too much like a TNG plot, with heavy-handed messages of tolerance and long conversations around briefing room tables about how to solve the problem.
Excellent point. True, in TUC, even Kirk wondered where he'd fit in. Chang couldn't stand the idea of peace, either. And neither could other members of Starfleet and the Klingon Empire. I guess some of them sabotaging the peace talks because they can't stand the idea of peace isn't much different than Edison wanting to destroy Yorktown for pretty much the same reason.
Some things I had problems with are becoming clearer to me, now. Seeing it the second time will probably help, too.
I'm wanting to go to a morning show sometime this week. See if some things clear up for me that I may be misremembering,
Can y'all imagine what would have happened if Admiral Marcus had heard about the Khitomer Accords from Spock Prime?
"Vulcan slime! This is why I, a human, am Commander in Chief of Starfleet. Death to Klingons!"
This is much better than the "Australian Crawl or American Crawl" question which was the first thing which popped into my head.I just assumed he was a distant descendant (or maybe just a fan) of Diana Krall and decided to use that as a 'nym.
"We've replaced Montgomery Scotty's magic pixie dust with powdered dilithium crystals. Let's see if he notices the difference!"
It does - at least, it did for me. There was complaint that Elba wasn't in it much, but knowing the reveal going in helps with his character and why there's not a huge chunk of exposition or character work early on.
It also makes you appreciate all the little lines a lot better, like knowing the Federation, speaking English etc.
Nothing silly about it.
So, I’ve only seen the movie one time thus far…but I’ll give a more comprehensive review than I did in my earlier post:
Rating: A-
Things I didn’t like:
If I had ONE wish for the next movie- I’d love to see a quest movie in outer space. Something along the lines of “Star Trek” meets “Indiana Jones” where it’s a fun adventure across several planets, maybe racing an enemy to achieve a goal or make a certain huge discovery. It’s not so much about “battling the enemy” as it is about outmaneuvering them to the final goal and outwitting them at different turns along the way… And you could explore the wonders of space as you piece together pieces of an ancient mystery or work to uncover some ancient technology or make contact with some mythical race. It’s so simple and obvious…it kind of confuses me as to why it hasn’t happened yet (although you can argue that Trek V was kind of an “attempt”).
I’m thinking elements of:
The Chase (TNG)
Star Trek V
Contagion (TNG)
Raiders of the Lost Ark / Last Crusade
James Bond
The Gambit (TNG)
*recognize I'm not saying any one of these are the "template"...just saying that each contains an element or two in their story or structure I'd borrow from)
Multiple locations across the galaxy (planets, space stations, nebula, etc)…smart / sinister (but not brutish or vengeance-raging) villains, a huge discovery at stake, a puzzle to be solved, a race against the clock…and a couple of cool twists / fun moments. I honestly think you could still do the “blockbuster” Star Trek movie and have this kind of format that would get even more to the heart of exploring space and having a “grand adventure!”
But, for now, this one was pretty close!!! I'll see it again for sure.
Rating: A-
Things I didn’t like:
- The movie kind of gave me a headache. There was a LOT of stuff on the screen at times, and some of the camera movements and disorienting angles (both directorial choices and as a result of the action itself) was a bit painful. Damn, I’m getting old
- I thought the location they used was a bit bland. It was rocky and kind of two-tone (grey rocks and green trees). I’m not saying it needed to be Avatar…but I would have loved to see them do some things to add some character and a sense of wonder to the planet.
- I thought Krall was under-whelming (until the twist, which I loved) and I had a hard time following what he was doing and why early on.
- I know it was “wishful thinking” but I REALLY wanted to see the new Enterprise be a TV or refit Connie. I thought this would have been HUGE for the 50th anniversary. I thought not doing so was a missed opportunity and, even though the expectation was unrealistic…I was let down. Ok, fanboi moment over now.
- I thought the plot was a little “smallish,” but this has me conflicted, because I also LIKED that about this movie. It never had this feel of “epic-ness” that I love about Star Trek movies. But, on the flip side, Earth doesn’t need to be in jeopardy every film either!
- Kirk is 100% Kirk. I think that the “young NuKirk” was almost nowhere to be found in Pine’s performance…and at this phase the character is definitely the more mature, refined, confident (but still brash) leader we all grew up loving. I never had a problem with NuKirk, but it was primarily because I knew (hoped) that the writers were taking him through an arc. I’m glad they did. He was as close to Shat-Kirk as you can get without the Shat himself pulling it off.
- Bones and Spock
- Bones and Kirk having a drink was a great call-back to so many episodes and even Trek II and Trek V.
- I thought I would hate (yet another) destruction of the Enterprise…but they did this with some style. That whole scene was pretty well-done.
- I LOVED the whole “Day 966” log entry prologue. It really brought me back, and set up the tone of the movie very well.
- I liked Yorktown. I think I need to see it again though. There was so much (too much?) to absorb there.
- I think the Jayla character was awesome. It has been a while since Trek has had a really good non-villian “guest star” and this one really paid off.
- The call-backs were awesome…not corny or nerdy. They were fit organically into the plot and didn’t feel like fanservice, although they most certainly were. That’s the real trick, and they pulled it off well!
- The Swarm was a different kind of threat, for all those who have been bitching and moaning about “big, giant, mean-looking capitol ships” for the last 4 movies.
- I loved the Krall plot twist. Very cool, and cool that they threw back to ENT as well (even though it is my least favorite Trek series)
- I think they did a fantastic job getting the “feel” right this time. The characters “feel” right…like the closest to the TOS counterparts we’ve seen in a LONG time. The interactions were good and not forced. The humor between them was casual, easy and natural…not slapstick or silly. That was a huge plus.
- Going along with my last point, the “teamwork” and “camaraderie” aspects were executed well this time. And all the characters had a good ensemble moment or two to shine.
- I liked the Krall “moment of truth” scene so many here have debated already. He sees his reflection in the glass shard…and you’re left wondering if he will turn or if he will stay the course. I think it was cool to give the audience a moment of doubt here. It made the scene that much more powerful.
- The homage and tribute paid to Nimoy’s passing throughout the course of the film was extremely well-done. Hats off, and thank you for that, PTB
- The photo
- The end was warm, optimistic and very satisfying with Kirk’s little “birthday” celebration.
If I had ONE wish for the next movie- I’d love to see a quest movie in outer space. Something along the lines of “Star Trek” meets “Indiana Jones” where it’s a fun adventure across several planets, maybe racing an enemy to achieve a goal or make a certain huge discovery. It’s not so much about “battling the enemy” as it is about outmaneuvering them to the final goal and outwitting them at different turns along the way… And you could explore the wonders of space as you piece together pieces of an ancient mystery or work to uncover some ancient technology or make contact with some mythical race. It’s so simple and obvious…it kind of confuses me as to why it hasn’t happened yet (although you can argue that Trek V was kind of an “attempt”).
I’m thinking elements of:
The Chase (TNG)
Star Trek V
Contagion (TNG)
Raiders of the Lost Ark / Last Crusade
James Bond
The Gambit (TNG)
*recognize I'm not saying any one of these are the "template"...just saying that each contains an element or two in their story or structure I'd borrow from)
Multiple locations across the galaxy (planets, space stations, nebula, etc)…smart / sinister (but not brutish or vengeance-raging) villains, a huge discovery at stake, a puzzle to be solved, a race against the clock…and a couple of cool twists / fun moments. I honestly think you could still do the “blockbuster” Star Trek movie and have this kind of format that would get even more to the heart of exploring space and having a “grand adventure!”
But, for now, this one was pretty close!!! I'll see it again for sure.
Nope. protomatter.
This is a much better movie than Skyfall. :/
I gave it a solid A.
Without getting overly spoilery, I found it extremely entertaining and never dull, but for some reason I never really felt the stakes were as high as they actually were. Too much may have been given away in the trailers, particularly the swarm attack on the Enterprise.
THAT said, the characters were brilliant, loved Jaylah and the new "Lower Decks" crewfolk, and the final act was brilliant. LOVED the use of Sabotage.
Without getting overly spoilery, I found it extremely entertaining and never dull, but for some reason I never really felt the stakes were as high as they actually were. Too much may have been given away in the trailers, particularly the swarm attack on the Enterprise.
THAT said, the characters were brilliant, loved Jaylah and the new "Lower Decks" crewfolk, and the final act was brilliant. LOVED the use of Sabotage.
This is one of my biggest complaints, as well. The film lacks urgency and suspense. I never felt like the crew was ever in any real danger. And, to that end, despite the rather creative use of music, I found the DXM to be pretty ridiculous, even by Star Trek standards.
Part of that might be due to the fact that the movie seemed to downplay the loss of life as a result of the destruction of the Enterprise. We see McCoy attend to the wounds of one crew member and I think we see some dead crew members in the halls but other than that we see most of the crew escape in pods and get captured by Krall's forces and then rescued at the end. And Kirk and co never mourn or pause to reflect on all the casualties. I mean, surely there must have been a pretty high loss of life considering how big the E is and how viciously it was destroyed.
What is the crew compliment of the Enterprise in the JJVerse? Any guess as to how many survived the Enterprise's destruction?
If I may, whenever Gene was at the helm, the "vision" got sucked out, too. His vision was better realised by other people.
I assume that happened between saving the day and getting the new ship.
They never said. One of the promotional websites for the 2009 movie said she had a crew of 1100. Even if they went with the TOS 400 crew, I must admit I wonder how all the survivors fitted into the tiny USS Franklin!
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