STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS - Grading & Discussion [SPOILERS]

[trevanian]

I see JJ Abrams as the servant of the corporations.

So were Gene Roddenberry and Harve Bennett and Nick Meyer and Rick Berman. You have to make product that studios are willing to invest money in.

Man I hate seeing Berman's name included in with those others.

You can work for 'the man' without being his perpetually bent-over bitch, y'know. At least for awhile.

Meyer wasn't hired to deliver a mainstream TREK, or a corporate vision, and he wasn't there to please the fans either. It was always, 'this is my vision - it is what I like about TREK, and if I didn't like something, then I'd omit it or change it.' There wasn't an apology about it like saying this is a different reality than was seen in the series or the previous movie, no creative ass-covering to justify a reboot as might be the case with another doing TREK in a different century.

 

[Anduril]

So has anyone found out how the movie ends?

 

[trevanian]

Therin, I saw TMP when it opened in '79 and I felt the same way. I'd been waiting for years for new Trek, and there it was on the big screen. I was right in the middle of the film, soaking up every second of it. Though it didn't quite hit the mark, it was Trek and it was new. Every time I watch the movie it takes me right back to that place.

Unfortunately, my girlfriend did not appreciate the experience and that was pretty much the end of that. Ah, well. Life goes on.

There was a girl named Karol Bell in highschool that I was really crazy about. Was just about to ask her out when she finally saw CLOSE ENCOUNTERS (this would have been 6-7 months after it came out, just before senior year ended in 78.) I was very excited and asked if she liked it.

She went on about how much she enjoyed the movie (my heart racing faster & faster with every affirmative; I'd seen it several times and talked it up to her after every viewing), but ...

She concluded by saying the only thing she didn't like was the ending, because she could not understand why anyone would ever CHOOSE to get on that ship.

SNAP.

Never asked her out; even with a statistically improbable instance of her actually running into me with her shopping cart at a market neither of us frequented months later, nothing could happen. She just didn't get it.

But she was really really hot.

 

[Therin of Andor]

So has anyone found out how the movie ends?

Yes.

 

[Kruezerman]

So has anyone found out how the movie ends?

Yes.

Kirk inherits the chocolate factory and moves his entire family in.

Wait, that's right right?

 

[section9]

There is this brutal bit of insurgent warfare breaking out on the Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness hashtags on tumblr. Seems some people in Britain and the U.S. have found that a "White Englishman" is playing a Desi Sikh and that's not going down too well among some folks in 2013.

Expect this controversy to start growing over the next week. I'm not sure how big it will get, but some alluded to it earlier when they charged that JJ was engaged in "whitewashing" with Khan's character.

Just FYI.

 

[section9]

So has anyone found out how the movie ends?

Yes.

Kirk inherits the chocolate factory and moves his entire family in.

Wait, that's right right?

Too bad the Oompa-Loompas all go running off to join Khan's insurgency.

 

[Xaios]

Khan realizes that all the crewmembers of the Enterprise Express teamed up to commit the murder.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Expect this controversy to start growing over the next week. I'm not sure how big it will get...

Trivial.

 

[section9]

Expect this controversy to start growing over the next week. I'm not sure how big it will get...

Trivial.

You'd be surprised. I happen to agree with you, but there are people who are somewhat put off by this who don't get why Cumby was cast in the first place.

 

[Chi'pok]

I have read (or skimmed) all 42 pages of the thread. I'm actually glad I did. When I first read the info about the villain; I was mad. Now, after reading the reasons why… I am in a better place and am willing to see the movie for what it is. Consider that you have new writers (well newish (2009)) playing in a sandbox that was created almost 50 years ago (Nov./Dec. 1964!). There is a lot of ground that can be covered and remixed and refashioned and that is a good thing. It also means more Trek onscreen.

I do wish they had written an original story, but they knew what would get butts into seats; so they went with it.

I did like 2009 Trek; altho the lens flares got old real fast. I hope there will be less of them… (please?)

As long as the novels are still being written we have a big enough multiverse to explore and I will be happy with that too..

I was originally not a fan of Enterprise but have since grown to like it. I'm looking forward to Chris Bennett's take on ENT in July. I'm glad there will at least be one nod to ENT fans in the new movie (see upthread).

Sorry for the disjointed nature of this post. Just musing I guess.

 

[Therin of Andor]

Seems some people in Britain and the U.S. have found that a "White Englishman" is playing a Desi Sikh and that's not going down too well among some folks in 2013.

Like a similar-sized group wouldn't have been outraged by a swarthy guy being shown to be a terrorist?

some alluded to it earlier when they charged that JJ was engaged in "whitewashing" with Khan's character.

The best audition gets the job. Welcome to Hollywood.

Were people screaming when Harvey Dent was black (Billy Dee Williams) in "Batman" in 1989? When (Eartha Kitt and) Halle Berry won the role of "Catwoman"?

When the "Fantastic Four" recast blind sculptess, Alicia Masters, as a black woman when the original comics had said she was supposed to be able to pass as Sue Storm without much effort?

I recall chatting to George Takei once, when he and James Doohan were trying to garner some interest in them being cast for a stage version of "The Odd Couple", and he was being met with disbelief. He said if he only ever auditioned for roles written for Asian men in Hollywood, he'd starve.

Now, after reading the reasons why… I am in a better place and am willing to see the movie for what it is.

Perhaps it's partly why it's opening internationally first.

I did like 2009 Trek; altho the lens flares got old real fast. I hope there will be less of them… (please?)

They are quite small, in comparison, and in 3D! They are cool!

 

[Anduril]

So has anyone found out how the movie ends?

Yes.

And you're not telling right?

 

[Therin of Andor]

And you're not telling right?

It really does a disservice to the creators to race around telling people the end of movies and books. Especially hearing back things like, "Oh good, you've saved me the trouble/money now."

Anything I say is just gonna polarize things further. I found the ending to be both satisfying and frustrating, as I believe the makers might have been aiming at. Which is good!

 

[GMDreia]

There is this brutal bit of insurgent warfare breaking out on the Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness hashtags on tumblr. Seems some people in Britain and the U.S. have found that a "White Englishman" is playing a Desi Sikh and that's not going down too well among some folks in 2013.

Expect this controversy to start growing over the next week. I'm not sure how big it will get, but some alluded to it earlier when they charged that JJ was engaged in "whitewashing" with Khan's character.

Just FYI.

Yeah, I have been warning all of my Trekker friends on Tumblr to stay off of all Trek related or Cumberbatch tags, to unfollow their social justice blogs temporarily, maybe even to stay off of tumblr unless they want to be spoilered.

The social justice crowd on tumblr isn't putting anything behind a spoiler cut.

My feeling is there is no way anyone could get it right regarding Khan.

Actually casting a Desi actor as a terrorist would be a huge no no, there's already the problem in America where Middle Eastern and Indian actors mainly get cast as terrorist types or dictator types.

Having a white guy as the bad guy is the safest option, but their very safest would have been not to have used Khan at all.

But I'm excited to see the film and see how things play out.

 

[Anduril]

And you're not telling right?

It really does a disservice to the creators to race around telling people the end of movies and books. Especially hearing back things like, "Oh good, you've saved me the trouble/money now."

Anything I say is just gonna polarize things further. I found the ending to be both satisfying and frustrating, as I believe the makers might have been aiming at. Which is good!

Ok, fair enough. But the way you described the ending has me more curious than ever!

 

[Chi'pok]

Thanks, Therin. I'm glad you enjoyed the movie.

(sorry had to use the Bolian; there does not appear to be an Andorian smiley)

 

[Therin of Andor]

(sorry had to use the Bolian; there does not appear to be an Andorian smiley)

.V

 

[Mach5]

(sorry had to use the Bolian; there does not appear to be an Andorian smiley)

.V

Amateurs.

 

[BillJ]

There is this brutal bit of insurgent warfare breaking out on the Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness hashtags on tumblr. Seems some people in Britain and the U.S. have found that a "White Englishman" is playing a Desi Sikh and that's not going down too well among some folks in 2013.

Expect this controversy to start growing over the next week. I'm not sure how big it will get, but some alluded to it earlier when they charged that JJ was engaged in "whitewashing" with Khan's character.

Just FYI.

Perhaps this is the beginnings of the epic "Star Trek wars" foretold in Futurama...