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In the words of my dear friend who is now a Trek fan because of this movie, "Holy shit! Now THAT'S how you open a fuckin' movie!"
J.
J.
That awesome opening scene
- Thread starter RoJoHen
- Start date
Well my partner is or should i say was anti-trek, but that opening seen had her on the edge of her seat.
Tears fell and all (from both of us)
No Trek movie has started so good.
Tears fell and all (from both of us)
No Trek movie has started so good.
Same here. Great opening.
Now y'all don't go beating me up here for mentioning another show, but...
I saw someone on one of the BSG hype shows prior to either a season priemere or a finale. He was talking about sitting down to watch the show, watching some amazing, thought provoking stuff, with incredible effects, and saying "Wow, that was a great show!...and then the opening credits would roll".
I got that feeling from the entire Kelvin sequence. In and of itself, that was a great show... or course the rest was pure gravy, but i just love me some gravy! LOL
I saw someone on one of the BSG hype shows prior to either a season priemere or a finale. He was talking about sitting down to watch the show, watching some amazing, thought provoking stuff, with incredible effects, and saying "Wow, that was a great show!...and then the opening credits would roll".
I got that feeling from the entire Kelvin sequence. In and of itself, that was a great show... or course the rest was pure gravy, but i just love me some gravy! LOL
The opening scene was unbelievably good. So good, in fact, that the rest of the movie tends to pale in comparison. I will be going to see the movie a third time before long, and I almost feel like I am buying a ticket for the Kelvin scene and that I will be getting the rest of the movie as a bonus. It is that good.
One thing I will point out, though, is that the Kelvin scene is so awesome and memorable partly because of its unity of tone. The movie doesn't try to do everything at once in that scene. No slapstick humor, no unnecessary chatter or product placement. Everything in that sequence contributes to the feeling of operatic drama on a massive scale.
The intense awesomeness of the opening sequence is something I hope Abrams and company keep in mind for the sequel. Sometimes it is better not to try to do everything at once.
For example, the destruction of Vulcan really deserved a sequence of equal grandeur and emotional depth.
One thing I will point out, though, is that the Kelvin scene is so awesome and memorable partly because of its unity of tone. The movie doesn't try to do everything at once in that scene. No slapstick humor, no unnecessary chatter or product placement. Everything in that sequence contributes to the feeling of operatic drama on a massive scale.
The intense awesomeness of the opening sequence is something I hope Abrams and company keep in mind for the sequel. Sometimes it is better not to try to do everything at once.
For example, the destruction of Vulcan really deserved a sequence of equal grandeur and emotional depth.
The opening sequence was great. I like the birth scene very much and how he manage to hear his baby before his death.
I don't know why, but at some point I was expecting George Kirk to say: "Time's up!!!"
(am I the only one?)
I don't know why, but at some point I was expecting George Kirk to say: "Time's up!!!"
(am I the only one?)
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Hello All,
Well, I'm about to get overly dramatic in this post of mine
On May 15th, I had a half-day off from work and decided to see Star Trek XI. I had been wanting to see it since it's opening. It was 2pm and there were 10 of us in the theatre. I expected a smallish crowd, but 10? Yes, I counted..little quirky. I thought with this number this ST had to be bad, but thankfully I couldn't have been more wrong. This movie was/is fantastic, and one of the main reasons for that is the Opening sequence regarding the fate of the USS Kelvin.
I was sitting alone and first was struck by how much Captain Robau's countenance reminded me of Captain Picard (TNG is my favorite series), not just the bald head, but his whole aura of authority, the way he walked, talked, delegated authority, and issued the order to evacuate,
as soon as he slightly turned to the officer next to him and said with quiet authority "Walk with me" I was paying attention.
George Kirk, so fair and seemingly unprepared for the level of command which was thrust in his lap, as the acting Captain, he transformed right in front of my eyes. As soon as Terminated flashed across the screen, and through all the choas, with crew bewildered, scared, running for the shuttles, his sat in the chair and became the Captain of the USS Kelvin, his voice became stronger, his orders firm, his care, concern, and love for his wife genuine. He was a master under pressure.
When the sounds muted and the beautiful mornful music played as the shuttles were distancing themselves from the Kelvin and Captain Kirk as he rammed into the Narada, I was thinking , "Oh My Goodness!!! That was AWESOME!!!"
One guy had the guts to clap, it was too dark of course for me to tell if the people spread in the theatre felt the same as me and that guy, but, not for the first time in my life, I wished I had the guts to clap as well, because that opening sequence was fantastic!!!!!
The second time I saw the movie was this past friday, May 22nd, and I went with my long-time/long-suffering/one of my best friends...we caught the early show, and I figured, there won't be anyone in here at this time 11:30am...thankfully, there were too many to count...well, not too many, but I stopped after I reached 30..mainly because I recognized that I was counting...anyway, this time there was no clapper, but my friend is very out-going, she is an extrovert and I am the introvert...I mean, I'm really shy....so after that sequence, she did what I figured she would do...she put her hand in the air and said "Right here!" and through my embarrassment, I raised my hand and she gave me a High-five....and as corny as it sounds or as this entire post sounds, I was so glad she was there and I was so glad I let go and raised my hand.
I still want to go 1 more time, just to see it on IMAX...there won't be anymore high-fiving and I'm sure no clapping, but I will enjoy it as much the third time as the first...and I can't wait!
Well, I'm about to get overly dramatic in this post of mine
On May 15th, I had a half-day off from work and decided to see Star Trek XI. I had been wanting to see it since it's opening. It was 2pm and there were 10 of us in the theatre. I expected a smallish crowd, but 10? Yes, I counted..little quirky. I thought with this number this ST had to be bad, but thankfully I couldn't have been more wrong. This movie was/is fantastic, and one of the main reasons for that is the Opening sequence regarding the fate of the USS Kelvin.
I was sitting alone and first was struck by how much Captain Robau's countenance reminded me of Captain Picard (TNG is my favorite series), not just the bald head, but his whole aura of authority, the way he walked, talked, delegated authority, and issued the order to evacuate,
as soon as he slightly turned to the officer next to him and said with quiet authority "Walk with me" I was paying attention.
George Kirk, so fair and seemingly unprepared for the level of command which was thrust in his lap, as the acting Captain, he transformed right in front of my eyes. As soon as Terminated flashed across the screen, and through all the choas, with crew bewildered, scared, running for the shuttles, his sat in the chair and became the Captain of the USS Kelvin, his voice became stronger, his orders firm, his care, concern, and love for his wife genuine. He was a master under pressure.
When the sounds muted and the beautiful mornful music played as the shuttles were distancing themselves from the Kelvin and Captain Kirk as he rammed into the Narada, I was thinking , "Oh My Goodness!!! That was AWESOME!!!"
One guy had the guts to clap, it was too dark of course for me to tell if the people spread in the theatre felt the same as me and that guy, but, not for the first time in my life, I wished I had the guts to clap as well, because that opening sequence was fantastic!!!!!
The second time I saw the movie was this past friday, May 22nd, and I went with my long-time/long-suffering/one of my best friends
...we caught the early show, and I figured, there won't be anyone in here at this time 11:30am...thankfully, there were too many to count...well, not too many, but I stopped after I reached 30..mainly because I recognized that I was counting...anyway, this time there was no clapper, but my friend is very out-going, she is an extrovert and I am the introvert...I mean, I'm really shy....so after that sequence, she did what I figured she would do...she put her hand in the air and said "Right here!" and through my embarrassment, I raised my hand and she gave me a High-five....and as corny as it sounds or as this entire post sounds, I was so glad she was there and I was so glad I let go and raised my hand.I still want to go 1 more time, just to see it on IMAX...there won't be anymore high-fiving and I'm sure no clapping, but I will enjoy it as much the third time as the first...and I can't wait!
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I never cry at movies - almost never cry, period - but I cried the first several times I saw this scene, and I still tear up even though I've seen the movie several times by now. The moment that really gets me is the conversation after the birth - his reaction at finding out it's a boy, the way she says "George you should be here," and the conversation where they name him. I love that when she says "George you should be here," he responds by changing the subject; I love that in response, when he asks about a name, she makes a joke through the tears. That whole bit is just incredible.
And yeah, the titles, with the giant logo and the music, gives me chills in the theater. And sometimes makes me tear up again.
And yeah, the titles, with the giant logo and the music, gives me chills in the theater. And sometimes makes me tear up again.
It's amazing too because he sees the time to impact on the screen; he know's he's only got about 18 seconds left to live, and he goes on talking to his wife about their son. 
Powerful stuff.
Powerful stuff.
Absolutely. The whole slow-motion sad music stuff is really sad, but what really gets me is their exchange through it all. He's only got seconds to live, and they're talking about baby names! I could watch it over and over.
"Tiberius?! No way, that's the worst!"
Yeah the opening is pretty awesome when you think about it. Ten minutes into a movie and people are crying about Characters they don't even know. I've never been to another movie that's done that. That's good cinema no matter how you swing it. My sister in law on facebook "I can't believe I cried at a Star Trek movie" hahha.
This is exactly why the opening blows me away. I can't believe how much it made me care for these characters.
I was afraid a thread like this would come along sooner or later 
. Ah well, here goes.
I hated the opening sequence, as did all of my friends who came along with me. It was one of the most cringe-worthy scenes I have ever seen on film.
To add a little more detail, the part I really loathe is the whole sequence of birth scenes with the IMHO annoyingly cheesy dialog between Kirk's mother and father. This whole part of the opening was - for me - so contrived, clichéd and silly that I was very, very afraid of where this film was headed.
They were so hell-bent on having Kirk being born in battle, I think, that they even had to have his NAME chosen in battle:
"How about Tiberius?"
"No, that's awful. Let's call him...Jim." Ugh!
Fortunately, IMHO, the film only got better after the opening was finally over (even the kid in the car scenes were better IMHO).
Here's some more comments I have on the intro as a whole which I posted in another thread:
As for the rest of the intro, I enjoyed it. The shots of Robau stepping onto the bridge were quite stunning, for example. It was a great way to re-enter the Trek universe yet sense that things would be different. The visual style and the lighting had a lot to do with that, I think.
I also thought that the way the end itself comes about was very effective. I'll admit that I'd actually forgotten about that. But yes, that was really good.
Leaving the birth scenes aside, I still have to smaller complaints or a complaint and a bit of a question, if you will. For one, I thought the ongoing battle was that bit too much of a frenzy or an assault in blinking, colorful and bright lights. For much of the actual battle, I didn't really know what was going on. I know it was probably intended to be a frenzy, with chaos aboard ship and all, but I prefer if I have more of a sense of what's going on.
Then I kind of have to question Captain Robau's decision to basically turn himself in. I don't really see what he hopes to gain. Plus I'm not quite sure when the ship loses its Warp drive. I seem to remember wondering at one point - before they lose it - why they don't just get the hell out of there. Maybe somebody can clear the sequence up a bit for me. I know I came out of it wondering if the loss of the ship and part of its crew couldn't have been avoided.
So, all in all, I actually liked the intro. It was certainly effective in parts. But the birth scenes proved to be very distracting for me. In thinking about it some more, I realized that they pretty much single handedly killed any emotional response I might have otherwise gotten from the sequence as a whole since those scenes seemed so forced and melodramatic to me.
. Ah well, here goes.I hated the opening sequence, as did all of my friends who came along with me. It was one of the most cringe-worthy scenes I have ever seen on film.
To add a little more detail, the part I really loathe is the whole sequence of birth scenes with the IMHO annoyingly cheesy dialog between Kirk's mother and father. This whole part of the opening was - for me - so contrived, clichéd and silly that I was very, very afraid of where this film was headed.
They were so hell-bent on having Kirk being born in battle, I think, that they even had to have his NAME chosen in battle:
"How about Tiberius?"
"No, that's awful. Let's call him...Jim." Ugh!
Fortunately, IMHO, the film only got better after the opening was finally over (even the kid in the car scenes were better IMHO).
Here's some more comments I have on the intro as a whole which I posted in another thread:
As for the rest of the intro, I enjoyed it. The shots of Robau stepping onto the bridge were quite stunning, for example. It was a great way to re-enter the Trek universe yet sense that things would be different. The visual style and the lighting had a lot to do with that, I think.
I also thought that the way the end itself comes about was very effective. I'll admit that I'd actually forgotten about that. But yes, that was really good.
Leaving the birth scenes aside, I still have to smaller complaints or a complaint and a bit of a question, if you will. For one, I thought the ongoing battle was that bit too much of a frenzy or an assault in blinking, colorful and bright lights. For much of the actual battle, I didn't really know what was going on. I know it was probably intended to be a frenzy, with chaos aboard ship and all, but I prefer if I have more of a sense of what's going on.
Then I kind of have to question Captain Robau's decision to basically turn himself in. I don't really see what he hopes to gain. Plus I'm not quite sure when the ship loses its Warp drive. I seem to remember wondering at one point - before they lose it - why they don't just get the hell out of there. Maybe somebody can clear the sequence up a bit for me. I know I came out of it wondering if the loss of the ship and part of its crew couldn't have been avoided.
So, all in all, I actually liked the intro. It was certainly effective in parts. But the birth scenes proved to be very distracting for me. In thinking about it some more, I realized that they pretty much single handedly killed any emotional response I might have otherwise gotten from the sequence as a whole since those scenes seemed so forced and melodramatic to me.
I was afraid a thread like this would come along sooner or later
I started this thread 17 days ago, thank you very much.
As for the rest of your review...um...I disagree!
Well, I do think some of the battle FX were a little crazy and hard to follow (that torpedo's-eye-view shot was particularly confusing), but that's probably the only complaint I have.
That birth scene just broke my heart.
I was afraid a thread like this would come along sooner or later
I hated the opening sequence, as did all of my friends who came along with me. It was one of the most cringe-worthy scenes I have ever seen on film.
To add a little more detail, the part I really loathe is the whole sequence of birth scenes with the IMHO annoyingly cheesy dialog between Kirk's mother and father. This whole part of the opening was - for me - so contrived, clichéd and silly that I was very, very afraid of where this film was headed.
They were so hell-bent on having Kirk being born in battle, I think, that they even had to have his NAME chosen in battle:
"How about Tiberius?"
"No, that's awful. Let's call him...Jim." Ugh!
Fortunately, IMHO, the film only got better after the opening was finally over (even the kid in the car scenes were better IMHO).
Here's some more comments I have on the intro as a whole which I posted in another thread:
As for the rest of the intro, I enjoyed it. The shots of Robau stepping onto the bridge were quite stunning, for example. It was a great way to re-enter the Trek universe yet sense that things would be different. The visual style and the lighting had a lot to do with that, I think.
I also thought that the way the end itself comes about was very effective. I'll admit that I'd actually forgotten about that. But yes, that was really good.
Leaving the birth scenes aside, I still have to smaller complaints or a complaint and a bit of a question, if you will. For one, I thought the ongoing battle was that bit too much of a frenzy or an assault in blinking, colorful and bright lights. For much of the actual battle, I didn't really know what was going on. I know it was probably intended to be a frenzy, with chaos aboard ship and all, but I prefer if I have more of a sense of what's going on.
Then I kind of have to question Captain Robau's decision to basically turn himself in. I don't really see what he hopes to gain. Plus I'm not quite sure when the ship loses its Warp drive. I seem to remember wondering at one point - before they lose it - why they don't just get the hell out of there. Maybe somebody can clear the sequence up a bit for me. I know I came out of it wondering if the loss of the ship and part of its crew couldn't have been avoided.
So, all in all, I actually liked the intro. It was certainly effective in parts. But the birth scenes proved to be very distracting for me. In thinking about it some more, I realized that they pretty much single handedly killed any emotional response I might have otherwise gotten from the sequence as a whole since those scenes seemed so forced and melodramatic to me.
Well.. you are entitled to your opinion. We Star Trek fans surely are a tolerant bunch
As to your questions:
The battle was chaotic yes.. i give you that but i felt it was kind of a well done chaos. It was clear from the start that the Kelvin had next to zero chances of winning this fight.. at best it could escape but that was no option either as soon as the warp drive was gone.
A negative example of chaos would be the film style of Michael Bay where i really can't tell anything and important stuff happens during the action and i scratch my head when the dust settles wondering when that happened.
As to Robeau (i like my spealling better
). He knew he can't match the Narada in combat and running is out of the question so he turns himself in hoping these few minutes of cease fire would give his crew enough time to either flee or prepare to fight. Maybe he hoped it would give them enough time to get the warpdrive running again so they could escape but i believe his main goal was to buy the Kelvin some time and maybe the faint hope that it was a misunderstanding and it could be resolved somehow without the need for further battle.However he must have known that chances were slim and he would venture into a lions den alone and unarmed and that is what makes him so popular here.
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