Come one people, there's no reason to rag on those who may not like it. If they don't like it, this site is here for them to talk about it, just as it is for those who do.
Of course some won't like it, and some will. But just because it is new, doesn't mean fans have to like it. If it's good enough and receives generally good public reviews, a few fans who don't like it will not change the opinions of those who don't. And their views are no less valid about that movie then from those who like it, or want to like it.
My primary fear has achieved fruition already. That some fans will turn on other fans simply becasuse they don't like, or do like, where this film is going. That's the true failure of this film.
And that, at it's core, is really what MY "fear" has been for some time.
Instead of making a film that will appeal to the long-time "purist" fans, the "it could be done differently to make it better" fans, AND the "Star Track? Isn't that the show with Dr. Spock, the captain dude who boinks green chicks and uses a laser sword, and that big hairy co-pilot"... the three groups that I really can imagine seeing this film... they've made one that, is majorly off-putting to at least one (and, potentially, two!) of those groups.
Recasting? No problem, if it's done right. Characterization is more important than casting... and the casting issues that have been criticized have more to do with "can this person play this character as we've known him (or her) for 40+ years" than anything else.
Redesign? Well, nobody has ever argued that the original sets, props, costumes, makeups, etc, should be replicated without any improvements. But those improvements should be along the lines of "this is what the original was TRYING to show us but wasn't able to afford to" rather than "well, wouldn't this be kewl and different."
Canon (aka "Trek universe history")? Okay, we know it's an "alternative timeline" (or more than one?) in this film... and it's FINE for the alternative timelines to be "wrong" (as long as they make sense, internally!)... but the one you have to end up with has to be the "original" one, unless you want to risk alienating a large part of the film's audience.
What we're seeing so far seems to be the thing I feared most... a film that, instead of entertaining EVERYONE in the audience, is going to divide the audience into factions...
The "Purist" fans will bitch about everything... including things that they MIGHT have been able to accept had a few more things been left "as they were." If you take away the main anchors, every little tiny change will hurt just that much more, and this group will feel not only "abandoned" but overtly insulted.
The "Original Trek sucked, this is an improvement" crowd will latch onto everything different... even those things that, if they were being open-minded about things, they'd admit make no sense and basically suck even worse than whatever they have to complain about on TOS. And they'll attack the "purist" fans for being "closed-minded" or "inflexible" or whatever.
We've seen BOTH of those perspectives on this BBS, pretty consistently.
And, of course, the "Chewie copilots the USS Star Track" crowd will be laughing, harder than ever, at BOTH of the other groups. They might enjoy the film... or they might not. But they'll FORGET ABOUT IT immediately after seeing it, just like with any other "popcorn movie."
The result will be that Trek will not become "cool again," but will be permanently fractured, and the culture will be filled with a whole new set of "Star Trek is a joke and so are Star Trek fans" stigmas...
That, in a nutshell, is my "fear" about this movie. That's been my fear all along. And so far, it seems to be largely proving to be true.
