The New Movies Yea or Nay

[Brie]

To often I feel as though I am the only person in the world (both Trek fans and non) who doesn't like the new Trek movies. I can't quite put my finger on it but something about them rubs me the wrong way. Maybe it's that they are so different from the original episodes or maybe it's the fact that they are "new" I honestly don't know. What I want to know is am I the only one?! Do you like the new movies or no? If so (or if not) why?

 

[Lance]

Re: The New Movies Yay or Nay

To often I feel as though I am the only person in the world (both Trek fans and non) who doesn't like the new Trek movies.

Well that's certainly not true. You're not the only person who doesn't like them. Plenty of people don't.

I mean, I'm not among them. I love the new movies. But to each their own.

Maybe it's that they are so different from the original episodes or maybe it's the fact that they are "new" I honestly don't know. What I want to know is am I the only one?! Do you like the new movies or no? If so (or if not) why?

Well, for me they tap into a Star Trek we haven't seen since TOS. Really, the vast iteration of 'Berman Trek' was a very broad, kind of homogenised version of the premise, whereas TOS was more or less a main course of action show with a side salad of moral introspection. nuTrek has done plenty bad things, but at the core of it is a seat-of-your-pants action adventure very much in the vein of the original 79 episodes. I'm not sure that Gene Roddenberry himself would have liked the new movies much, given that Gene Roddenberry had so drastically changed Star Trek's formula in its later years. But the nuTrek movies feel at their core, to me at least, like a distillation of the TOS formula. Perhaps they could do more moralising and touch upon deeper topics, but the tone of the two movies (so far!) feels as much like Star Trek as anything I've seen made in the franchise's name over the years.

At the end of the day it really all just comes down to personal taste. Different people want different things out of their Star Trek.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Re: The New Movies Yay or Nay

There several polls running on the site. One in the General forum and a couple in the STXI+ forum. There are no votes in all of them, though they are in the minority. So you're not alone.

I like them, myself and feel they capture the spirit and energy of TOS. Though not the spin offs.

 

[Brie]

Re: The New Movies Yay or Nay

One of my bigger complaints was how it deviated from the original show, like the romulans looked nothing like TOS romulans. And spock and uhura?

A lot of what the movies did just didn't sit right with me.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Re: The New Movies Yay or Nay

One of my bigger complaints was how it deviated from the original show, like the romulans looked nothing like TOS romulans. And spock and uhura?

A lot of what the movies did just didn't sit right with me.

Not sure what you mean. They had arched eyebrows and pointed ears, pretty much the definitive Romulan traits. They looked better than the TNG+ Romulans with their shoulder pads and bowl cut wigs

Look at some early TOS episodes like "Charlie X", there you'll see the inspiration for Spock and Uhura's romance.

Yes it different than TOS, but that's the point of an alternate timeline

 

[Brie]

Re: The New Movies Yay or Nay

One of my bigger complaints was how it deviated from the original show, like the romulans looked nothing like TOS romulans. And spock and uhura?

A lot of what the movies did just didn't sit right with me.

Not sure what you mean. They had arched eyebrows and pointed ears, pretty much the definitive Romulan traits. They looked better than the TNG+ Romulans with their shoulder pads and bowl cut wigs

Look at some early TOS episodes like "Charlie X", there you'll see the inspiration for Spock and Uhura's romance.

Yes it different than TOS, but that's the point of an alternate timeline

maybe it was the klingons then I know one race they vastly changed their look. I only saw the movie once since I was not a fan.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Re: The New Movies Yay or Nay

One of my bigger complaints was how it deviated from the original show, like the romulans looked nothing like TOS romulans. And spock and uhura?

A lot of what the movies did just didn't sit right with me.

Not sure what you mean. They had arched eyebrows and pointed ears, pretty much the definitive Romulan traits. They looked better than the TNG+ Romulans with their shoulder pads and bowl cut wigs

Look at some early TOS episodes like "Charlie X", there you'll see the inspiration for Spock and Uhura's romance.

Yes it different than TOS, but that's the point of an alternate timeline

maybe it was the klingons then I know one race they vastly changed their look. I only saw the movie once since I was not a fan.

The Klingons have had a variety of looks.
The biggest change was when they went from this

to

I find the nuKlingons to look more like the latter which debuted in TMP.

But the closest match might be Col Worf from TUC

Almost every film has presented a new look for the Klingons.

STIII

STIV

STV

STVI

And of course TNG had their own take with each Kingon having their own look.

 

[Dukhat]

Re: The New Movies Yay or Nay

Shouldn't this be in the New Trek Movie forum?

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Re: The New Movies Yay or Nay

I have a pretty nuanced view of nuTrek.

First of all, Trek films over the years have largely been disappointing to me. Yet the nuTrek films rank in my upper-half of all Trek films. So, even though I find fault with nuTrek, I end up being relatively pleased, in relation to other Trek films, just to start with.

As mentioned by Nerys Myk, early TOS episodes featured hints of a possible Spock/Uhura romance, that would have seemed pretty natural and, well, logical, if the writers had chosen to capitalize on it early in the series. But they didn't. The nuTrek timeline is an alternate history in which romance was realized, and it works for me. This is an example of taking character dynamics to the next level that has been sorely needed in Trek: romance between a lead character and another regular. Riker/Troi went nowhere in the series, and we had to wait for freakin' NEM for them to get married! Neither Worf nor Jadzia was a lead character (though arguably that meant less on DS9 than it would have on TNG). Etc.

Is nuTrek too kinetic for me? Well, yes, it is. I'm regularly amused at the degree to which characters sprint around the ship, when a turbolift should have gotten them there faster. But it's not so bad as to make it unwatchable. That's already factored into my ranking.

I remember watching STXI, dreading the worst, and being pleasantly surprised with the degree to which it was faithful to TOS. I expected so much less.

The casting is brilliant.

nuKirk's rise to command is utterly eyerolling. But then again, so is losing Ceti Alpha V in TWOK, something on which the whole plot depends. It's hard to pin down and express criticisms of nuTrek that oldTrek isn't also guilty of. That itself is a criticism though, at least in a way. It's arguably being a faithful reboot if it employs the same tropes as the source, but on the other hand there are certain aspects that I always thought needed improvement, such as the comic-book physics.

So, I'm at "Yay" nuTrek, with the caveat that it needs improvement. It's not improvement that is likely to be, and I'm not freaking out, so I'm fine with it, but that's my opinion.

edited to add: Oh. I forgot to mention that I've seen every episode and movie, most multiple times, many dozens of times, a few even more, and I've been a fan of Star Trek for 45 years.

 

[Lance]

Re: The New Movies Yay or Nay

I like them, myself and feel they capture the spirit and energy of TOS. Though not the spin offs.

Absolutely what I intended to say Nerys Myk, but you said it far more succinctly than I.


NuTrek (deliberately) forgets a lot of Roddenberry's latter-day revisionism, and simply adapts the tenements of the original series to a more modern context. And it does this very well.

 

[Peach Wookiee]

Re: The New Movies Yay or Nay

Okay, guys, moving this next door!

 

[fireproof78]

Re: The New Movies Yay or Nay

I have a pretty nuanced view of nuTrek.

First of all, Trek films over the years have largely been disappointing to me. Yet the nuTrek films rank in my upper-half of all Trek films. So, even though I find fault with nuTrek, I end up being relatively pleased, in relation to other Trek films, just to start with.

As mentioned by Nerys Myk, early TOS episodes featured hints of a possible Spock/Uhura romance, that would have seemed pretty natural and, well, logical, if the writers had chosen to capitalize on it early in the series. But they didn't. The nuTrek timeline is an alternate history in which romance was realized, and it works for me. This is an example of taking character dynamics to the next level that has been sorely needed in Trek: romance between a lead character and another regular. Riker/Troi went nowhere in the series, and we had to wait for freakin' NEM for them to get married! Neither Worf nor Jadzia was a lead characters (though arguably that meant less on DS9 than it would have on TNG). Etc.

Is nuTrek too kinetic for me? Well, yes, it is. I'm regularly amused at the degree to which characters sprint around the ship, when a turbolift should have gotten them there faster. But it's not so bad as to make it unwatchable. That's already factored into my ranking.

I remember watching on STXI, dreading the worst, and being pleasantly surprised with the degree to which it was faithful to TOS. I expected so much less.

The casting is brilliant.

nuKirk's rise to command is utterly eyerolling. But then again, so is losing Ceti Alpha V in TWOK, something on which the whole plot depends. It's hard to pin down and express criticisms of nuTrek that oldTrek isn't also guilty of. That itself is a criticism though, at least in a way. It's arguably being a faithful reboot if it employs the same tropes as the source, but on the other hand there are certain aspects that I always thought needed improvement, such as the comic-book physics.

So, I'm at "Yay" nuTrek, with the caveat that it needs improvement. It's not improvement that is likely to be, and I'm not freaking out, so I'm fine with it, but that's my opinion.

I bolded a part that I have been trying to express myself since, well discussing these films.

I agree with the listing above, and find the new films being in the spirit of TOS, with a sense of action and adventure, with a decent amount of social commentary.

Personally, I think the casting was absolutely great. As much as I like the original crew nuKirk is probably the most fascinating character and his arc is interesting study in Kirk's potential.

It isn't for everyone, due to the faster and more intense approach, but I find them to be a lot of fun.

 

[M'Sharak]

Re: The New Movies Yay or Nay

Shouldn't this be in the New Trek Movie forum?

Okay, guys, moving this next door!

Thanks.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

Re: The New Movies Yay or Nay

The Klingons have had a variety of looks.
The biggest change was when they went from this

to

I find the nuKlingons to look more like the latter which debuted in TMP.

But the closest match might be Col Worf from TUC

Almost every film has presented a new look for the Klingons.

STIII

STIV

STV

STVI

And of course TNG had their own take with each Kingon having their own look.

I think it's fascinating that due to all the advancements in makeup techniques and prosthetics over the years and the ongoing process to try and enhance the Klingon appearance or make it new and unique to each show or film, that they've actually managed to make them a more fully realized species that approaches the vast differentiation in physical characteristics of human beings. Likewise with the Romulans and other Trek species that have changes over the decades.

Rather than look at it as a bad decision or mistake like the OP and many others do, I think it's a good thing to show a wider variance in physical characteristics like this (within limits -- you shouldn't make them so different they're unrecognizable as variants of the same species, like a Ferengi suddenly looking like an upright elephant or something), and manages to make it an overall more realistic species depiction than one where all the people look almost exactly the same, regardless of whether it was the intention to make them more diverse or just an update to the makeup.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Re: The New Movies Yay or Nay

To often I feel as though I am the only person in the world (both Trek fans and non) who doesn't like the new Trek movies. I can't quite put my finger on it but something about them rubs me the wrong way. Maybe it's that they are so different from the original episodes or maybe it's the fact that they are "new" I honestly don't know. What I want to know is am I the only one?! Do you like the new movies or no? If so (or if not) why?

A very enthusiastic "yay" for me. The new movies are everything I love about TOS and the classic movies, brilliantly updated and cranked up to 11. I love the modernised characters and the sense of fun and adventure - things Trek's been often missing, IMO, since TNG began.

 

[martok2112]

Re: The New Movies Yay or Nay

To often I feel as though I am the only person in the world (both Trek fans and non) who doesn't like the new Trek movies. I can't quite put my finger on it but something about them rubs me the wrong way. Maybe it's that they are so different from the original episodes or maybe it's the fact that they are "new" I honestly don't know. What I want to know is am I the only one?! Do you like the new movies or no? If so (or if not) why?

A very enthusiastic "yay" for me. The new movies are everything I love about TOS and the classic movies, brilliantly updated and cranked up to 11. I love the modernised characters and the sense of fun and adventure - things Trek's been often missing, IMO, since TNG began.

+infinity

 

[Amaris]

Re: The New Movies Yay or Nay

To often I feel as though I am the only person in the world (both Trek fans and non) who doesn't like the new Trek movies. I can't quite put my finger on it but something about them rubs me the wrong way. Maybe it's that they are so different from the original episodes or maybe it's the fact that they are "new" I honestly don't know. What I want to know is am I the only one?! Do you like the new movies or no? If so (or if not) why?

A very enthusiastic "yay" for me. The new movies are everything I love about TOS and the classic movies, brilliantly updated and cranked up to 11. I love the modernised characters and the sense of fun and adventure - things Trek's been often missing, IMO, since TNG began.

I agree completely. A resounding, enthusiastic "yay!" from me.

 

[BillJ]

Re: The New Movies Yay or Nay

Yay here.

 

[IrishNero]

Re: The New Movies Yay or Nay

It's not a surprise to me that any long-time Trek fan is not in love with the new movies. Did I like them? They're OK. I thought the effects were spectacular and a couple of crew members were awesome in their portrayals. However, as I've seen every episode of every Star Trek series and all of the movies, my perception of ST was already colored by what I already knew about the franchise, which was considerably more than the casual Trek fan or the movie-goer that shows up hand-in-pocket and buys a ticket because he/she doesn't like anything else at the matinee that night.

In any case, Abrams made a lot of money for the Studio. It's not that he should, or even can please every fan when you take on such a daunting task, but perhaps doing so should be performed with understanding. Who knows if Abrams returns to the series after his venture into a galaxy far, far away. But as he's still producing the next movie, I would speculate that we have many more lens flares in our immediate future...

 

[Locutus of Bored]

Re: The New Movies Yay or Nay

It's not a surprise to me that any long-time Trek fan is not in love with the new movies. Did I like them? They're OK. I thought the effects were spectacular and a couple of crew members were awesome in their portrayals. However, as I've seen every episode of every Star Trek series and all of the movies, my perception of ST was already colored by what I already knew about the franchise, which was considerably more than the casual Trek fan or the movie-goer that shows up hand-in-pocket and buys a ticket because he/she doesn't like anything else at the matinee that night.

I think the Abrams and crew approached the subject with a bit of Hubris, and dissuaded all of the detractors as being 'old fuddy-duddies' who are bent by habit and tradition, and can't stand seeing anything new (or anything old that's packaged as new). You can see this underlying tone in many of his interviews so it shouldn't be any surprise to anyone to hear that. That quality hasn't helped to endear him to many long-time fans either. Not only did he come in and re-create a cast that had long-since been ingrained in pop-culture and the psyche of long-time fans, he did so by chucking aside just about everything by creating his own timeline. It's a steamroller approach and dismissive.

In any case, he made a lot of money for the Studio and will probably regard Star Wars fans with a bit of the same disregard that he did with Star Trek fans. It's not that he should, or even can please every fan when you take on such a daunting task, but perhaps doing so should be performed a with a bit more understanding. Who knows if Abrams returns to the series after his venture into a galaxy far, far away. But as he's still producing the next movie, I would speculate that we have many more lens flares in our immediate future...

By "underlying tone of disregard smacking of hubris," do you mean like the oh so subtle way you implied that people who enjoyed the films probably aren't long term, knowledgeable fans of Trek like yourself? Is that the type of tone you're referring to, and presumably providing a helpful example of? If so, I don't recall Abrams using that kind of tone or implying anything of the sort.

I recall him saying that in order for the films to be successful, they'd have to attract a new audience rather than simply relying on existing fans, which is not a dismissal of existing fans but a simple statement of fact. If he was disregarding existing fans he wouldn't have paid homage to TOS in the first place, he would have done something completely different.

Or are you referring to the fact that he didn't consider Star Trek to be his favorite thing in the world when he was growing up (instead being more of a Star Wars fan)? Well, if that's the criteria, you'd have to dismiss a lot of Trek directors and producers. You don't have to be a die hard Trekkie to make a good film, nor does not being a huge fan beforehand mean you're unaware of the franchise and can't be enthusiastic about making a Trek movie. Nor was Abrams alone in working on the film, and other people who were even bigger fans than he was were part of its development. We've had die hard Trek fans and non Trek fans make Trek films and TV episodes, and both have produced winners and losers. It's not a guarantee either way.