What are your top 3 Star Trek films?
- Thread starter Trelane_Squire_of_Gothos
- Start date
Wrath, Generations, First Contact.
While I know it's not scientific it is interesting to see that the Abrams films do not rank in many people's top 3 here and of those 3 Beyond is currently leading. That movie doesn't get a lot of love usually from the Abrams fans, though I'm one of the exceptions because it was my favorite of the 3.
I really liked Star Trek (2009) when it came out, but as the years go by I find I like it less and less. For whatever reason it's just not aging well for me and now it's sort of down to meh level for me when I watch it. I liked some of STID and there were a few things I didn't care for about it. But my opinion of STID hasn't really changed over the years.
As far as the first 10 films there are not too many surprises there. It appears TWOK, TUC and First Contact lead the pact with TVH not far behind. Then TMP and TSFS are in the middle and the other films near the bottom. And I don't think any of that's really surprising. I just found the biggest surprise was that the 3 Abrams films rank near the bottom overall.
I really liked Star Trek (2009) when it came out, but as the years go by I find I like it less and less. For whatever reason it's just not aging well for me and now it's sort of down to meh level for me when I watch it. I liked some of STID and there were a few things I didn't care for about it. But my opinion of STID hasn't really changed over the years.
As far as the first 10 films there are not too many surprises there. It appears TWOK, TUC and First Contact lead the pact with TVH not far behind. Then TMP and TSFS are in the middle and the other films near the bottom. And I don't think any of that's really surprising. I just found the biggest surprise was that the 3 Abrams films rank near the bottom overall.
It would be an interesting experiment to have everyone rank all 13 films and see how that shakes out, with ranking position equating to a "weighting."
For example, I have TFF as my #4, so it just missed my top 3, but as such, it doesn't get a vote. I'd have Nemesis somewhere middle of the pack, which would give it some good points relatively speaking....while I also have TUC and TVH ranked much lower relatively than others typically would...which would take away points in an overall "competition"
You can't really do that on the BBS poll system, but it would be a cool way of looking at the popularity of the films amongst fans.
I'd probably go
13 points- TWOK
12 points- TSFS
11 points- TMP
10 points- TFF
9 points- FC
8 points- 2009
7 points- TUC
6 points- TVH
5 points- NEM
4 points- BEY
3 points- GEN
2 points- ID
1 point- INS
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Wow, TFF is high!
13 - INS
12 - BEY
11 - 09
-15 - NEM
13 - INS
12 - BEY
11 - 09
-15 - NEM
Hey, if enough people rank them here, or someone starts a new thread, I'll go through all the posts and calculate the final ranking.
Yeah, that's not a bad idea. Or we could just say "when you rank, update the scoring..." but that would require people to do maths...and that's daunting and tedious for some.
Maybe what I'll do is throw a thread together and put a notional deadline in there, so we can do the calculations at a certain point. Then, if we get straggler posts after that point...we can update.
Does that work?
EDIT:
Here's the link to the new "game" thread:
https://www.trekbbs.com/threads/most-popular-trek-films-according-to-trekbbs-denizens.311153/
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It's not a surprise for me at all. One thing I think the original series had going for it was that the characters were the most likable and had the best chemistry in the entire franchise. Replacing the original characters with new actors was an uphill battle.
I agree that Star Trek (2009) was enjoyable when it first came out, but it has not aged well since that time. I think it has everything to do with the characters not coming close to living up the characters created by the original cast. The sequels made that ever more evident. The characters were not developed well in the sequels and now, looking back on 2009, I cannot appreciate that film.
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It always surprises me to see this idea of a film "not aging well." For me, a film is permanently connected to the first experience of it. ST 09, for all it's struggles, is still the best Abrams film hands down, and in my top three Trek films. It is a very human story that I love to revisit more and more, over ID or Beyond. Beyond doesn't grab me, and has this unfortunate feeling of dread attached to it, that I do not appreciate.
ID is firmly in the middle. Not good, and not bad. It has it's ups and downs, and some extremely memorable and moving moments.
If that's the standard then of course not. That's impossible to live to such a high mark, and of course it will falter. The standard is unreasonably high.
Even Chris Pine recognized that in his interviews prior to 09's release. He didn't want to ape Shatner's performance. He wanted to capture the character of Kirk and then tell his version of it. It shines in that film, way more he will ever get credit.
What is the "standard? " It's going to be different for individuals based on their own sensibilities. I am sure no one expects the Kelvin characters to meet the impact of the original characters, but the point I was making is that the Kelvin films are way off the mark, and the sequels accented the flaws in those characters (which reduced the stock of 2009).
I disagree that Pine "shines" as Kirk. It's like the 90210 version of Kirk.
That's the thing-I have no standard. They are not the original characters, yet feel very much like they could become such.
Probably an agree to disagree moment since Kirk isn't Kirk in 09, but has moments that are very Kirk. And the 90210 reference is lost on me.
I am surprised it would be "lost" on you. It's a comparison between Pine's style as Kirk and some of the male leads in the teen soap opera Beverly Hills 90210.
As far as awareness of the show I know the name and that's it. I have never watched it.
As far as to how the show's protagonists relate to Pine Kirk I have no idea.
Even though they aren't my favorite Trek films, they mostly aren't horrible by any measure imho, but for what it's worth, I actually found myself surprisingly ok with everyone's character interpretations in the Kelvin films.
As someone who's done a little acting, it's kind of what you have to expect new actors to do. They take the character on the page, & maybe factor in what it is worth to the franchise & overall narrative, couple that with what they think they personally can do & add to it, that feels authentic, & fitting in the modern context, & make the best of it. I think all of them actually did that. I've seen other reboots or recasts where I couldn't say the same.
For example, Alden Ehrenreich as Han Solo... I didn't see it so much. It didn't pass for me as much as that guy. Pine as Kirk? I kind of get there. He made it happen somehow, without it being an imitation & that's not easy. I'd say the only one that lost me a bit was Quinto, when he raged too much, which didn't seem authentic to Spock, who had to go through a HELL of a lot more to have that kind of behavior happen (That's a writing issue though more than actor interpretation I think)
In fact, I was really heartbroken for the whole cast when Yelchin died. In some ways, I don't even feel like the group is a functioning whole without him, in almost as much a way as I felt for the 1st cast when DeForest Kelley passed
As someone who's done a little acting, it's kind of what you have to expect new actors to do. They take the character on the page, & maybe factor in what it is worth to the franchise & overall narrative, couple that with what they think they personally can do & add to it, that feels authentic, & fitting in the modern context, & make the best of it. I think all of them actually did that. I've seen other reboots or recasts where I couldn't say the same.
For example, Alden Ehrenreich as Han Solo... I didn't see it so much. It didn't pass for me as much as that guy. Pine as Kirk? I kind of get there. He made it happen somehow, without it being an imitation & that's not easy. I'd say the only one that lost me a bit was Quinto, when he raged too much, which didn't seem authentic to Spock, who had to go through a HELL of a lot more to have that kind of behavior happen (That's a writing issue though more than actor interpretation I think)
In fact, I was really heartbroken for the whole cast when Yelchin died. In some ways, I don't even feel like the group is a functioning whole without him, in almost as much a way as I felt for the 1st cast when DeForest Kelley passed
At the risk of retreading very old terrain how did Spock go through a lot more? Spock even says "Jim, I've just lost my entire world. I can tell you I'm emotionally compromised." Quinto Spock has a reason to rage. He is younger, more emotional even (as the Cage demonstrated), and struggled with his mother as being a trigger point for him. Note that the times he loses his cool it revolves around his mother.
^I'm not saying it isn't explainable, just that it doesn't jibe with how you'd expect to see Spock portrayed
The same is true with how they chose to rebrand Uhura, who in the new cast has been elevated to 3rd lead over McCoy in the original incarnation. So whole new aspects of her character have to be crafted to that dynamic as well
Look, I'm not saying any of that is inherently bad or wrong or anything. Just that these are deliberate new angles on the characters that are a departure, for good or ill.
The same is true with how they chose to rebrand Uhura, who in the new cast has been elevated to 3rd lead over McCoy in the original incarnation. So whole new aspects of her character have to be crafted to that dynamic as well
Look, I'm not saying any of that is inherently bad or wrong or anything. Just that these are deliberate new angles on the characters that are a departure, for good or ill.
I suppose that's fair but I'm also a person who went in to it expecting departures, and not in a good way. But, to me, their dynamic plays very well off of each other in a different but still special way. I love 09 because it shows that each person has a part to play. I struggle to find the ill in it.
The Motion Picture
The Human Adventure is Just Beginning. Too right it is! This film shows just how big space can be. Star Trek's cinematic masterpiece of scale. It shows a peaceful world I want to truly inhabit!
The Voyage Home
The Enterprise is gone, but her crew remains as impeccable as ever. Saving Earth yet again without stepping on too many butterflies.
First Contact
Saving the future by saving the past. Today is not a good day to die when the Enterprise shows up to offer support.
The Human Adventure is Just Beginning. Too right it is! This film shows just how big space can be. Star Trek's cinematic masterpiece of scale. It shows a peaceful world I want to truly inhabit!
The Voyage Home
The Enterprise is gone, but her crew remains as impeccable as ever. Saving Earth yet again without stepping on too many butterflies.
First Contact
Saving the future by saving the past. Today is not a good day to die when the Enterprise shows up to offer support.
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