What was your answer when someone IRL asked about the 2009 film?

[Lord Garth]

The 2009 film seemed like it was the Star Trek film everyone I knew in Real Life wanted to see. It probably seemed that way to a lot of other people here too. So, I couldn't have been the only one here who had the following happen: everyone at work, everyone I ever knew from high school or college who I ran into, and anyone I still knew at all, was asking me, "What do you think of the new Star Trek movie?"

I knew most of them weren't hardcore fans and they just wanted a quick answer, but they all wanted to know my take. It got annoying after a while, but I took it in stride. I figured, "How often will this ever happen again? Live it up."

So, before the movie was released, I said, "I'm looking forward to it!" or "Can't wait to see it!" whenever asked. After I saw it, I said "I thought it was great!" If I knew they'd seen TNG (and had especially seen Nemesis): I'd say, "It was better than the last one!"

Those were the answers I had prepped in my mind because I knew I'd be asked a lot. Luckily, they were the truth.

So, did you have any prepped answer in case that happened to you?

 

[plynch]

I felt bad because ppl were wanting to, like, share my joy, but I was kind of meh on it. Stock answer was, It was alright.

 

[lawman]

Beforehand, I said I was looking forward to it, and then (as it grew closer and the details became clearer) that I was cautiously optimistic. After I saw it, I warned people away in no uncertain terms, telling them that it was the sort of brain-dead summer action flick that would insult their intelligence. If they were Trek fans, I went into greater detail about how pathetically wince-inducing it was, and how much of a betrayal of the potential of the Trek concept. I did offer the caveat that some of the actors were good, despite the godawful story they were saddled with.

It's been nearly a decade. I've seen it more than once (not of my own volition). My opinion really hasn't changed.

 

[F. King Daniel]

I told the truth: I loved every minute of it.

 

[Butters]

The only person in real life that asked me about it was my wife, and she watched it in the cinema with me. I didn’t want to be identified with the frothing haters on sites like this, or dampen her enthusiasm, so I pretended I liked it.

 

[Spot261]

I frothed and told them I hated it, dampening any and all enthusiasm they might have

 

[XCV330]

I liked it a lot and honestly most anyone I'd talk to movies about were in the same boat, in that regard. There are vast swathes of star-trek-appreciators who haven't been told they aren't supposed to like the Kelvinverse films. Many of these are the same people who were never contacted by the "ENT IS BAD AKIRAPRISE SUX!" missionaries.

 

[Relayer1]

I felt bad because ppl were wanting to, like, share my joy, but I was kind of meh on it. Stock answer was, It was alright.

Yeah, it was alright.

Sadly, the more familiar I got with it, the less I liked it.I

Edit - even more sadly, I think the movies got steadily worse.

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

It was alright, lots of things grated against me, but overall it wasn't too offensive to my sensibilities. On my NuTrek ranking it's in second place.

 

[The Wormhole]

At the time, I really wasn't all that hot on the movie, so my answer to anyone in the real world who asked was "it was a disappointment." A lot of people reacted "really? But everyone else thinks it's so awesome." One guy I worked with actually laughed when he heard me say the movie was disappointing, then promptly went and saw it and enjoyed it.

Hell, my parents asked me if I'd recommend the movie, and I said no. A week or so later, my sister (who has never been a Trekkie) saw the movie, gushed to everyone how awesome it was, which motivated my parents into checking it out and they enjoyed it themselves.

Summer 2009 was a very depressing time for me.

 

[DonIago]

I would say as a Star Trek film it was pretty good, and it was worth seeing just on the grounds of seeing a new take on an old universe. As a film in its own right? Ehhh....

But I would always add that if the film ultimately rekindled interest in the Star Trek universe, which seems to have been the case, then it was worth it.

 

[seigezunt]

"It's an affectionate and fun homage to and reinterpretation of the original series. Imagine, if you will, a Star Trek franchise where TNG never happened, and you'll have a fair idea of what to expect. And the good news is you don't have to have seen the show to understand and enjoy it. I know, right?"

For close friends I'd say, "you know my wife. She has no patience for Star Trek, and she enjoyed it."

 

[Jedman67]

I remember thinking it was a fun action flick. Enjoyable but plot holes you could drive a truck through.

 

[Spot261]

At the time, I really wasn't all that hot on the movie, so my answer to anyone in the real world who asked was "it was a disappointment." A lot of people reacted "really? But everyone else thinks it's so awesome." One guy I worked with actually laughed when he heard me say the movie was disappointing, then promptly went and saw it and enjoyed it.

Hell, my parents asked me if I'd recommend the movie, and I said no. A week or so later, my sister (who has never been a Trekkie) saw the movie, gushed to everyone how awesome it was, which motivated my parents into checking it out and they enjoyed it themselves.

Summer 2009 was a very depressing time for me.

I think the difference there was between people on the one hand who were general movie goers enjoying a fairly solid action movie and a certain segment of the fanbase (you and me included) on the other who saw it as not really representing what had made trek so special to them.

I've warmed to it over time and am willing to take a more balanced view these days, much as I am with DSC, but at the time I was pretty disappointed.

 

[Relayer1]

I've warmed to it over time

Just the opposite for me...

 

[The Wormhole]

The irony was, with STID and Beyond I had a generally more pleasant attitude towards those movies, yet no one really wanted to hear my opinion on it. Indeed, the guy I mentioned in my other post who laughed at my opinion of XI and went to see and enjoy it, as soon as he heard I enjoyed STID his attitude was "I probably won't then." I doubt he has seen the movie yet.

 

[Spot261]

The irony was, with STID and Beyond I had a generally more pleasant attitude towards those movies, yet no one really wanted to hear my opinion on it. Indeed, the guy I mentioned in my other post who laughed at my opinion of XI and went to see and enjoy it, as soon as he heard I enjoyed STID his attitude was "I probably won't then." I doubt he has seen the movie yet.

Is it possible this guy just doesn't, y'know, like you?

 

[The Wormhole]

Ours is a weird relationship, but I don't believe there's any actual hatred involved. I think the whole Trek XI thing came more from the fact that everyone who knows me knows I'm a huge Trekkie, so if there was Star Trek I claimed to be disappointed in, that made it more interesting to him to see where it went wrong. And despite enjoying the movie, he didn't really develop much of an interest in Trek from it, so learning STID met with my approval he probably just figured "meh, typical Star Trek then. I won't bother."

 

[Lord Garth]

When it came time for Into Darkness, it seemed to do similar business to 2009 but the only person who asked me what I thought about it was someone I hadn't seen in years. He was -- I don't know how else to describe this -- a stereotypical fanboy (I'm fucked if he's actually a member here and reading this! )... and he asked me, "So how much do you hate the new Star Trek movie?" Just automatically assuming.

Of course, in that case, he was sort-of right. I didn't hate it so much as I just thought it was ridiculous.

I thought Beyond was a lot of fun, though. Just like 2009.

 

[Kor]

People I knew didn't want to see the movie in '09 because they assumed that they had to be intimately familiar with the hundreds of hours of Trek TV and movies just to understand the new movie. So I had to spend much time explaining that wasn't the case.

And ST09 is the movie that made me love Trek again after huge burnout from years and years of dull 24th and 22nd century spinoffs.

Kor