Your immediate reactions on seeing the films (at the cinema)
- Thread starter Khan 2.0
- Start date
My immediate reactions:
Star Trek: The Motion Picture:
"Wow"....
(I was only 4 at the time...
)
Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan:
Listening to the main theme, I remember saying to the effect, "Aw, now I have to get used to a new music theme!"
Seeing the Ceti Alpha Eels, I thought: "This is too much for a Star Trek film!"
Star Trek: The Search for Spock:
"Wow"....
"Robin Curtis in that leather vest is making me feel....funny."
Star Trek:The Voyage Home:
"Fun movie!" (Not my exact words, but my reaction).
Star Trek: The Final Frontier:
"Meh..."
Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country:
"I know Valeris is the villain, but does Kirk die? He was shot in the trailer!"
Star Trek: Generations:
"Meh..."
Star Trek: First Contact:
"Is this a comedy or an action drama? They keep on changing tones, and it's very jarring."
Star Trek: Insurrection:
I didn't see this movie in theaters, since the trailers showed a franchise that was really trying too hard. When I did see in on television (or via rental) my reaction was "yaaaaawn."
Star Trek: Nemesis:
I also didn't see this in theaters, but my immediate reactions after seeing it on television were:
"Music is pretty cool, action scenes were pretty cool, but why are they trying too hard? Why is Picard bald as a clone when we know he had a full head of hair? What was the reason for ramming the Enterprise into Shinzon's ship? Why are they trying to redo Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan? Why is B-4 so 'special'? As in 'special ed?' Why is Commander Donatra actually kinda hot even though the TNG/Berman era made the Romulans boring and ugly?"
Another reaction to this movie was "Damn, Star Trek is over."
Star Trek 2009:
"The skirts and go-go boots are back! The film looks cool! I love the music soundtrack! Zoe Saldana is hot! The sound design is cool! The costumes look cool! Damn, that 'Boom!' when the Enterprise goes into warp! Why is Kirk 'Captain' when he just enlisted in Starfleet not too long ago?"
Star Trek Into Darkness:
"Uhm, didn't Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan happen back in 1982? Why does Kirk get the Enterprise taken away, and then gets it back in no time? How is John Harrison 'Khan'? How does Classic Spock know that nuSpock is talking about Khan Noonian Singh? Couldn't Harrison be 'another' guy who just took the name 'Khan'? Why did Mickey have to die? Where is Earth defense? Why is Kirk so immature? Why is Uhura only relevant when she is talking about her relationship with Spock?
"Ah, they finally got seatbelts! Ah, that was a cool little scene between Kirk and Sulu.
"So, is nuTrek going to be a remake of another Trek film? I thought they were 'wiping the slate clean' and coming up with 'original' stuff?
"This movie was a disappointment."
Star Trek: The Motion Picture:
"Wow"....
(I was only 4 at the time...
)Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan:
Listening to the main theme, I remember saying to the effect, "Aw, now I have to get used to a new music theme!"
Seeing the Ceti Alpha Eels, I thought: "This is too much for a Star Trek film!"
Star Trek: The Search for Spock:
"Wow"....
"Robin Curtis in that leather vest is making me feel....funny."
Star Trek:The Voyage Home:
"Fun movie!" (Not my exact words, but my reaction).
Star Trek: The Final Frontier:
"Meh..."
Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country:
"I know Valeris is the villain, but does Kirk die? He was shot in the trailer!"
Star Trek: Generations:
"Meh..."
Star Trek: First Contact:
"Is this a comedy or an action drama? They keep on changing tones, and it's very jarring."
Star Trek: Insurrection:
I didn't see this movie in theaters, since the trailers showed a franchise that was really trying too hard. When I did see in on television (or via rental) my reaction was "yaaaaawn."
Star Trek: Nemesis:
I also didn't see this in theaters, but my immediate reactions after seeing it on television were:
"Music is pretty cool, action scenes were pretty cool, but why are they trying too hard? Why is Picard bald as a clone when we know he had a full head of hair? What was the reason for ramming the Enterprise into Shinzon's ship? Why are they trying to redo Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan? Why is B-4 so 'special'? As in 'special ed?' Why is Commander Donatra actually kinda hot even though the TNG/Berman era made the Romulans boring and ugly?"
Another reaction to this movie was "Damn, Star Trek is over."
Star Trek 2009:
"The skirts and go-go boots are back! The film looks cool! I love the music soundtrack! Zoe Saldana is hot! The sound design is cool! The costumes look cool! Damn, that 'Boom!' when the Enterprise goes into warp! Why is Kirk 'Captain' when he just enlisted in Starfleet not too long ago?"
Star Trek Into Darkness:
"Uhm, didn't Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan happen back in 1982? Why does Kirk get the Enterprise taken away, and then gets it back in no time? How is John Harrison 'Khan'? How does Classic Spock know that nuSpock is talking about Khan Noonian Singh? Couldn't Harrison be 'another' guy who just took the name 'Khan'? Why did Mickey have to die? Where is Earth defense? Why is Kirk so immature? Why is Uhura only relevant when she is talking about her relationship with Spock?
"Ah, they finally got seatbelts! Ah, that was a cool little scene between Kirk and Sulu.
"So, is nuTrek going to be a remake of another Trek film? I thought they were 'wiping the slate clean' and coming up with 'original' stuff?
"This movie was a disappointment."
This is an awesome thread.
The Motion Picture: I was 1 year old, so even if my parents took me with them to see it, I don't remember.
The Wrath of Khan: My parents didn't take me to see this one due to the violence, death, and bloody brain worms crawling in and out of people's ears.
The Search For Spock: This is the first Star Trek film I ever saw. I was 6, and it blew me away. Up until this time, my Star Trek watching experience had mainly been restricted to my family's 15-inch black-and-white TV. Getting to see the show in color was a rare treat; seeing it in color, on the big screen, with state-of-the-art special effects was just unbelievable. Also, I had no idea that there were Star Trek movies before I saw this one, so I had almost no idea what was going on: why was Spock dead? Why did everything look different than it did on the TV show? Why did the Klingons have bumpy heads? But I enjoyed the heck out of it anyway.
The Voyage Home: This one came out when I was 8, and I loved it. I was kind of disappointed that most of it took place in the boring old 20th century, but I loved the glimpses we got of Starfleet Headquarters and especially the shiny new Enterprise.
The Final Frontier: Didn't get to see this one in the theater because my parents thought that the whole "search for God" was sacrilegious.
The Undiscovered Country: I enjoyed the heck out of this one; the political intrigue, the space battles, and especially the nods to The Next Generation. The very obvious use of the TNG Engineering set bugged me, though.
Generations: I enjoyed this one when I saw it in the theater because it was fun to see the TNG cast on the big screen and the saucer crash looked cool. It left me with a vague sense of dissatisfaction, however, for reasons that I wouldn't understand until I was older and my tastes were more refined.
First Contact: When this movie came out I was 18 and I loved every minute of it. A brand new, butt-kicking Enterprise! Picard finally kicking ass and blowing Borg away with a big manly phaser rifle instead of just sitting in his Ready Room and drinking tea! And scary, threatening Borg that didn't just walk in slow motion! I thought it was great! Of course, I was a stupid kid at the time, and now I know better.
Insurrection: This was the first Star Trek film ever that I was not all that excited to see. I'd read a plot description on the Internet a few months before (my first brush with Internet spoilers) and I wasn't feeling it: the crew fighting to save some aliens called Ba'ku that we'd never heard of? From other aliens called the Son'a that we'd also never heard of? Why was any of this even worth caring about, especially with the Dominion War raging over on Deep Space Nine? Of course, the film did a really bad job of giving us a good reason to care about a bunch of identical Caucasian extras dressed in the fashions from the JC Penney Spring Catalog, and the Son'a were less threatening than your average Captain Planet villian. This was the first Star Trek movie that left me completely cold.
Nemesis: I don't even know why I went to see this one. By this time Voyager had ended after failing to do anything interesting or believable for seven seasons and now Enterprise was making all the same stupid mistakes all over again. I had absolutely no confidence that anything Rick Berman was involved with could possibly be any good. But I went anyway, hoping that just maybe the likability of the TNG cast and a new writer and director might surprise me. And they did not. If I was indifferent to Insurrection, I downright hated this movie. It was the same tired TNG movie formula that made Insurrection so boring and predictable, but this one added insult to injury by blatantly ripping off The Wrath of Khan. As if the fans were too stupid to notice! I didn't enjoy anything about this movie, and I was delighted when it utterly failed at the box office.
Star Trek '09: After the low-budget, audience-insulting snorefest of the Berman-era movie franchise, I was excited to see this one. And I really enjoyed it. It was a really fun ride. Right up until they promoted Kirk straight from Cadet to Captain, anyway. But overall I enjoyed this movie so much that I overlooked that. On the first viewing, anyway.
Into Darkness: Like the previous film, this one was a fun ride even though it didn't make much sense. And then, in was was supposed to be a heart-wrenching emotional moment Spock did his William Shatner impression (KHAAAAN!) and it took me right out of the movie. The rest of the audience, too. They actually laughed at that line-not what the filmmakers were going for, I think. I didn't hate this one as much as some people (It's leaps and bounds better than any of the TNG films) but it wasn't perfect, either.
The Wrath of Khan: My parents didn't take me to see this one due to the violence, death, and bloody brain worms crawling in and out of people's ears.
The Search For Spock: This is the first Star Trek film I ever saw. I was 6, and it blew me away. Up until this time, my Star Trek watching experience had mainly been restricted to my family's 15-inch black-and-white TV. Getting to see the show in color was a rare treat; seeing it in color, on the big screen, with state-of-the-art special effects was just unbelievable. Also, I had no idea that there were Star Trek movies before I saw this one, so I had almost no idea what was going on: why was Spock dead? Why did everything look different than it did on the TV show? Why did the Klingons have bumpy heads? But I enjoyed the heck out of it anyway.
The Voyage Home: This one came out when I was 8, and I loved it. I was kind of disappointed that most of it took place in the boring old 20th century, but I loved the glimpses we got of Starfleet Headquarters and especially the shiny new Enterprise.
The Final Frontier: Didn't get to see this one in the theater because my parents thought that the whole "search for God" was sacrilegious.
The Undiscovered Country: I enjoyed the heck out of this one; the political intrigue, the space battles, and especially the nods to The Next Generation. The very obvious use of the TNG Engineering set bugged me, though.
Generations: I enjoyed this one when I saw it in the theater because it was fun to see the TNG cast on the big screen and the saucer crash looked cool. It left me with a vague sense of dissatisfaction, however, for reasons that I wouldn't understand until I was older and my tastes were more refined.
First Contact: When this movie came out I was 18 and I loved every minute of it. A brand new, butt-kicking Enterprise! Picard finally kicking ass and blowing Borg away with a big manly phaser rifle instead of just sitting in his Ready Room and drinking tea! And scary, threatening Borg that didn't just walk in slow motion! I thought it was great! Of course, I was a stupid kid at the time, and now I know better.
Insurrection: This was the first Star Trek film ever that I was not all that excited to see. I'd read a plot description on the Internet a few months before (my first brush with Internet spoilers) and I wasn't feeling it: the crew fighting to save some aliens called Ba'ku that we'd never heard of? From other aliens called the Son'a that we'd also never heard of? Why was any of this even worth caring about, especially with the Dominion War raging over on Deep Space Nine? Of course, the film did a really bad job of giving us a good reason to care about a bunch of identical Caucasian extras dressed in the fashions from the JC Penney Spring Catalog, and the Son'a were less threatening than your average Captain Planet villian. This was the first Star Trek movie that left me completely cold.
Nemesis: I don't even know why I went to see this one. By this time Voyager had ended after failing to do anything interesting or believable for seven seasons and now Enterprise was making all the same stupid mistakes all over again. I had absolutely no confidence that anything Rick Berman was involved with could possibly be any good. But I went anyway, hoping that just maybe the likability of the TNG cast and a new writer and director might surprise me. And they did not. If I was indifferent to Insurrection, I downright hated this movie. It was the same tired TNG movie formula that made Insurrection so boring and predictable, but this one added insult to injury by blatantly ripping off The Wrath of Khan. As if the fans were too stupid to notice! I didn't enjoy anything about this movie, and I was delighted when it utterly failed at the box office.
Star Trek '09: After the low-budget, audience-insulting snorefest of the Berman-era movie franchise, I was excited to see this one. And I really enjoyed it. It was a really fun ride. Right up until they promoted Kirk straight from Cadet to Captain, anyway. But overall I enjoyed this movie so much that I overlooked that. On the first viewing, anyway.
Into Darkness: Like the previous film, this one was a fun ride even though it didn't make much sense. And then, in was was supposed to be a heart-wrenching emotional moment Spock did his William Shatner impression (KHAAAAN!) and it took me right out of the movie. The rest of the audience, too. They actually laughed at that line-not what the filmmakers were going for, I think. I didn't hate this one as much as some people (It's leaps and bounds better than any of the TNG films) but it wasn't perfect, either.
Did it bother them that we were God in TMP?
trevanian
Rear Admiral
TFF was post LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST, which as I recall kind of got certain folks' dander up in a big Big way ... I remember seeing LAST in a theater and how as soon as the 'temptation" part started, over 2hrs into the movie, a huge hunk of the audience left the theater en masse, like they would only watch up to the point of the departure from scripture.
Also I remember seeing protestors around the theater where I saw THE RAPTURE as well, though not as many, since almost nobody knew the movie existed.
I am SO glad all those years of catechism/Saturday school did not stick with me (well, they did, but not as was intended, that's for sure.)
Also I remember seeing protestors around the theater where I saw THE RAPTURE as well, though not as many, since almost nobody knew the movie existed.
I am SO glad all those years of catechism/Saturday school did not stick with me (well, they did, but not as was intended, that's for sure.)
I don't know. Whenever I asked about TMP as a kid my dad would just say that it was boring and everyone was "out of character".
I first saw Star Trek's "The Apple" when I was fairly young, and then picked up the remaining episodes in reruns later.
TMP came out when I was 19, and I thought it was decent, though a bit long winded. I did love the ship redesign though.
TWOK was where they fired on all cylinders. The chemistry was back, and I thought Saavik was HOT, and had great possibilities with the (implied on screen) Vulcan/Romulan heritage. I was impressed with the followup to "Space Seed", and this is still my favorite of the films.
When TSFS came out, I was terribly disappointed with the recast of Saavik and the neutering of her personality. I actually went back for a second viewing a few days later to try and give it a fair chance. All in all, I think it's OK. One of the main highlights for me though was the Excelsior. I (as you might have guessed) am a fan of the ships, and I thought the lines of the excelsior were just beautiful. Too bad Scotty had to sabotage it. I did hate to lose the Enterprise.
TVH was a nice little romp through time, and the characters still had their chemistry for the most part. At the end, I was with Sulu in hoping they'd get the Excelsior, but was just was happy they got a new Enterprise.
TFF was, for me, largely a piece of crap. However, they did get a few things right. I loved the "assault phasers", and the updated bridge (once they got it working) was really nice.
I like TUC probably second best, possibly because of the return of the Excelsior, properly under Sulu's command (I love that ship.) I did in general enjoy the movie, though I thought they did Uhura a serious injustice in the Klingon communications sequence. She should've been able to do that without breaking a sweat, no books allowed.
From there they went from bad to worse. I hated what GEN did to the excelsior class design, and they can't seem to figure out if their flagship Enterprise is a powerful starship or a wimp. A single BOP, not one of the bigger ones at that, shouldn't have been able to take out the E-D. First Contact did have some good points, but Insurrection fell back to making fun of it's characters. Nemesis was just a lost cause. Time to destroy the Enterprise again...
I didn't see either of JJ's Treks in the theater. I have since caught them either on TV or Netflicks. I'll watch them if there's nothing better on and nothing better to do, but they're not really Star Trek.
Just my two credits worth.
TMP came out when I was 19, and I thought it was decent, though a bit long winded. I did love the ship redesign though.
TWOK was where they fired on all cylinders. The chemistry was back, and I thought Saavik was HOT, and had great possibilities with the (implied on screen) Vulcan/Romulan heritage. I was impressed with the followup to "Space Seed", and this is still my favorite of the films.
When TSFS came out, I was terribly disappointed with the recast of Saavik and the neutering of her personality. I actually went back for a second viewing a few days later to try and give it a fair chance. All in all, I think it's OK. One of the main highlights for me though was the Excelsior. I (as you might have guessed) am a fan of the ships, and I thought the lines of the excelsior were just beautiful. Too bad Scotty had to sabotage it. I did hate to lose the Enterprise.
TVH was a nice little romp through time, and the characters still had their chemistry for the most part. At the end, I was with Sulu in hoping they'd get the Excelsior, but was just was happy they got a new Enterprise.
TFF was, for me, largely a piece of crap. However, they did get a few things right. I loved the "assault phasers", and the updated bridge (once they got it working) was really nice.
I like TUC probably second best, possibly because of the return of the Excelsior, properly under Sulu's command (I love that ship.) I did in general enjoy the movie, though I thought they did Uhura a serious injustice in the Klingon communications sequence. She should've been able to do that without breaking a sweat, no books allowed.
From there they went from bad to worse. I hated what GEN did to the excelsior class design, and they can't seem to figure out if their flagship Enterprise is a powerful starship or a wimp. A single BOP, not one of the bigger ones at that, shouldn't have been able to take out the E-D. First Contact did have some good points, but Insurrection fell back to making fun of it's characters. Nemesis was just a lost cause. Time to destroy the Enterprise again...
I didn't see either of JJ's Treks in the theater. I have since caught them either on TV or Netflicks. I'll watch them if there's nothing better on and nothing better to do, but they're not really Star Trek.
Just my two credits worth.
STTMP: Saw it first on a projected screen but not a theater. I thought they had cool stuff but also thought parts were boring.
STII: Again, first saw it projected on a screen but not in a theater. This one blew me away but I recall people not being enthused a ST movie was being shown..I was not officially a Trekkie yet either.
STIII: Remember some disappointment after II. Mainly because I wanted to see the crew in an adventure, not just the main cast on a personal quest.
STIV: Best experience in a movie theater. Everyone was on the same page.
STV: Saw it with friends and had to apologize to a SW fan. Awful.
STVI: Loved it at the time thought wished it had been more epic. The movie suffers in retrospect.
STGEN: Disappointed. Dislike it even more now than then.
STFC: Immediately thought it was the best ST movie but tempered that with time.
StIN: First Trek movie I walked out of where I didnt discuss it with the people/person I saw it with.
STNEM: Liked it a lot, but wondered why Lore wasnt mentioned.
ST09: Everybody loved it, friends and audience alike. Just a rousing adventure.
STID: Not as much fun as ST09 but obviously very impressive. I thought it was a huge scale movie.
STII: Again, first saw it projected on a screen but not in a theater. This one blew me away but I recall people not being enthused a ST movie was being shown..I was not officially a Trekkie yet either.
STIII: Remember some disappointment after II. Mainly because I wanted to see the crew in an adventure, not just the main cast on a personal quest.
STIV: Best experience in a movie theater. Everyone was on the same page.
STV: Saw it with friends and had to apologize to a SW fan. Awful.
STVI: Loved it at the time thought wished it had been more epic. The movie suffers in retrospect.
STGEN: Disappointed. Dislike it even more now than then.
STFC: Immediately thought it was the best ST movie but tempered that with time.
StIN: First Trek movie I walked out of where I didnt discuss it with the people/person I saw it with.
STNEM: Liked it a lot, but wondered why Lore wasnt mentioned.
ST09: Everybody loved it, friends and audience alike. Just a rousing adventure.
STID: Not as much fun as ST09 but obviously very impressive. I thought it was a huge scale movie.
Last edited:
A
Amaris
Guest
While I've been a fan since 4 years of age (1984), I didn't get to see my first Star Trek film at the cinema until Nemesis, so this post reflects that.
NEM - When I first saw it, I was excited. I had yet to see a Trek film on the big screen, and I was itching to see this one, because it was going to feature the Romulans, a villain I had waited ages to see in a Trek film. When the intro appeared, I was thrilled, because it was a really neat jump into the film. That said, after a while, I had a number of questions that kept popping up, but I pushed them aside, hoping they would be answered by the time the end credits rolled. They were not, and on that point, I was a bit miffed, but overall, I thought the film was pretty good. Well, except for Data's death, which pissed me off something fierce.
ST09 - Holy shit! This film was epic, epic, epic, EPIC in the theater. Before the title credits even rolled, I was in tears because of the damned good cold open that kept me riveted to the screen the whole time. The opening credits, as the music swelled, and the title rolled across the screen, goosebumps ran up and down my arms. I knew this film wasn't going to let me down, and it didn't. From the callbacks to the original series, to the gorgeous CGI, and the characters themselves, I was hooked. Plus, I got to see classic Spock on the big screen! I nearly wept at the prospect, it was so wonderful. I have very fond memories of seeing that film on the movie screen.
STID - It may be difficult to believe, but I loved this film even more than ST09. Right from the opening, I was sucked in. I was blown away by the action, storyline, and the characters, and when Benedict Cumberbatch revealed himself as Khan, I thought it was awesome. I had no problem with it at all, and easily accepted him as a morally bankrupt genius who would manipulate people to get his way. Anyway, it was a thrill ride all the way, and is my current favorite Star Trek movie.
I can't wait for the next one.
NEM - When I first saw it, I was excited. I had yet to see a Trek film on the big screen, and I was itching to see this one, because it was going to feature the Romulans, a villain I had waited ages to see in a Trek film. When the intro appeared, I was thrilled, because it was a really neat jump into the film. That said, after a while, I had a number of questions that kept popping up, but I pushed them aside, hoping they would be answered by the time the end credits rolled. They were not, and on that point, I was a bit miffed, but overall, I thought the film was pretty good. Well, except for Data's death, which pissed me off something fierce.
ST09 - Holy shit! This film was epic, epic, epic, EPIC in the theater. Before the title credits even rolled, I was in tears because of the damned good cold open that kept me riveted to the screen the whole time. The opening credits, as the music swelled, and the title rolled across the screen, goosebumps ran up and down my arms. I knew this film wasn't going to let me down, and it didn't. From the callbacks to the original series, to the gorgeous CGI, and the characters themselves, I was hooked. Plus, I got to see classic Spock on the big screen! I nearly wept at the prospect, it was so wonderful. I have very fond memories of seeing that film on the movie screen.
STID - It may be difficult to believe, but I loved this film even more than ST09. Right from the opening, I was sucked in. I was blown away by the action, storyline, and the characters, and when Benedict Cumberbatch revealed himself as Khan, I thought it was awesome. I had no problem with it at all, and easily accepted him as a morally bankrupt genius who would manipulate people to get his way. Anyway, it was a thrill ride all the way, and is my current favorite Star Trek movie.
I can't wait for the next one.
Another thing popped into my head today for some reason, regarding this movie. I remember thinking when I saw it that the opening theme reminded me of Christmas music.
Star Trek- The Motion Picture
I didn't see this one in the theater (I was 4), but I was already a Trek fan and my parents let me watch it when it premiered on HBO. I remember vaguely dreading it because I hated that they had released a bunch of "fake" Star Trek toys with the wrong uniforms and a different-looking ship. But, once that theme song hit my ears and the Klingon battle happened...I was hooked. I was way too young to have much more opinion than that, but I remember I liked it and watched it every time it was on HBO after that (if my parents let me...haha).
Star Trek II- The Wrath of Khan
My dad took me to see this a few weeks after it premiered. I remember we missed the first few minutes (I actually remember walking down the isle to find a seat while Kirk and Spock are talking in the corridor at Star Fleet Academy). That said, I loved the movie. It was a little intense (I used to hide when the Ceti Eel scene came on when this was on HBO), but the color and upbeat tempo really appealed to me. Spock dying bummed me out, but I was really too young to understand "death" probably.
Star Trek III- The Search for Spock
Unfortunately, I saw this long after it premiered (probably a month or so) and I had devoured spoilers and knew minute-by-minute what was going to happen...so there were not a lot of surprises. Again my Dad took me. As a kid, I remember being kind of bummed that there wasn't more ship battles like TWOK, but I thought the music, special effects and "expansion of the Trekverse" was awesome. I also thought the cliff-hanger ending was great, and left you wanting more.
Star Trek IV- The Voyage Home
I was 11 when this one came out, and I saw it with my mom and a couple of my buddies. I remember thinking it was really funny, but I was pretty disappointed. I wanted to see strange new worlds and have adventures in outer space, and I got a comedy that took place in my back yard so to speak. This is still my least-favorite of the originals.
Star Trek V- The Final Frontier
I was 14 when this came out, and at the peak of my childhood fandom. TNG was up and running. I'd been to a couple of conventions. And SHATNER was the man behind the movie this time! I was totally psyched for this, as the trailers and commercials painted a mysterious, upbeat adventure. My dad took me to dinner and then the movie on opening night. I had a blast and enjoyed the movie very much. I was a little put off by some of the more silly humor, but thought this was the closest thing to "real Star Trek" I'd seen for a while.
Star Trek VI- The Undiscovered Country
Now a junior in High School and anticipating the return of Nicholas Meyer and the 25th Anniversary / Last TOS Mission spin. I snuck out to a noon show on opening day because we had a snow day (and I was grounded and would have otherwise missed it)! I thought it was a fun and enjoyable flick, but I was really taken out of the story by the re-use of the TNG sets for so much. I was also disappointed in the way the Klingons were portrayed. I thought all the Shakespeare was pretentious and made Meyer seem like he was trying too hard.
Star Trek: Generations
I saw this on opening night with 5-6 friends. There was a lot of hype around this movie, and obviously the "Kirk meets Picard" thing was really interesting. I remember really liking this movie, although I thought that the pacing was weird and I thought they really missed the boat on how awesome they COULD have made it. I do recall being pressed into the back of my seat with how awesome the saucer section crash segment was. I also thought the "message" of the film about how our mortality defines us was very good.
Star Trek: First Contact
Saw this on opening night with 5-6 friends (probably the same group). I remember loving the "different" opening theme and the long pull-back from Picard's eye. I also really loved the new Enterprise-E. I thought the Borg battle at the beginning was a huge waste and had very little dramatic impact (the Battle at Wolf 359 was far more menacing, and you didn't even see that), so that unsettled me a bit. I thought this movie was best when Picard and Lilly Sloan were together. I hated the Data / Borg Queen stuff. Otherwise, I liked it though.
Star Trek: Insurrection
Again, saw this with a group of friends and my girlfriend who didn't like Star Trek (she didn't last...haha). Thought it was interesting, but pretty lack-luster. I kept waiting for something big and exciting to happen to justify this as a bit motion picture event. I remember feeling really let down, but trying to pretend like it was a good movie...but really it was "meh." There was just nothing to it. It was really empty.
Star Trek: Nemesis
Saw this with my girlfriend (now my wife) and a buddy. Thought it was pretty cool for a TNG film, but definitely thought it was dark and missed the mark on some points. Overall, though, had a great time in the theater, and the people I went with liked it too...so we had fun. Lots of action (almost TOO much) and it seemed like a good send-off to the TNG crew. Data dying was hollow, though, and elicited no emotion from me whatsoever.
Star Trek
Went on opening night with my wife and like 8 people. This was a HUGE event. Had a huge feast at a local BBQ place, then headed over to the theater. Had a blast. It was fun, colorful, engaging and emotional. Not a dry eye in the theater when the Kelvin is destroyed. Great music and excellent cast. Some questionable plot stuff and an overdose of hyper pacing and action not withstanding, I knew walking out that Star Trek was back on the map. I was terrified going in that this would suck, and I quickly learned that I really enjoyed the performances and style.
Star Trek Into Darkness
Saw this in 3D IMAX last year on opening night with almost the same group of people I saw the first JJTrek with. I thought it was a "better" Star Trek movie than the 2009 version for the most part, but was taken right out of the story when Spock yelled "Khan!" I remember thinking that the mirrored death scene was so well performed and so carefully / lovingly done...it was just destroyed by that. Otherwise, I thought it was great and that the cast and visual appeal made up tremendously for a so-so script.
I didn't see this one in the theater (I was 4), but I was already a Trek fan and my parents let me watch it when it premiered on HBO. I remember vaguely dreading it because I hated that they had released a bunch of "fake" Star Trek toys with the wrong uniforms and a different-looking ship. But, once that theme song hit my ears and the Klingon battle happened...I was hooked. I was way too young to have much more opinion than that, but I remember I liked it and watched it every time it was on HBO after that (if my parents let me...haha).
Star Trek II- The Wrath of Khan
My dad took me to see this a few weeks after it premiered. I remember we missed the first few minutes (I actually remember walking down the isle to find a seat while Kirk and Spock are talking in the corridor at Star Fleet Academy). That said, I loved the movie. It was a little intense (I used to hide when the Ceti Eel scene came on when this was on HBO), but the color and upbeat tempo really appealed to me. Spock dying bummed me out, but I was really too young to understand "death" probably.
Star Trek III- The Search for Spock
Unfortunately, I saw this long after it premiered (probably a month or so) and I had devoured spoilers and knew minute-by-minute what was going to happen...so there were not a lot of surprises. Again my Dad took me. As a kid, I remember being kind of bummed that there wasn't more ship battles like TWOK, but I thought the music, special effects and "expansion of the Trekverse" was awesome. I also thought the cliff-hanger ending was great, and left you wanting more.
Star Trek IV- The Voyage Home
I was 11 when this one came out, and I saw it with my mom and a couple of my buddies. I remember thinking it was really funny, but I was pretty disappointed. I wanted to see strange new worlds and have adventures in outer space, and I got a comedy that took place in my back yard so to speak. This is still my least-favorite of the originals.
Star Trek V- The Final Frontier
I was 14 when this came out, and at the peak of my childhood fandom. TNG was up and running. I'd been to a couple of conventions. And SHATNER was the man behind the movie this time! I was totally psyched for this, as the trailers and commercials painted a mysterious, upbeat adventure. My dad took me to dinner and then the movie on opening night. I had a blast and enjoyed the movie very much. I was a little put off by some of the more silly humor, but thought this was the closest thing to "real Star Trek" I'd seen for a while.
Star Trek VI- The Undiscovered Country
Now a junior in High School and anticipating the return of Nicholas Meyer and the 25th Anniversary / Last TOS Mission spin. I snuck out to a noon show on opening day because we had a snow day (and I was grounded and would have otherwise missed it)! I thought it was a fun and enjoyable flick, but I was really taken out of the story by the re-use of the TNG sets for so much. I was also disappointed in the way the Klingons were portrayed. I thought all the Shakespeare was pretentious and made Meyer seem like he was trying too hard.
Star Trek: Generations
I saw this on opening night with 5-6 friends. There was a lot of hype around this movie, and obviously the "Kirk meets Picard" thing was really interesting. I remember really liking this movie, although I thought that the pacing was weird and I thought they really missed the boat on how awesome they COULD have made it. I do recall being pressed into the back of my seat with how awesome the saucer section crash segment was. I also thought the "message" of the film about how our mortality defines us was very good.
Star Trek: First Contact
Saw this on opening night with 5-6 friends (probably the same group). I remember loving the "different" opening theme and the long pull-back from Picard's eye. I also really loved the new Enterprise-E. I thought the Borg battle at the beginning was a huge waste and had very little dramatic impact (the Battle at Wolf 359 was far more menacing, and you didn't even see that), so that unsettled me a bit. I thought this movie was best when Picard and Lilly Sloan were together. I hated the Data / Borg Queen stuff. Otherwise, I liked it though.
Star Trek: Insurrection
Again, saw this with a group of friends and my girlfriend who didn't like Star Trek (she didn't last...haha). Thought it was interesting, but pretty lack-luster. I kept waiting for something big and exciting to happen to justify this as a bit motion picture event. I remember feeling really let down, but trying to pretend like it was a good movie...but really it was "meh." There was just nothing to it. It was really empty.
Star Trek: Nemesis
Saw this with my girlfriend (now my wife) and a buddy. Thought it was pretty cool for a TNG film, but definitely thought it was dark and missed the mark on some points. Overall, though, had a great time in the theater, and the people I went with liked it too...so we had fun. Lots of action (almost TOO much) and it seemed like a good send-off to the TNG crew. Data dying was hollow, though, and elicited no emotion from me whatsoever.
Star Trek
Went on opening night with my wife and like 8 people. This was a HUGE event. Had a huge feast at a local BBQ place, then headed over to the theater. Had a blast. It was fun, colorful, engaging and emotional. Not a dry eye in the theater when the Kelvin is destroyed. Great music and excellent cast. Some questionable plot stuff and an overdose of hyper pacing and action not withstanding, I knew walking out that Star Trek was back on the map. I was terrified going in that this would suck, and I quickly learned that I really enjoyed the performances and style.
Star Trek Into Darkness
Saw this in 3D IMAX last year on opening night with almost the same group of people I saw the first JJTrek with. I thought it was a "better" Star Trek movie than the 2009 version for the most part, but was taken right out of the story when Spock yelled "Khan!" I remember thinking that the mirrored death scene was so well performed and so carefully / lovingly done...it was just destroyed by that. Otherwise, I thought it was great and that the cast and visual appeal made up tremendously for a so-so script.
TVH: I was in high school at the time. I enjoyed it well enough throughout, but the ending shocked me. Stunned!!
I thought it was all leading up to the climax when we found out what the alien probe was, what it was trying to say, you know... the Big Mystery from the very beginning of the movie would be explained.
Nope!
It just goes away and that's that. No answers, no nothing!
What the...? who the...? what in the name of...??
I got over it and since then it's not been an issue for me.
But at the time, my immediate reaction was !?!?!?!??!?
I thought it was all leading up to the climax when we found out what the alien probe was, what it was trying to say, you know... the Big Mystery from the very beginning of the movie would be explained.
Nope!
It just goes away and that's that. No answers, no nothing!
What the...? who the...? what in the name of...??
I got over it and since then it's not been an issue for me.
But at the time, my immediate reaction was !?!?!?!??!?
Well that probe was convoluted plot device #32 who's sole purpose of being there was so that Kirk and crew could hang around 80's San Fransisco and stand out like a sore thumb for a few days and magically get a pair of whales to bring back to convoluted plot device #32.
I will admit that I did get unnerved by a device that is capable of shutting off the power completely to a massive Federation Starbase, which I think was probably based on the idea that UFO's have come down to mess with the power grid.
TMP. I was 5 at the time and it was my first ever visit to the cinema, I have vivid memories of all the drydock scenes and remember thinking how massive and awesome the Enterprise looked, the rest of the movie with all the visuals I almost look back on as some kind of forgotten drug trip. It was my introduction to Trek and have been hooked ever since.
TWOK. My Grandmother took me too see this in Sheffield. Slightly older I remember loving it from start to finish. My gran fell asleep halfway through it, and she was still asleep when the credits rolled, so I left her to it, everyone in the theatre left and I watched it again! She woke up halfway into the second showing completely oblivious as to what had happened - until we got outside and it was pitch black outside. My parents went mental with me. I remember the Ceti Eels scaring me and the bit where David jumps Kirk making me jump. Both times. Great movie and still at the top of the pile for me.
TSFS - Did not see at the cinema, don't recall why. Watched on VHS and enjoyed it a lot but not as much as TWOK.
TVH - Did not see at the cinema, don't recall why.
TFF - Did not see at the cinema, don't recall why. Worst Trek by far for me.
TUC - Saw in Sheffield again, loved it, thought it was a massive return to form and an excellent send off for the original cast. Nothing really to fault about the movie and the floating blood I guess was the thing that stuck in my head the most.
GEN - Saw this one 4 times at the theatre, as a student in South Wales, stoned all four times, loved at at the time, and the saucer crash totally blew me away, and still looks good today, superb use of models. All the scenes in the Nexus and the plot holes that came with it let the film down at the time and still do now. In the 20 years that have passed I've gone from loving the film to it going down the pecking order, to a recently found appreciation for the stunning cinematography in it. It's still a very decent movie, right up to the Nexus scenes, and has a good score to boot.
FC - I absolutely loved this movie when I came out of the theatre, the fleet battle and spacewalk being particular highlights. This movie has slipped down the rankings in recent years, and I think has dated quite badly in terms of visual effects and sets, for me looking back the end of GEN and this marked the beginning of Trek looking made down to a budget and no longer being the epic event it once was in my eyes.
INS - I came out of the theatre feeling like I'd just been watching TV thinking 'Is this the best they can come up with?' Where are the Romulans, the Dominion? I don't give a toss about these Hamish-like tossers!
NEM - Thoroughly enjoyed it, despite the TWOK rip-off, thought it was the perfect antidote to the preachy Insurrection, loved seeing the 1701-E throwing everything at had at the Scimitar, I shed at tear at the wine scene after Datas death. Obviously I'm in a minority.
ST09 - Totally different kettle of fish here. Thought, 'this isn't the Trek I grew up with' but I rolled with it and ended up really liking it. Proper buzzing off seeing Trek getting the money on the big screen it's deserved and hadn't had since TMP.
STID - Walked out of the cinema massively pumped, absolutely loved it, didn't care much how they handled Khan (even though I loved Cumberbatch's performance) and the Spock 'KHAAAAN' was seriously pushing it's luck and nearly took me out of the movie, but wasn't enough to spoil it and I rank it high up the movie list still.
TWOK. My Grandmother took me too see this in Sheffield. Slightly older I remember loving it from start to finish. My gran fell asleep halfway through it, and she was still asleep when the credits rolled, so I left her to it, everyone in the theatre left and I watched it again! She woke up halfway into the second showing completely oblivious as to what had happened - until we got outside and it was pitch black outside. My parents went mental with me. I remember the Ceti Eels scaring me and the bit where David jumps Kirk making me jump. Both times. Great movie and still at the top of the pile for me.
TSFS - Did not see at the cinema, don't recall why. Watched on VHS and enjoyed it a lot but not as much as TWOK.
TVH - Did not see at the cinema, don't recall why.
TFF - Did not see at the cinema, don't recall why. Worst Trek by far for me.
TUC - Saw in Sheffield again, loved it, thought it was a massive return to form and an excellent send off for the original cast. Nothing really to fault about the movie and the floating blood I guess was the thing that stuck in my head the most.
GEN - Saw this one 4 times at the theatre, as a student in South Wales, stoned all four times, loved at at the time, and the saucer crash totally blew me away, and still looks good today, superb use of models. All the scenes in the Nexus and the plot holes that came with it let the film down at the time and still do now. In the 20 years that have passed I've gone from loving the film to it going down the pecking order, to a recently found appreciation for the stunning cinematography in it. It's still a very decent movie, right up to the Nexus scenes, and has a good score to boot.
FC - I absolutely loved this movie when I came out of the theatre, the fleet battle and spacewalk being particular highlights. This movie has slipped down the rankings in recent years, and I think has dated quite badly in terms of visual effects and sets, for me looking back the end of GEN and this marked the beginning of Trek looking made down to a budget and no longer being the epic event it once was in my eyes.
INS - I came out of the theatre feeling like I'd just been watching TV thinking 'Is this the best they can come up with?' Where are the Romulans, the Dominion? I don't give a toss about these Hamish-like tossers!
NEM - Thoroughly enjoyed it, despite the TWOK rip-off, thought it was the perfect antidote to the preachy Insurrection, loved seeing the 1701-E throwing everything at had at the Scimitar, I shed at tear at the wine scene after Datas death. Obviously I'm in a minority.
ST09 - Totally different kettle of fish here. Thought, 'this isn't the Trek I grew up with' but I rolled with it and ended up really liking it. Proper buzzing off seeing Trek getting the money on the big screen it's deserved and hadn't had since TMP.
STID - Walked out of the cinema massively pumped, absolutely loved it, didn't care much how they handled Khan (even though I loved Cumberbatch's performance) and the Spock 'KHAAAAN' was seriously pushing it's luck and nearly took me out of the movie, but wasn't enough to spoil it and I rank it high up the movie list still.
ST TMP - I must have been 9. My main memory of seeing the movie in the cinema was "Oh! V'Ger is Voyager!" I was into NASA stuff so that was a nice story point for me. Otherwise I don't remember too much about what I thought. I do recall the clip of the movie used to promote it on TV shows was the "Belayyyy thatttt phasooorrrrr orderrrrrr!" scene
ST II TWOK - I saw this on holiday in a cinema in Dublin when I was 11. It seemed to be a much bigger cinema that my local one. I remember enjoying it immensely but I was totally confused at who this Khan guy was, and what was all this about 15 years ago, and 200 years ago? I had no idea. I was impressed with the whole death of Spock and the funeral and Scotty playing the bagpipes. Loved the uniforms and the Reliant design.
ST III TSFS - I was 13 and I actually read the novel before seeing the movie. I got to the bit where Kirk was going to blow up the Enterprise and I was thinking "No way, this isn't what I think it is...." On holiday in Dublin again the lobby cards were on display outside the cinema but the movie didn't open for a few weeks. I was gutted. My local cinema never showed it and I had to wait for the VHS rental.
ST IV TVH - I was 15 by now. Again my local cinema didn't get it and I had to wait for the VHS rental but I had read the book by then.
ST V TFF - I was 18 and just started university. And I had no interest in seeing this one. Eventually saw it on rental.
ST VI TUC - I was 21. I went on opening night and at first it took me a while to get into the flow of the story but by the end I loved it. I went back the following week to see it again. I actually dragged along a friend who was not a fan at all. He didn't want to go and complained a bit. At the end of the movie I asked him what he thought. In a very small voice he said "that was good".
ST VII Gen - I was 24. I had read an early summary of the story online off an ftp server in the summer of 1994 so I knew what was going to happen. I remember being unimpressed with the story. On seeing the movie I did think it was better than I thought it was going to be but nowhere near as good as it should have been.
ST VIII FC - I was 25. This time I stayed well away from spoilers and I enjoyed this one very much. I had been looking forward to the Borg in a big screen outing. At one point I did think they were going to blow up the Enterprise-E.
ST IX Ins - I was 28. I enjoyed this one. I remember reading the criticism on the message boards and thinking it was actually a good movie.
ST X Nem - I was 31 by now. I sort of dragged myself along to see it because I felt I should. I don't remember loving it or hating it.
ST II TWOK - I saw this on holiday in a cinema in Dublin when I was 11. It seemed to be a much bigger cinema that my local one. I remember enjoying it immensely but I was totally confused at who this Khan guy was, and what was all this about 15 years ago, and 200 years ago? I had no idea. I was impressed with the whole death of Spock and the funeral and Scotty playing the bagpipes. Loved the uniforms and the Reliant design.
ST III TSFS - I was 13 and I actually read the novel before seeing the movie. I got to the bit where Kirk was going to blow up the Enterprise and I was thinking "No way, this isn't what I think it is...." On holiday in Dublin again the lobby cards were on display outside the cinema but the movie didn't open for a few weeks. I was gutted. My local cinema never showed it and I had to wait for the VHS rental.
ST IV TVH - I was 15 by now. Again my local cinema didn't get it and I had to wait for the VHS rental but I had read the book by then.
ST V TFF - I was 18 and just started university. And I had no interest in seeing this one. Eventually saw it on rental.
ST VI TUC - I was 21. I went on opening night and at first it took me a while to get into the flow of the story but by the end I loved it. I went back the following week to see it again. I actually dragged along a friend who was not a fan at all. He didn't want to go and complained a bit. At the end of the movie I asked him what he thought. In a very small voice he said "that was good".
ST VII Gen - I was 24. I had read an early summary of the story online off an ftp server in the summer of 1994 so I knew what was going to happen. I remember being unimpressed with the story. On seeing the movie I did think it was better than I thought it was going to be but nowhere near as good as it should have been.
ST VIII FC - I was 25. This time I stayed well away from spoilers and I enjoyed this one very much. I had been looking forward to the Borg in a big screen outing. At one point I did think they were going to blow up the Enterprise-E.
ST IX Ins - I was 28. I enjoyed this one. I remember reading the criticism on the message boards and thinking it was actually a good movie.
ST X Nem - I was 31 by now. I sort of dragged myself along to see it because I felt I should. I don't remember loving it or hating it.
Star Trek- The Motion Picture
"Oh wow, look a the Klingons! Oh wow, there's Spock! Oh wow, there's Kirk! Oh wow, there's the Enterprise...uh...hmm...this is really slow. Hope they don't lose their money on this."
Star Trek II- The Wrath of Khan
"I wanna see this again! It doesn't make much sense, but I like it."
Star Trek III- The Search for Spock
"This is just like the TV show. Cool."
Star Trek IV- The Voyage Home
"This is going to be a hit. Cool."
Star Trek V- The Final Frontier
"The new Enterprise is gorgeous. This movie bites."
Star Trek VI- The Undiscovered Country
"Script sucks. Looks cheaply made."
Star Trek VII - Generations
"Not bad."
Star Trek VIII - First Contact
"I wanna see it again. The Earth stuff with Cochrane is great."
Star Trek IX - Insurrection
"Huh."
Star Trek X - Nemesis
"I don't wanna see this again."
Star Trek
"Awesome! It's about damned time."
Star Trek Into Darkness
"Wow. I wanna see this again. Cumberbatch is amazing."
"Oh wow, look a the Klingons! Oh wow, there's Spock! Oh wow, there's Kirk! Oh wow, there's the Enterprise...uh...hmm...this is really slow. Hope they don't lose their money on this."
Star Trek II- The Wrath of Khan
"I wanna see this again! It doesn't make much sense, but I like it."
Star Trek III- The Search for Spock
"This is just like the TV show. Cool."
Star Trek IV- The Voyage Home
"This is going to be a hit. Cool."
Star Trek V- The Final Frontier
"The new Enterprise is gorgeous. This movie bites."
Star Trek VI- The Undiscovered Country
"Script sucks. Looks cheaply made."
Star Trek VII - Generations
"Not bad."
Star Trek VIII - First Contact
"I wanna see it again. The Earth stuff with Cochrane is great."
Star Trek IX - Insurrection
"Huh."
Star Trek X - Nemesis
"I don't wanna see this again."
Star Trek
"Awesome! It's about damned time."
Star Trek Into Darkness
"Wow. I wanna see this again. Cumberbatch is amazing."
Just to preface, I was too young to watch most of the original movies in theaters by myself -- my mom always shot down my dad whenever he voted for a Trek movie for family movie outing nights -- and by the time I could, INS and NEM just didn't have an interesting hook to justify the theater (oh look, bad guys. ho hum), unlike GEN (TNG + TOS) or FC (Big Screen Borg!)
ST09 - Gigantic, exhausted but in a good way. My two non-Trekkie friends (whose idea it was to go) just couldn't stop raving. I tried to recount all the references to other Treks. We all agreed that the Kelvin sequence was a great way to start the movie.
STID - Good action flick, but kind of tired of Earth by now. Cumberbatch has great delivery but why is Khan not brown? Wished there was more McCoy, Sulu, and Scotty in there. HEY, a BAT'LETH! Spock yelling Khan took me out of the movie. Really and pleasantly surprised that the NX-01 and Section 31 figured in. EEEK LEG BREAK!
To Be Takei - Not a Trek movie, but I watched this documentary on the big screen for Chicago's Asian American movie festival a couple weeks ago. I never got to watch the TOS movies when they first came out, but was overjoyed when the documentary showed Sulu in VI, and I nearly yelled out along with him: Target that explosion and FIRE. Now I've added to my bucket list the mission to watch every TOS movie on the big screen whenever a theater hosts a special Trek event.
ST09 - Gigantic, exhausted but in a good way. My two non-Trekkie friends (whose idea it was to go) just couldn't stop raving. I tried to recount all the references to other Treks. We all agreed that the Kelvin sequence was a great way to start the movie.
STID - Good action flick, but kind of tired of Earth by now. Cumberbatch has great delivery but why is Khan not brown? Wished there was more McCoy, Sulu, and Scotty in there. HEY, a BAT'LETH! Spock yelling Khan took me out of the movie. Really and pleasantly surprised that the NX-01 and Section 31 figured in. EEEK LEG BREAK!
To Be Takei - Not a Trek movie, but I watched this documentary on the big screen for Chicago's Asian American movie festival a couple weeks ago. I never got to watch the TOS movies when they first came out, but was overjoyed when the documentary showed Sulu in VI, and I nearly yelled out along with him: Target that explosion and FIRE. Now I've added to my bucket list the mission to watch every TOS movie on the big screen whenever a theater hosts a special Trek event.
