Your immediate reactions on seeing the films (at the cinema)

[Noname Given]

Star Trek- The Motion Picture:
(Age 16) - LOVED the opening with the Klingons VS V'Ger (especially the music.) Thought this film was going to rock. Then, wtf? Pajama uniforms? Ok, times have changed, it's okay. Like the new transporter effect, wonder what it would look like when they DON'T have a transporter pad. Really, a 15 minute 1701 flyby? What was the editor thinking? Also, why do the 1701 warp nacelles look like they came from a Klingon Battle cruiser? (Then at their meeting with 'the cloud' and the first Plasma Bolt) - OMG! They've just remade "The Changeling" with a movie budget. WTF! - By the ending credits, "Yep, it was definitely "THe Changeling".


Star Trek II- The Wrath of Khan:
(Age 18): Wanted to see this film, but wasn't a fan of the "Space Seed" episode; so I thought they'd already blown it by basing a film on another already made TOS episode. Also had heard the rumor Spock was going to die in this one before seeing it on opening day (damn STRLOG magazine articles)
Opening on the 1701 Bridge - Okay, good so far but where's Kirk, something's off -- then "Okay, there's Spock dead...must be some sort of training simulation...BINGO! (So, Starlog was just making mention of the opening, which is a simulation, God, why do that kind of crap just to get notoriety? - hope the rest of the film doesn't suck.) But, by the end - Okay, there were enough continuity glitches and plotholes to pilot a Starship through, but WHO CARES!? This is what TMP should have been. I have to see it again (and I did, as I'd gone to a 10:00 AM show with friends' and went back for the 8:00 PM sho the same day and saw it again.


Star Trek III- The Search for Spock:
(Age 21) Picking up right where they left off...cool. WTF kind of Starship design is that (IE U.S.S. Excelsior). GR must be getting senile if he approved that 'flying Bathtub' as a Federation ship design. Hope it gets blown up later... Like the fact they brought Mark Leonard back as 'Sarek' and he was confronting Kirk. As to the U.S.S. Grissom 1) Again, WTF kind of starship design is that? 2) Pink Bridge upholstery...really? 3) How in the f**k did this guy make Captain? Starfleet must really be declining. Later with the Klingons on the planet and then after the whole 1701 Bridge 'countdown' and destruction. Oh, okay, the Klingons are SOOO STUPID; no wonder the Grissom had the captain it did. By the end: I guess it was okay, better than TMP, but no where near as good as STII:TWoK. Still looks like we'll get another film.

Star Trek IV- The Voyage Home
(Age 23) Really? Another "Unknown Alien Probe" causing havok? What does it take to do something more original? Then - okay, guess we'll be in the BoP for this one; that's a bit original/different. Time travel? Okay, I guess that IS the only TOS meme the films have yet to cover. Meh - after the 'comedy' that was the 'Keystone Klingons' in III; not really into another non-serious type ST film - the comedy fell flat for me. Didn't hate it, but was in no mood to really see it again.

Star Trek V- The Final Frontier:
(Age 26 - had read about and seen a Work Print to VHS transfer that we were sure was fake - it WASN'T) - Who in the f**k let Shatner write/direct this nightmare. There are elements of the original 1960ies Star Trek TV show that had BETTER visual effects and production values. God, Paramount must really want to kill off the TOS films to promote that (only in it's second season) new TNG TV series crapfest. (They reused enough of the sets and barely bothered to re-dress the Transporter Room to look different from the TNG set setup.)

Star Trek VI- The Undiscovered Country
(Age 28) - Okay, IV was preachy, but this? Again, why does Nimoy have to go on a U.S./U.S.S.R. type parallel. WTF? "Only Nixon could go to China (um yeah, ha ha - Vulcans were looking in on Earth for centuries I guess - groan) and then "Shakespeare in the original Klingon" ?? Can I have some of what Nimoy was smoking? WTF? McCoy DOESN'T know Klingon anatomy or physiology? Guess Nimoy didn't remember "Trouble With Tribbles" where McCoy outed the Klingon spy by noting teh differences after a quick tricorder scan. (Not to mention WHY they decide to beam over in the first place; OR the fact that the Klingons have only ONE medic on the ship of the Klingon Chancellor and no other med staff at all (and no, I don't buy Klingon civilization as that draconian. How the hell can they maintain a working space fleet without Engineers, Scientists, etc.) Overall, again, not really impressed. Thought it was okay.

Star Trek VII - Generations
(Age 31) My God - they gave them a feature film budget and they just redressed the sets a bit - used terrible lighting; and made a BAD, plodding, two hour TV series episode for the big screen? And WTF? If Picard can exit anywhere in time and space, why not exit at a point where he can save his nephew from a fiery death (and Picard was REALLY distraught over that at the film's start) -- or at least CONSIDER doing that? Also, why does he need Kirk? He could exit back onto the 1701-D Bridge itself and have Worf Phaser the missile from orbit without changing ANYTHING in the timeline - if that's his worry? "Best of Both Worlds" or hell the TNG Finale "All Good Things" were more Big Screen worthy then this mess. And WTF? We DON'T get Kirk either in command of a ship WITH Picard, or in Command of the 1701-D for a few minutes? Berman and Braga really DO hate TOS. What a waste of film.

Star Trek VIII - First Contact
(Age 33) Okay, they finally showed they CAN make a decent, watchable TNG feature film. That was at least somewhat entertaining, fun, and watchable (Although I hate they again decide to 'humanize' the Borg as an enemy with this 'Queen'. <--- Too bad as I liked the Borg as more of a technological 'force o nature' that couldn't really be reasoned with myself.)

Star Trek IX - Insurrection
(Age 35) Picard and Work singing something from HMS Pinafore? Seriously? WTF? Why when given a budget, do these guys again just do a BAD two hour series episode?

Star Trek X - Nemesis
(Age 39) Wow? How can you rip off "Wrath of Khan"; and do it so badly you get a film that looks nice, but SUCKS SO %$#@! hard?

Star Trek
(Age 46) Finally 'Star Trek' is back. Fun, entertaining and enjoyable again. About $#@#@! time.

Star Trek Into Darkness
(Age 50) Wow - loved it. they really did get the essence of the original Star Trek and made it entertaining again. Loved the scene with Kirk, Spock and Pike in Pike's office. Okay, it's Khan (boy is that going to piss off some die hards I'm sure.) Cool, they're kind of combining "Space Seed" and "Wrath of Khan" events for this universe - still shows WHY Khan is/was so feared, LOVED IT. (Bring on Nu-Trek III.)

 

[RAMA]

Did I just read that someone called STV a serious movie???? Not naming names to protect the identity..

 

[Steve Gennarelli]

I was 15 and I went to ST:TMP with my Nana and Aunt who were the 2 most important folks in getting me to become a "Star Trek" fan. They watched it with my Grandpa and I just happened to walk in one day when "The Naked Time" came on and I was hooked.

5 or 6 years later, we went to "ST:TMP". Since we loved the series so much, we couldn't
help but be awed by the visuals, Jerry Goldsmith's wonderful score and just seeing our family again, the Enterprise crew. Funny comment though....later that night "Star Trek" was still airing in reruns on local TV in Binghamton NY where I'm from. My Nana is with me and she says regarding "All Our Yesterdays" .the episode that was on that night..."Gee, this is better than the movie we just saw".

I really think she had a good point. I think I loved all of the original 6 "Star Trek" movies because of the nostalgia and I never wanted to see the franchise end. However, I love every aspect of the classic original series...the music, the uniforms, the acting, the stories....

ST: TWOK - I went with my best buddy from high school for a Saturday Matinee....I was happy with the film and great to see the upgrades and Khan again. I was pleased.

ST: TSFS- Saw this on Opening Night and the crowd which was around the block of an old theatre in Endicott NY roared and screamed with their approval. They loved this movie as did I.

ST:IV - This came out Thankgiving weekend in 1986. It was really a wonderful Christmas present from Mr. Nimoy, Mr. Bennett and Paramount to the fans. Like "Entertainment Weekly" recently said in their recap of the Trek films, this was such joyful filmmaking and a story that was nothing but good and positive and upbeat.

ST V- Left the theatre thinking WOW....I've just seen "Star Trek" at its best and worst. Jerry Goldsmith's score and some of the great bonding moments between the holy trinity of Kirk, Spock, McCoy and the fine performance of Lawrence Luckinbill saves this problematic film from being totally in the crapper.

STVI - One final victory lap and another Christmas delivery from Paramount to cap off the 25th anniversary in style. Loved the film and hoped we would get more...but it was not meant to be.

I do recall seeing Shatner and Nimoy on the "Arsenio Hall" show which was filmed at Paramount and them speculating about doing a new film. Myself, I kind of thought they could have done a series of Captain Kirk only films which would have saved Paramount the salaries of the other 7 dwarfs but I guess they were too fearful to do something like that....

 

[Vger23]

Star Trek- The Motion Picture I didn't see TMP in the theater, as I was too young. I saw it on HBO in the 1980/1981 timeframe when I was about 5 years old, but I was already into Star Trek a lot. I distinctly remember being interested in seeing what this was all about in terms of a different looking ship and different looking uniforms. I remember wondering if Kirk and Scotty were played by different actors at first, because they looked different. I remember thinking it was really cool (you know, for a 5-year old kid). I loved the music, loved the visuals, and pretty much watched it every time it was on and I wasn't napping or sleeping.
(Retrospect): In my post-TWOK years, I put TMP at the bottom of my list for being too slow and uninteresting. NOW, however...I think it is a very good and unique Star Trek movie, one of my very favorites.

Star Trek II- The Wrath of Khan My dad took me to see TWOK when I was 6 1/2. We missed the opening scene (we walked in as Kirk and Spock are walking down the hall after the simulator scene) because I was playing at a buddy's house and my dad didn't anticipate that when he planned on surprising me. I remember thinking it was a lot of fun. The ceti eel situation freaked me out, but not too bad. I thought the space battle stuff was fun and actually liked it more than Star Wars because it was more intense and dramatic rather than "action-y."
(Retrospect): TWOK is a modern classic and is the best of the Star Trek films. As a wee lad, I didn't understand or appreciate many of the themes running through the film. I just thought that Khan was badass and pew pew was cool. Now, I appreciate it for the masterpiece that it is.

Star Trek III- The Search For Spock This was probably the first Trek film I saw where I was old enough (9) to know what the heck was going on. My dad and I went to see it after much anticipation. I was totally spoiled going in though, because a Starlog Poster Magazine had the entire plot thoroughly outlined in it, and I read it about 37 times before we got to the theater. I remember thinking it was totally epic (space dock, Klingon BOP, Excelsior, Grissom...great world-building) and dramatic (Kruge is a badass, Enterprise destruction, David sacrifice, Spock restored). The stealing of the Enterprise was my favorite franchise moment to date. I thought the end on Vulcan was very dull and ran contrary to the action/adventure elements of the film. I was REALLY upset though, because I thought this was probably the end of Star Trek movies.
(Retrospect): TSFS gets a lot of flack, and suffers for being a middle child. I personally love it, and find it to be almost an inseparable companion piece to TSFS. I think that (as I thought when I was 9) that the world-expansion alone makes it a worthwhile film...but I love the "family above all" theme with the crew and I think the idea of the crew going rogue and stealing the Enterprise is awesome.

Star Trek IV- The Voyage Home I remember being very unexcited about this outing, even as an 11-year old. The time travel / back to Earth episodes never excited me on TOS, and I felt like, with everything that happened in TWOK and TSFS, that this was a step way back in an uninteresting direction. Of course, when I saw the film in the theater, I enjoyed it. I remember my friend and I almost literally rolling on the floor when Chekov and Uhura are asking the San Fran cop where the Noooclear Wessssles are. I thought the Probe plot was too reminiscent of what they had done in TMP. I loved the fact that they came full circle aboard the Enterprise-A though, and was relieved they didn't get the Excelsior.
(Retrospect): This is still my least-favorite TOS movie. My view on it really hasn't changed much in 30 years. It's a fun romp, and it has some interesting things to say...but I think because (FOR ME) a huge part of Star Trek's appeal is the space exploration and adventure, that coming home to the present is not particularly exciting or "re-watchable." In fact, this is one of my least-watched films in the franchise.

Star Trek V- The Final Frontier I was 13 when TFF came out, and probably at the height of my Trek fandom. TNG was on and was starting to really experience success. TOS was still being re-played 5 nights per week in syndication. My buddies were all really into Star Trek in its various forms. Plus, the Enterprise was getting back into space in an adventure that, by all the previews and TV spots, looked like it was worthy of the TOS blueprint. I saw this on opening night with my dad (first opening night Trek movie...and I've seen all the others on opening night since). I remember loving it. It was fun and well-paced. There was mystery and build up around what was going on with Sybok and this mission beyond the Great Barrier. The action, while not out-of-control, was fun and kept a young teen engaged. I thought the character stuff was very intense, and remember thinking that from the moment the Big 3 get to the observation lounge...the movie was REALLY getting interesting. I do recall waiting for some really cool twist or revelation at the end with the God Creature that never really came, and I was very disappointed in that. But, otherwise, I walked out of there thinking I had just seen the best Trek since TWOK. Also, important to note, that the crowd erupted into applause at the end of the movie, and later that summer at a convention I attended with my best friend...a "clap poll" was held and the fans clapped for TFF as their second-favorite behind TWOK. Interesting how things change........
(Retrospect): I was absolutely stunned and disheartened in the wake of this movie reading all of the negativity (remember, this was before the inter webs told you how to think about these things) in magazines, etc. I remember wondering if I had "missed" something since I had enjoyed the film so much. The years that followed were even more unkind to TFF...but my adoration and appreciation of this movie has never really wavered. These days, I certainly see the flaws and unfortunate short-comings of what could have been...but I enjoy this movie tremendously and consider it to be the most faithful to the show I grew up loving in reruns as a wee lad.

Star Trek VI- The Undiscovered Country I was just about to turn 16 when this movie premiered in Dec. The anticipation was off-the-charts. The previews and TV spots were awe-inspiring and painted a picture of an epic, dramatic and historic adventure that would be true to the feel of TOS but also have the grit and intensity of TWOK. I saw the film under interesting circumstances (I was grounded and in theory unable to go see the film on it's opening day, but skipped school with 2 other buddies to catch a noon show on Dec 6). I remember being blown away by the Praxis explosion and Excelsior scene. The assassination scene was pure gold as well. But, I also remember being somewhat disappointed...like I was trying to convince myself that this was really great, but it felt a little too small-scale and rushed to meet the expectations I had built up. Regardless, I saw it 3 more times that winter and enjoyed it enough each time.
(Retrospect): I actually think that this is the most over-rated of all the Star Trek films. That's not to say it's bad...but in my opinion (only) it simply isn't the classic everyone makes it out to be. While I appreciate a lot of what was done in TUC, I can't get past the feeling of how rushed and cheap the production and script some across, the awful pacing of the middle 1/3 of the film and plot elements that, for what is sold as a tightly-woven political thriller/mystery, just don't hold up. I actually believe it is a sloppy as TFF...but that it shows up more here because of the nature of the type of story being told.

Star Trek Generations I was out of HS and 18 when this film premiered. I recall being excited about seeing Kirk and Picard meet on-screen, but disappointed in what looked like a somewhat under-played way of getting them together. I saw the movie with a couple of buddies on opening night, and thought it was a lot of fun. I was very disappointed in some of the missed opportunities and the plot seemed a little too busy and complicated, but I thought it was visually stunning and that the Nexus (and associated philosophy behind mortality and time etc) was a great sci-fi concept and very TNG-like. The saucer crash blew me away, as I had no idea that was coming. I remember being relatively pleased with the movie, but then later a little confused when the critics and box-office results weren't great. Even though I mourned Kirk, I thought the death was handled well and respectfully at the time.
(Retrospect): This is one of those films that has fallen far since I first experienced it. While I don't at all think it is unenjoyable, there are just too many issues with the film to really appreciate it. I believe it is visually stunning (maybe the best looking of the "original universe" films) and has some great stuff in it, it's ultimately too much of a mess to revisit purposefully very often.

Star Trek: First Contact I went with a big group of friends on opening night. I remember running over to the theater at lunch to buy everyone tickets (I worked right across the street) and the woman in line at the box office ahead of me was buying 30 for the same show I was going to. I remember thinking..."well....that's pretty huge!" I enjoyed FC and had a great time, but remember that something just felt a little "off" about it. In very much the same vein as TUC, maybe FC was just too much promise and not enough pay-off in terms of scope and scale and the expectations of what a Borg-drive feature film could be. That said, it was sufficiently tense and action-packed and largely a huge hit with me. I do recall cringing at a lot of the Data/Borg Queen stuff, and wishing that sub-plot had been left on the cutting room floor, but everything else was tight, crisp and fun.
(Retrospect): Not much has changed in the intervening years. I find FC to be a more-than-competent adventure with some good eye candy and pew pew. I do believe that the crown-jewel of the TNG movie franchise is the scene between Picard and Lily in the lounge...no action, no phasers...just great tension and drama.

Star Trek: Insurrection I saw this with a good-sized group on opening night. I was excited that there was a new Trek movie, but was pretty underwhelmed by the previews and the small snippets of plot that had been released. I remember not being particularly thrilled with this one at all on first viewing. There were some fun moments, but (someone else said this earlier) in the wake of a Phantom Menace preview that evoked memories of everything that was grand and brilliant about sci-fi movies, it seemed to pale in comparison. I thought the silly humor fell flat and was, frankly, embarrassing for the more dignified and serious TNG cast. I liked seeing the new Enterprise in action and thought the location shooting was fantastic...but ultimately this was my first Trek theater experience that was underwhelming.
(Retrospect): My least-favorite entry into the movie series...I'd watch an average 1-hour TNG episode from season 1 before I'd spend too much time or effort re-watching this again. That said, it was on TV a few days ago and my 5 year old and 3 year old sons loved it. So...that works!

Star Trek: Nemesis I avoided all spoilers or internet discussions about this film at the time. I was 25 when this premiered, and I went with my (now) wife and another couple. I remember being engrossed in a very different looking and feeling Star Trek then we had grown accustomed to. I thought it was very well produced and visually interesting. I enjoyed the TNG "nature vs. nurture" heavy-handed theme a lot, and I thought the massive dose of pew pew at the end was a total blast. I thought for sure, even thought there were flaws and a few things that seemed "off" (I couldn't get past how dark and action packed it was for a TNG production, and thought it borrowed to liberally from TWOK and TUC in terms of plot) that it would do relatively well and have good mass-appeal because it was fun and action packed. Aaaannnnnd I was wrong.
(Retrospect): While not Star Trek's finest outing at the cinema...I still believe that NEM is very close to FC as being my favorite TNG movie outing. While there are things about it that are a little wonky...I just don't hate it like most do. To me, it's a tight, engaging, sometimes thoughtful sci-fi action adventure with a bit of a hokey plot but otherwise entertaining premise.

Star Trek (2009) I went to an early preview showing of this film on a Wednesday night the week it premiered with my wife, and again later that weekend with about 12 people. I went in hopeful, but with great trepidation as well. There was so much controversy around this...but the early reviews were off-the-charts good and sounded like all the right buttons were being pushed. I remember being totally swept up in this movie. The opening scene aboard the Kelvin was a MASTERPIECE. Yes, it was stupid in spots. Yes, it stretched the bounds of what we had come to believe was the proper functioning of this "universe." Yes, some of the characters were "off" (Kirk???). But...I couldn't help it. The magic was back, and it was intensified and over-the top and instantly addicting. It was the shot in the arm the franchise and fandom needed and I was re-energized. I saw this 9 times in the theater and would have seen it 9 more if possible.
(Retrospect): This is the best of the Kelvin Universe, flawed as it may be. It is a fun, engaging "what if" parallel-universe story, not unlike if they had ever done a Mirror-Universe movie. It is very re-watchable, visually thrilling, and just a lot of fun. Yes, there are cringeworthy and even objectionable moments abound...but it's done with so much fun and energy I can't help but love it still.

Star Trek Into Darkness IMAX 3D on opening night with 2 other couples. Word of mouth was so mixed...but my expectations were similar to the previous JJ movie. I recall being swept up and dizzied (in a good way and sometimes in a not good way) by the action and complexity of the plot. I thought the characters were better this time around, and I liked that a lot of action took place with Kirk firmly in role as captain. That said, I felt like this movie tried too hard to be "awesome." The action was way over the top and almost exhausting. The plot fell apart a little in the end. I liked the homage "death of Kirk" scene, but everything after that made me want to punch a baby (Spock yelling KHAN, the crash sequence, magic blood, etc).
(Retrospect): I don't hate this movie like many fans do, but I think it's a bit silly and convoluted with break-neck pacing that even a video-game addicted millennial jacked up on Jolt Cola would find distracting and overwhelming. I will watch it occasionally, but it doesn't engage me like some other Trek outings do. I generally turn it off after Kirk "dies" and find that works for me. Enjoyable, but ultimately not essential at all.

Star Trek Beyond This one worried me because, even though I was excited...the general plot I could gather from trailers reminded me a little too much of Insurrection in that we're stuck on a planet trying to save people and it's very much like an episode. That said, I remember being quite pleased with this. It didn't thrill me like 2009 had, but it didn't make me want to look away because my eyes and head hurt like ID did either. I thought the characters and plot were as close to TOS as we were going to get...and that made me VERY happy...even though the plot itself was fairly mundane. So, I enjoyed this a lot, but wasn't thrilled or inspired either.
(Retrospect): This is a weird, schizophrenic movie in the franchise from my perspective. It has some FANTASTIC moments that magically bring me back to being a boy and loving TOS at its purest...and it has other moments where it's just kind of "same ole same ole action movie" and isn't that interesting. Overall, I'd say I really like it and it has a place in my heart for sure, but am disappointed they didn't do something more special (whatever that means or looks like) for the 50th anniversary.