DarkLogicianOfCaos
Eschew Obfuscation
Well, I went to a Star Trek Sneak Preview last night and I must say, it was fun. From scene one it was packed with warp speed action and adventure. It was exciting, funny and, well not altogether Star Trek. That is to say, if you know something about Star Trek and enjoy the reruns enough to know the catch phrases and the character personalities, you will LOVE this movie.
However, if you are a Trekiee or Treker (the difference does not escape this writer) you may be somewhat dissappointed, or at least have some difficulty ignoring the taint of an alternate Universe. It gives nothing away to state that the tagline well warns, "Forget everything you know about Star Trek". Yes, Star Trek has officially gone Marvel Universe. But if you don't mind the alternate reality from everything you ever knew about Star Trek, then sit back and enjoy.
Otherwise, it might help to think of this movie as more of an homage, not enough to be a spoof, but definitely taking advantage of the sillier side of Star Trek. Maybe the best way to get a feel for it is to liken it to the Batman franchise. Think of the 1995 Batman Forever, which did not take itself too seriously, but was a good movie (especially compared to the 1966 Movie). However, when placed beside The Dark Knight (2008) it pales significantly. This Star Trek is comparable to the 1995 version. Well done, but not the story you know at all.
It is good to know though that Uhura is not the skank she appears to be in the previews. That's all I will say about that. Zachary Quinto is superb as Spock, despite the "weakness" they give his character. He pulled it off believably and seemingly effortlessly. He owns that role. Similarly, Simon Pegg took charge of the role of Scotty and brought a liveliness and lovability to him that you could only expect from Pegg. Chris Pine, it seems, was cast more for the look. He is a good actor, but failed to carry of the intensity that this new Kirk called for. His performance lacked luster and inner strength needed to keep Kirk grounded. While he tried for a cocky, self-assured, maybe even arrogant genius, he usually came across like more of a spoiled brat. It is not that he wasn't good, just not good enough; Especially to overcome Quinto's role.
Anton Yelchin's Chekov was just silly, almost to the point of being actually painful. But, Karl Urban's Bones was dead on!! There were times when you forget this is not a young DeForrest Kelly on the screen. His gestures, mannerisms and inflections make him the one true character that seems thoroughly unaffected by the new Universe. Urban's immersion in the character was reminiscent of his Eomer in LoTR, losing the actor to the role.
Overall it is a good movie; But not a great one. The franchise is left open for more, but it was the consensus of my group that all in all, we don't think the cast carried off the weakly written characters. Nor were we anxious to see a sequel, although all of us will be seeing it again. Now that you have been warned, go and enjoy it...free of the distractions of its inadequacies. Leave what you know behind and engage in a good story.
However, if you are a Trekiee or Treker (the difference does not escape this writer) you may be somewhat dissappointed, or at least have some difficulty ignoring the taint of an alternate Universe. It gives nothing away to state that the tagline well warns, "Forget everything you know about Star Trek". Yes, Star Trek has officially gone Marvel Universe. But if you don't mind the alternate reality from everything you ever knew about Star Trek, then sit back and enjoy.
Otherwise, it might help to think of this movie as more of an homage, not enough to be a spoof, but definitely taking advantage of the sillier side of Star Trek. Maybe the best way to get a feel for it is to liken it to the Batman franchise. Think of the 1995 Batman Forever, which did not take itself too seriously, but was a good movie (especially compared to the 1966 Movie). However, when placed beside The Dark Knight (2008) it pales significantly. This Star Trek is comparable to the 1995 version. Well done, but not the story you know at all.
It is good to know though that Uhura is not the skank she appears to be in the previews. That's all I will say about that. Zachary Quinto is superb as Spock, despite the "weakness" they give his character. He pulled it off believably and seemingly effortlessly. He owns that role. Similarly, Simon Pegg took charge of the role of Scotty and brought a liveliness and lovability to him that you could only expect from Pegg. Chris Pine, it seems, was cast more for the look. He is a good actor, but failed to carry of the intensity that this new Kirk called for. His performance lacked luster and inner strength needed to keep Kirk grounded. While he tried for a cocky, self-assured, maybe even arrogant genius, he usually came across like more of a spoiled brat. It is not that he wasn't good, just not good enough; Especially to overcome Quinto's role.
Anton Yelchin's Chekov was just silly, almost to the point of being actually painful. But, Karl Urban's Bones was dead on!! There were times when you forget this is not a young DeForrest Kelly on the screen. His gestures, mannerisms and inflections make him the one true character that seems thoroughly unaffected by the new Universe. Urban's immersion in the character was reminiscent of his Eomer in LoTR, losing the actor to the role.
Overall it is a good movie; But not a great one. The franchise is left open for more, but it was the consensus of my group that all in all, we don't think the cast carried off the weakly written characters. Nor were we anxious to see a sequel, although all of us will be seeing it again. Now that you have been warned, go and enjoy it...free of the distractions of its inadequacies. Leave what you know behind and engage in a good story.
