Posted on 05/08/2009 12:03:09 AM PDT by dr_lew
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "Star Trek" debuts in movie theaters on Thursday backed by huge hype, but whether the film based on a 43-year-old franchise can win young fans and big box office returns has industry watchers scratching their heads.
(Excerpt) Read more at uk.reuters.com ...
I went to a 10PM showing, and got there a little after nine in case there was a crowd. They did have a line set up to get into the theater, and there were people there, but I was in the first part of the line, and in fact the theater ( one of the large auditoriums at the AMC 30 ) easily held the crowd. It was a suitably nerdy bunch ( excepting myself, of course ) and was mostly young adult. I heard many comments reflecting a serious ST devotion, which I have never felt, although I have to count myself as a fan.
I had read the largely positive reviews, which noted the "time warping" and "alternative reality" aspects of the film, and these were prominent. I felt they expressed a "postmodern" message commenting on the work itself, saying that it had the liberty to change things around a little bit. Often one feels that such interpretations are forced, but to me the message was palpable in this case.
I did find the story engaging, and I really have no complaints about the treatment, which was quite creative. If it had just been a straight backward extrapolation of the lore from ST:TOS, it probably could not have held up. If I WERE to have a complaint, you know, it would probably be that it was too "busy" in this regard, but I'm willing to take what they're giving.
The real strength of the movie is the characteriztions, and in this it is truly faithful to the original, with Kirk and Spock leading the way. Spock was truly a ringer for a young version of the Nimoy character, and Kirk relied more on mannerism and voice, but he looked enough alike that I easily bought into it. The other characters followed suit, and this really held the movie together.
The direction and staging had a lot of homages to other movies, including Star Wars, Ang Lee's Hulk, and Buckaroo Banzai. The latter in the appearance and interior of the Romulan vessel.
My recommendation - loosen up and enjoy it.
Yeah, but was it super violent? the yungins love the violence..
I look forward to seeing it. I will say that I have a hard time watching just about any movie these days, as they all seem to be message over content.
It used to be that you could go to the movies and forget about life’s troubles. Now your bombarded by green and global warming nonsense to the point of massive negative reaction. And those aren’t the only PC messages either.
The studios are messing with fire. Their revenues aren’t in the tank because they are doing all the right things. A lot of people are tuning out.
Well, almost no blood, but several brawls with heavy blows, and plenty of explosions and the like. Very restrained, I would say, compared to the explicit dismemberment and copious blood flow that we do see so often these days.
Well, almost no blood, but several brawls with heavy blows, and plenty of explosions and the like. Very restrained, I would say, compared to the explicit dismemberment and copious blood flow that we do see so often these days.
Hard to watch something that is so obscenely non-canon, especially when you’ve been a fan over 30 years.
Agreed. I'm old enough to have been a fan of the original Wild, Wild West and I couldn't watch the Will Smith movie version, not in a million years. And I like Will Smith movies.
I wouldn;t say it was “really” bad, but Kenneth Branagh was excellent in it as the villain.
Saw the 7 pm IMAX showing...never seen an IMAX film so packed, ever. When we got there, the line was already forming for the 9:40 show, something I haven’t seen since Phantom Menace. Afterwards, 90% of the audience stayed in their seats for the entire credits, also something I’ve never seen.
30 years only takes you back to 1979. I well recall watching most of the original episodes first run, lying on the living room floor with my parents sitting on the couch. It was heady stuff in those days.
This is why I say “loosen up”. ST has always been involved with the realities of its production, starting with its obscenely short run as a TV series. I can appreciate that the producers and director felt that they had to shake things up to generate interest, and they did take the trouble to introduce plot devices to excuse themselves. They also drew on the canon quite a bit, with Capt. Pike, and the famous incident of Kirk’s “cheat” on the simulation test. In the audience I was a part of, each introduction of a famous catch phrase drew applause. The canon is as much a matter of style and depiction as it is a matter of fictional background.
I will admit that they might have created a problem for future extensions with these alterations. But here again, as explicitly enunciated by “the old Spock” in the movie itself, they were very careful to put everything back together again, so that the state of things at the end of the movie was a solid foundation for the subsequent developments of the “canon”.
Seriously, the original timeline and stories are all still there, and as far as their concerned, Spock and Nero are dead and Romulus is toast. Stories can still be made for this era.
Was at a 7 PM IMAX show also. This was one of those ‘event’ movies, with the audience cheering throughout at all the right places. Big fun.
After, the line for the next showing was sheer mayhem - wrapped around the top floor and down 3 flights of stairs, many in costume, reporters, etc. (Lincoln Square, NYC). Ready to go see it again!
Good point.
But really, isn’t this whole canon business a creation of fandom in the first place? It’s hard to say that ST:TOS had any kind of real coherence, except for the presumed background of the crew, which was a constant, and a dead letter.
The stories were outlandish and unrelated to one another. This was the idea of the format, which was really a version of the Odyssey, with which one can draw many explicit parallels, including Kirk’s amorous proclivities, and the expendable “redshirts” ( Except that Odysseus actually lost his crew through attrition! )
I think Star Trek really is a “modern myth”, and it’s instructive to note how easily the ancients tolerated inconsistencies and the lack of a coherent time line in their mythos.
Too many lights on the bridge. /whine.
Homage to 2001 ? It had that same kind of look.
Thanks for the review; we’re going to see it next week.
How big was McCoy’s part?
I wonder how many “Red Shirts” got killed?
One. Wouldn’t be right without having that.
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