catbarf on 10/5/2009 at 02:34
Speaking of further installments, I don't like how they basically created a parallel but completely separate continuity. It's going to make understanding any sequels rather difficult.
BEAR on 10/5/2009 at 05:31
Just saw it. Still reasoning through some things that didn't make sense but overall impression is this: inconsistent at times but thoroughly enjoyable to the point where contradictions and what not don't bother anything. Not really what I think as "star trek" (good or bad), but fun to watch.
Angel Dust on 10/5/2009 at 08:53
Aja pretty much summed up my feelings: While the score was awful (I was crawling up the walls 30 seconds in when the 'omninous' horns signalled the arrival of the Romulan ship, although I understand that this kind of thing won't bother most people), the plot flimsy and there was an over abundance of shaky-cam, it was still generally a good time and casting was so spot on, Karl Urban is Bones, that I am definitely looking forward to sequels. Hopefully with a better director.
Volitions Advocate on 10/5/2009 at 13:50
I agree on the point of the score. Nothing about it made me think Star Trek.
As for the Shaky cam, i didn't really mind it because it wasn't your Michael Mann/Nash Bridges style shaky cam where it's just a guy running around with a camera, the shaky parts seemed to be controlled just the way they wanted.
The_Raven on 10/5/2009 at 17:47
Quote Posted by demagogue
* not really, I'm in it for ohura too *
This makes me angry. :mad::mad::mad:
mol on 10/5/2009 at 20:55
I hear the dude who plays Doctor Spock does a good job, and who plays Boner nails it, too. But the guy playing Pikard looks too young and he should be bald.
Jackablade on 10/5/2009 at 21:17
I can't tell if you're joking or not. :confused:
snauty on 11/5/2009 at 10:01
I'm no trekkie but I've seen and liked all the movies and most of the series. ToS and TNG complete and DS9, Voyager about halfway through. Only the latest series never hit me, mostly because of that Bolton/Seger/Adams theme song.
So I am authorised to state that the new flick is by far the bestest of them all. If in doubt, here's why:
(
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02LgdXVkXgM)
Morte on 11/5/2009 at 19:06
So child-Kirk was as horrible as in the trailer, and a completely superfluous charcter beat to boot, but otherwise it was damn spiffy!
Granted, the villain was pretty weak, and the whole ice-planet sequence was in dire need of a rewrite - there's moments when it even descends into Star Wars bollocks - but overall it's a good romp and excellent re-introduction to the characters. Pretty much everyone nailed their parts too, with extra-special kudos to Eomer as Bones.
It really did have too much lens-flare though.
Scots Taffer on 12/5/2009 at 00:34
Kinda cool movie, probably still only the third or fourth best Star Trek movie. I like how it captured the energy and some of the old school look/sound/feel to a lot of things yet modernized it without feeling needlessly flashy. The cinematography of the action scenes was pretty sweet and the direction was pretty good, albeit with an over-reliance on breathlessness of pace. Scenes in vacuum and the attack on the drilling platform were pretty neat.
There were probably one too many coincidences in terms of the way the plot unfolded as well as one or two totally curious decisions (such as Uhura and Spock, what the heck) and a few characters grated (Chekov, Scotty) but that was mostly due to the script and pacing, the rest felt at ease with their screentime and owned their roles. Most impressive was Pine, closely followed by Quinto and Urban.
It wouldn't be me if there weren't a few quibbles:
J.J. Abrams obviously has glass retinas if he sees that many lens flares in real life. It was distracting and fucking annoying throughout every scene on the Enterprise. Fuck off. Terrible.
I'll now allow people to make the classic "Star Wars" mistake when they mean "Star Trek" considering as Kirk's origin story was some cockeyed remix of Han and Luke (hick farmboy with hero murdered father becomes next hotshot in academy takes up with them on a jaunt due to "destiny", makes unlikely friends and allies, takes down the bad guys and saves the day, getting a big awards ceremony at the end). I'm sure this lift was intentional as homage or whatever, but it was a little too blatant for my liking.
Next, I hate musical scores that attempt to blatantly manipulate the audience but I also hate scores that effectively mute the dramatic nature of what's unfolding. Giachinno dropped the ball fucking BIG time on this score. They should've hired the guys who did the ridiculously evocative and atmospheric trailer music for the movie because his themes were shit. And I feel the climax was robbed of any real dramatic impact by two things: pacing and music.
When it comes to the climax itself, it was too quick and too easy. Kirk and Spock kind of just run amok on Nero's ship without any real consequences. Spock escaped in that craft too easily and without them even noticing. Kirk was kicking way too much ass for what their advanced weaponry and defences should have allowed. Pike was rescued without any real SUCCESS! feeling, which in turn just left the whole jaunt onto Nero's ship feeling a bit toothless.
I also thought the actual final scenes involving the red matter and so on were kind of robbed of real dramatic weight by them just tossing in a conversation to Nero as a black hole is supposed to be sucking apart his ship in a pretty devastating fashion.
Solid B.
