Saturday, May 23, 2009

that Star Trek movie that's all over everywhere

Am I just drunk or have we not reviewed this yet? What's up with that, Glenn (who is way more qualified to review this than I am)? So I never really was a fan of the Kirk Star Trek (Next Gen fans represent!), but maybe I would have been if it was as fun and action packed as this movie (and if they'd had the budget of this sucker, rather than $20 and a six pack). I dunno, I'm just two steps above laywoman when it comes to Trekker knowledge, but I really enjoyed this biz. Also, that guy who plays Syler on Heroes is pretty hot even with Spock ears.

Rating: 86%

41 comments:

Anonymous said...

those tags are the best.
even drunk, those tags arte the best

DCP said...

It was an ok sci-fi movie. They kind of took all the brains out of Trek, though, which probably helped it get $76 million in its opening weekend.

John from Daejeon said...

It was seriously dumbed down, which is why I guess so many people liked it.

Now, if it had delved into George Kirk (Thor) a bit more, I might have really enjoyed it. Really, how much of a beating can this new Kirk take and still be able to function? It's a lot like John Connor in the new Terminator film in that respect, only Kirk didn't have steel appendages kicking the crap out of him. I’m pretty sure that by the laws of physics, all 206 of John Connor’s bones would have been destroyed after the first couple of blows. However, both flicks were action packed.

John from Daejeon said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Chris said...

I can already hear the voice of resentment among Trekkies.

I tried to warn y'all about this.

laurie said...

Seriously? No one is going to comment on that hilarious picture?

Timmaaay!!! said...

Glenn and John, no offense, but when I read your comments, all I hear is Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons. =P

Seriously, I've talked to some die-hard Trekkers in the past couple of weeks (my Trek expertise is mildly limited, too), and the consensus I've gotten from them is that this film is exactly what the franchise needed, like Batman Begins or Casino Royale. I liked Star Trek best out of those, I think.

It's a really delicate balance. There is no way they could ever make a film that would please all of the existing, most rabid Star Trek fans AND please casual fans and the general moviegoing public. It seems to me that this one is probably the closest thing possible to doing this. As far as American sci-fi/action movies go, I don't think we're going to get a movie with much more brains anytime soon.

Fun review, Laurie.

Walter Benjamin and the Mechanical Reproductions (the band) said...

i think anonymous is a alcoholic

Chris said...

Timaaaay, you're dead on.

Anonymous said...

nBNL it's called 'vacation' not alcoholism.

And Syler looks HOT in that pic. Is that for real Laurie or photo shopped?

laurie said...

I dunno, I found it online. I would have posted a link to the site, but it was a weird website and I was drunk at the time.

DCP said...

I don't care about the continuity issues or anything, I just wanted it to be similar in spirit to the Star Trek I grew up with, which is wasn't. I'm glad so many people liked it, and even I thought it was ok, but I don't understand why that makes me comic book nerd guy. My endless reviews of comic books and Star Trek episodes might fulfill that stereotype, but I don't think my opinion of the new movie does.

John from Daejeon said...

Timmaaay!!!,

The best thing about "Casino Royale" was the wonderful theme by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, but Woody Allen ruined the movie for me. However, Orson Welles as the heavy, in more ways than one, was inspired casting.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=0O5aA83GfYc

Hands down, the best Bond theme ever.

Timmaaay!!! said...

Glenn: It's mostly the way you both brought up the negative side of things so quickly when the movie was mentioned. Also, the way you both said that it being "dumbed down" was probably the reason so many people liked it (should I be insulted there?). That's all I meant by the Comic Book Guy remark. Like I said, no offense meant. =)

John: Nyuk-Nyuk... =P That version probably had the exact opposite effect on the franchise.

Oddly enough, I'd probably call Chris Cornell's Casino Royale song one of the top 3 or 5 Bond themes ever (and the piece of garbage that opened up Quantum of Solace is one of the 3 or 5 worst.)

Timmaaay!!! said...

P.S. Were there continuity issues? It seemed to me that they did a good job allowing this film and the series to be two different entities. Like I said, though, I am no expert when it comes to the Star Trek universe.

Internet John said...

"The average Trekker has no need for a medium sized belt."

I've heard bad reviews from Trekkies and good reviews from everyone else, so I'm hoping I'll like it.

I never thought of the original Trek as particularly brainy--it always struck me as more of a hackneyed low camp space opera than "real" science fiction. TNG tried a little harder to experiment with ethical futurism, space time paradoxes, etc. but was about as sexy as an hour of C Span in a dentist's waiting room.

New BSG 4 life, bitches.

DCP said...

By continuity I meant that some Trekkers are upset about wiping out all the previous continuity with the time travel thing. And Onion articles aside, most Trekkers actually thought it was really great, so J from D and I are in the minority.

I thought the movie was fun, but I missed the moralizing, the didacticism, and general sense of optimism for the future that TOS (and TNG) were known for. In essence, it was a big space battle without any particularly interesting or new science fiction concepts.

It's easy to call TOS low camp because of its special effects or worst episodes (space hippies, space Lincoln, space brain thieves), but a majority of them were smart sci-fi, dealing (often for the first time in a filmed medium) with concepts such as the effects of time travel (City On The Edge Of Forever), questioning the nature or existence of God in a world in which technology seems to preclude it (Who Mourns for Adonais, The Changeling, a million others), alternate realities (Mirror Mirror), genetic manipulation (Space Seed), etc etc etc. Most of the good sci fi exists today because of Star Trek. Sure, these things might have been dealt with better by later shows, but that's like criticizing a '66 Dodge Charger for it's high gas mileage and lack of a CD changer.

In conclusion, glad everybody liked the new movie. I thought it was ok. People who like Star Trek are nerds, ha ha ha.

LoCo said...

I'm certifiably not a Trekkie. I thought the movie was fine. It was fun to watch, but it didn't get my panties all wet or anything. Would I pay to watch it again? Fuck no. Would I watch it again for free when it comes on cable? Maybe, if there was nothing good on Starz.

Anonymous said...

I like the label "sexy sexy" so much, I think I'll create a fake persona and call it that.

Timmaaay!!! said...

Glenn: Well said, mon frere-in-law. I see your point about the optimism of TOS and TNG not really being there much in the new movie. Glad you still liked it, though. Phür and I had a really great time watching it.

John: "Sexy as an hour of C Span in a dentist's waiting room." = My new favorite simile!

Internert Jon said...

I'm going to see it tonight.

@ Glenn
I think my fave episode out of all those was "TLDR".

The '66 Dodge Charger has yet to come into it's own. Its a classic, really. Its also a matter of appreciating it's good qualities and ignoring it's flaw's.

Walter Benjamin and the Mechanical Reproductions (the band) said...

im with timaaay chris cornell rulz

John said...

It was a pretty good flick. I liked the action scenes and most of the characters. The guy who played Kirk can't touch Shitner, but he didn't really try. The bad guys had almost no personality at all--Nero seemed like a WWF reject. I was hoping for a rousing theme song, but no luck. I wouldn't say it was dumb like, say, Nemesis but the geek factor was pretty low.

I'd say it had 10 fingers, 10 toes, a heart and a brain.

laurie said...

@anon: I'm really hoping the "sexy sexy" tag will get a lot more play in the future. I'm also very tempted to go back and add it to a bunch of old posts.

@I.J.: "Shitner"? Freudian slip or purposeful bash?

DCP said...

I think that was John from Daejon and not Internet John.

John said...

@ Laurie
Purposeful. My friend in Austin actually owns a possum named William Shitner.

@ Glenn
You've been reading my writing for 23 years. I'm disappointed. I hear Daejon's nice, though.

laurie said...

I'm sorry, did you say "owns a possum"?

John said...

Yes, insofar as anyone can own any of God's creatures. I think it was injured or something. Anyway, Austin is the most pretentious place this side of Paris, so what do you expect?

DCP said...

Sorry John. I don't know it's you anymore without the signifier "Internet." Maybe Shatterstar could show up in a comment or two, for old times' sake?

DCP said...

I meant Scattershot. My bad.

LoCo said...

I am all for backtracking and putting the sexy sexy tag to good use.

Timmaaay!!! said...

As long as it doesn't end up on the Jesus Camp review, I'm a fan of the Sexy Sexy tag.

I said...

I'll vomit if anyone ever uses the sexy sexy tag on comic book reviews.

Internet John said...

I think all our posts are sexy sexy.

IJ said...

35 comments on a Star Trek post.

John from Daejeon said...

36 comments for a Star Trek post without Shatner as part of the flick. I wonder what the tally would have been had he taken part.

LoCo said...

I feel bad for Shatner. I bet he would have liked to wear a fuzzy parka with his pal Nimoy in a fake space Alaska.

John said...

William Shatner's forgotten about screwing more groupies than Leonard Nimoy could imagine in his wildest dreams. He doesn't need our pity.

laurie said...

BTW, one of my (awesome) friends dragged me to see this a second time and it was just as enjoyable (and sexy) as the first. It even inspired me to finally watch the season finale of Heroes.

John from Daejeon said...

My second viewing proved how far-fetched and illogical it really was. I mean if that Nero dude went into the past(as did old Spock), why didn't he just warn past Romulus and save it from its future destruction?

Putting aside logic is the only way it remotely makes any sense.

John from Daejeon said...
This comment has been removed by the author.