I promised the review and despite the urge to address what happened in California today, I shall do so.
STAR TREK
DISCLAIMER: I write this review having seen only one Star Trek movie - the very first one. I saw it many, many moons ago as a child and remember nothing about it other than I fell asleep during it. I haven't seen a single Trek movie since then. I also have never seen The Next Generation or Voyager or...I think that's it, right? I was a fan of Deep Space Nine for 2 or 3 seasons but gave it up long before the end. So, with that in mind, I go into the movie with no love of the franchise to insult.
That being said...
I dug it. I really dug it. It was a fun, exciting, amusing sci-fi flick and J.J. Abrams outdid himself, IMO. It had just enough geek to stay sci-fi but not enough to drown in (although the Missus wasn't feelin' the time travel stuff.) As a non-Star Trek fan but someone familiar with some of the Trekisms, it was cool to see them effort to work in the, "Damn it, Jims" and "I'm givin' it all she's got, Captain!"
The appearance of old Spock caught me by surprise. I knew Leonard Nimoy was in the movie but I assumed it was just a cameo. That was no cameo. He played a major part in the movie and even as a non-fan, I got a little bit of a chill when he arrived on the scene. It makes me glad that the Shatner stuff didn't work out because I think that might have been overkill.
So, I liked the action, the humor, the effects... the acting was "okay." It wasn't Oscar-worthy but it doesn't need to be. It was good enough for what it needed to be and didn't distract from the movie.
What didn't I like?
There were a few Lucas-esque "Let's do this crazy creature/action scene just because we can" moments especially on the ice planet thing that as a Star Wars fan instantly reminded me of Hoth. Also, there were a couple of comedic sequences that seemed kinda... odd. Not quite Peter Parker in a dance sequence odd but approaching that level. I've read a few interviews where the filmmakers thought that humor was very important to the movie so... well, they accomplished that.
But all in all, I really was happy with the movie and I have a feeling I'm going to be very glad this was my first movie of the summer instead of Wolverine or Terminator.
What does it take to get a non-Star Trek fan enthused enough to rush out to see Star Trek?
Four words: In J.J. we trust.
2009-05-26
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1 comments:
Glad to see you back to reviewing movies, Blue.
I am actually an "Anti-Trekkie" - I never liked ANY of the shows. In fact, I find it difficult to sit through a full episode. I did see one of the movies when I was like 10 years old - the one with the whales & when they're on earth. It was pretty good.
That being said, I thought this movie was GREAT! I thought the "isms" you talked about were actually well placed in the movie. Even the crazy "polar bear" was cool with me - added a bit of excitement to the scene. I am curious as to which of the scenes you were talking about (the ones that you hinted @ the Peter Parker-type scenes). I thought the Peter Parker scene in SM3 almost killed the whole movie. I don't recall any scenes like that in this movie. Do enlighten your audience.
Otherwise, great review.
I saw Wolverine, but not Terminator. I'll be curious to see your reviews on both of those.
Also, I saw the preview for G.I. Joe - I'll admit, I was pretty much ready to either NOT see it at all, or simply go in knowing it will suck. I have to say the preview got my hopes up. I guess you could say I'm "cautiously optimistic".
Don't forget to catch my new show "Pitchmen" on Discovery HD.
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