Husher315
"Are you out of your Vulcan mind?! Star Trek Review!"
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J.J. Abrams reboot/prequel to the "Star Trek" film franchise.
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Rating:
My own expectations for this film killed it a bit for me.
+3
I did my best not to read the reviews about Star Trek, however as I sat in the theatre nearly everyone around me was saying how good they heard this film was. Everyone was positively excited about this momentous event in filmmaking history.
The film was good I thought, not great. The only film of recent memory that has actually lived up to and exceeded its hype in my book was Batman The Dark Knight. That was a great film.. Before that it was T2. So, compared to those films, Star Trek was entertaining and fun just not great.
Tthe actors were fantastic - which was best part of the film for me, the set design was well done, cinematography was a little hyperkinetic, but cool. It's quite difficult for me to knock this film, since it's so polished and pretty. However, on some gut level I had problems with the story and pacing. Just something about the film, I didn't feel it was grand enough and the comic relief was injected a little too much on point. It felt like Transformers with a lot of cool stuff and then points that make you go 'what?', 'okay whatever' wrapped in really pretty packaging and shot out at warp speed so fast that there's not much time to think - which may be by design.
SPOILER ALERT, don't read on if you don't want to know... I have a personal peeve about the whole time travel thing. I'm 50/50 on it. I think it's an interesting way to reboot the series; tactically it's very smart. However, at the same time, I feel like it invalidates all the previous Star Trek stories I've watched. Like nothing I saw was 'original'. This Kirk, Spock and all the crew members are not the same characters that I remember and grew up with (I say that loosely, since I'm not nearly qualified to be a true Trekkie). So it was a bit of a disconnect for me, because they're using short hand based on the original characters for these people who aren't the real people. Why is Tarzan who he is? Because he grew up in the jungles and not in the city. (I do apologize for using a fictional character to get my point across).
I also thought it was really weird to have both Spocks present and the older one goes to start his own planet. I'm surprised then that there's not a whole bunch of duplicate selves around the universe. Also thought that weird alien who came with Scotty was just odd and only served as some bizarre comic relief (injected in). Then Kirk just happens to fall into the exact same hole that the real Spock was in? This opens up a whole can of worms with the philosophy of destiny and choice. I'm not going to get into that.
What's up with the red matter stuff? Star Trek is known to have serious sci-fi technological underpinnings. This (Red Matter) was one of those things, that they just seemed like the they needed a good plot device to get the story going, so they just created this stuff that by not saying what it is scientifically would not come under fire of scrutiny (cuz you can't fight something that isn't there). Hmm...red for red herring? Perhaps I've just gotten too used to Battlestar Galactica where everything was huge and operatic.? Not sure. I suppose had I lessened my expectations I may have enjoyed it more, maybe rated it half a point higher. The purpose of my jumbled disorganized review is to hopefully knock your expectations down a bit so you'll enjoy the film more. Live long and prosper.
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Scotman
May 13, 2009
I gave you a positive score on this review, but I think you missed something too on the time travel thing. It's more akin to the Mirror-Mirror like universe. Also, of course the characters would be different as their earlier "selves" would be different with different origins, IMHO. I had no high expectations but really liked it and I've been watching Trek since 1966. :)
daricl
May 13, 2009
Thanks for your comment! I agree I totally didn't get the time travel thing, as I'm sure I missed quite bunch of inside jokes that an avid fan of the series would enjoy. I do look forward to watching the sequels and seeing where they go.
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More Star Trek (2009 film) reviews
review by Stephanie_Smith19.
December 12, 2010
Let's just be clear, I am not a trekkie nor have I ever been a trekkie, and this film did not make me a trekkie, but that didn't stop me from enjoying this reboot of the franchise. The acting was great, the special effects were great, the story was great, and I recently found out that this was the only Star Trek film to win an Oscar (best makeup). It did tend to drag/ be too talky and sometimes hard to follow in some scenes, but for the most part, the movie worked. … more
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review by Husher315.
May 03, 2009
Just as a warning, this review is going to be very spoilerific, so if you hate spoilers don't read this, but I just can't help myself. Now then, may I just say that this might be the BEST Star Trek Film ever?! And that's not comparing it to The Wrath of Khan or First Contact. This Trek film stand alone among all of the other ones. When J.J. Abrams set off to make a Trek film that was accessible to both non-fans and fans, he apparently knew just what he was doing. This film was also an ensemble piece. … more
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To be honest, I didn't think it could be done. I'm one of those old-time fans. I grew up on episodes of Star Trek in syndication. I cheered the return of the original cast to the movies. I followed closely -- at times more with a sense of loyalty than enthusiasm -- the various series set within the Next Generation, and I even stepped back in time to the early days of Enterprise. But when Hollywood chatter turned to rebooting the saga from the start, placing new actors in the roles of … more
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I grew up with "Star Trek: The Next Generation." Since I didn't have cable, I rarely got the chance to watch the original Star Trek series. As I grew older, however, I got to watch TOS and found myself preferring it to TNG. It didn't matter how many new incarnations of Star Trek hit the television or the big screen, so long as no one messed with the original characters and the actors who portrayed them, I was fine. Then comes along J.J. Abrams. I have to admit that I followed the developments of … more
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review by kagami.
May 07, 2009
Honestly speaking, Star Trek is something I had never gotten into, though that slightly changed when an online friend of mine kept posting episode commentaries on the original TV series she was rewatching.. Of course, when I saw the trailer for the new movie in the cinemas, and seeing how amazing Zachary Quinto looked as Spock(I personally love Quinto), I knew it was a movie I had to see. The fact that J.J. Abrams was directing was a bonus. After watching … more
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review by DavidLeavitt.
December 01, 2009
It's 2233, and the USS Kelvin is researching a space anomaly. George Kirk (Chris Hemsworth) is left in charge of the ship when Nero (Eric Bana) orders Captain Richard Robau (Faran Tahir) to board his ship. When Robau tells Nero the star date, Nero kills Robau and attacks the USS Kelvin. When Kirk realizes that he cannot save the ship, he orders an evacuation or everyone else. His pregnant wife Winona (Jennifer Morrison) begins to give birth, and asks Kirk what he wants to name his son. Kirk decides … more
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review by newtonooi.
September 07, 2010
If there is one industry that puts out better products every year, it would have to be the global movie industry. In the past decade, Hollywood has put out the best comic book movie ever (Dark Knight), the best zombie comedy ever (Zombieland), the best pirate movies ever (POTC 1-3), and now the best Star Trek movie ever. Coming after a series of so-so Trek films from both the original and Next Generation genres, this is the first Star Trek movie not based on a TV serial. Instead, all the actors … more
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review by Steveo.
April 06, 2010
Reinventing Star Trek, a much adored franchise by all of its dedicated fans, was a brave move to make and one that few had ever dared and J.J. Abrams finally took the dream to the next step. Abrams, producer of the much loved Lost TV show seems to be the next big name in the moviemaking business and is truly a man with great talent. His last film, Cloverfield, was a massive blockbuster success and this, regardless of actual story quality, was bound to achieve the same. Luckily, this wasn't … more
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Relaunch of the series and it seems to be set in an alternate universe.
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review by heyzeus7.
May 20, 2009
I remember vividly the first time I watched Star Trek as a young boy. It was the movie "Generations" and it was utterly bewildering. I had watched "Star Wars" some time before that and in comparison Trek seemed artificial, a bit dull and just plain weird. But the series eventually grew on me with its infectious optimism about the future, its vision of human potential and-for a TV series anyway-its outstanding visual effects. My brother and I would get into bitter arguments over which was cooler, … more
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About the reviewer
daricl
Member Since:
Apr 28, 2009
Last Login: Mar 15, 2011 05:38 PM UTC
Last Login: Mar 15, 2011 05:38 PM UTC
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daricl
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About this movie
Star Trek tells the story of James T. Kirk, Spock and the rest of the Enterprise crew, following their time together at Starfleet Academy as well as their first mission together.
Cast:
- Chris Pine as James T. Kirk
- Zachery Quinto as Spock
- Leonard Nimoy as Spock Prime
- Bruce Greenwood as Captn. Christopher Pike
- Karl Urban as Leonard "Bones" McCoy
- Zoe Saldana as Uhura
- Simon Pegg as Scotty
- John Cho as Hikaru Sulu
- Anton Yelchin as Pavel Chekov
- Eric Bana as Nero
- Ben Cross as Sarek
- Winona Ryder as Amanda Grayson
J.J. Abrams Star Trek represents the first time in sixteen years since Leonard Nimoy has played the character of Spock.
Originally, Star Trek was slated for a Christmas 2008 release, but it was decided that the film would fair better as a summer blockbuster. It would also allow for more media coverage as well as more time to work on the films visual effects.
This Film also represents the last time that Majel Barrett Roddenberry played the voice of the Enterprise Computer. She died shortly after she had finished her work on the film.
J.J. Abrams' 2009 feature film was billed as "not your father'sStar Trek," but your father will probably love it anyway. And what's not to love? It has enough action, emotional impact, humor, and sheer fun for any moviegoer, and Trekkers will enjoy plenty of insider references and a cast that seems ideally suited to portray the characters we know they'll become later. Both a ...
Movies, Action, Adventure, Science Fiction Movies, Science Fiction, Scifi, Star Trek, Sequel, Hype, Adaptation, Jj Abrams Movies
Cast:
Eric Bana,
Ben Cross,
Leonard Nimoy,
Karl Urban,
Winona Ryder,
Anton Yelchin,
Bruce Greenwood,
Zoe Saldana,
John Cho,
Simon Pegg,
Chris Pine,
Zachary Quinto
Director:
J.J. Abrams
Genre:
Action,
Sci-Fi
Release Date:
May 8th 2009
MPAA Rating:
PG-13
Screen Writer:
Roberto Orci,
Alex Kurtzman
DVD Release Date:
Unknown
Runtime:
126 minutes
Studio:
Paramount Pictures,
Bad Robot
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