Star Trek

[Miasma]

That was possibly the best Star Trek movie they've ever made, I'd have to rewatch the undiscovered country to be sure though.

[murdoc]

Star Trek sucks, but this movie was enjoyable.

[MournelitheCalix]

I have hated star trek rather passionately.  That being said, my girlfriend dragged me kicking and screaming into this movie.  I am really glad she did.  This was a sci fi film done right without the star trek crap geeks seem to eat up and I despise in a movie.

I highly recommend it.  J.J. Abrams might just have proven that he is the greatest director of our time.  It just seems like everything he does turns to gold.

[schild]

J.J. Abrams might just have proven that he is the greatest director of our time.

no

[Strazos]

I thought it was pretty great.

Now I'm wondering when we all get Orion slave girls dressed in Victoria's Secret stuff.

[Triforcer]

We got one golden movie out of the reboot.  The next will be average, and the third will open with a montage of zoom-ins on Kirk and Spock's codpieces as they fight on a planet filled with statues of kneeling naked men.  So buy this one on DVD and forget about the future 

[Velorath]

I highly recommend it.  J.J. Abrams might just have proven that he is the greatest director of our time.  It just seems like everything he does turns to gold.

This is the second movie he's directed.  The first was Mission Impossible 3.

[Ratman_tf]

I have hated star trek rather passionately.  That being said, my girlfriend dragged me kicking and screaming into this movie.  I am really glad she did.  This was a sci fi film done right without the star trek crap geeks seem to eat up and I despise in a movie.

Welcome to Trekdom! Qua'plah! We'll have you in a Starfleet uniform in no time. 

[Ghambit]

(more of my 3rd-hand info)

Paramount gave the go-ahead a few weeks ago for the sequel.  A writer from Fringe, Star Trek, and some other guy (forget his name) will be tasked with the screenplay.  There are whisperings they want to make an alternate version of Khan, perhaps with Javier Bardem as his namesake.  

After seeing Abrams' work on this film, I'm not sure they should do as they typically do with Trek and have alternate directors/producers.  They need to keep him on tap.  I mean, fresh ideas are good but I'd really like more from Abrams and his Transformers writers - why screw up a good thing?

[MournelitheCalix]

no

I am not exaggerating when I said that I had to be dragged into seeing this movie.  Just a few hours ago if you would have asked me if I could have sat through an entire old cast of star trek my answer would have been a resounding no.  I left this movie thinking that I had just saw something that wasn't just good, but great.  To each his own I admit.  

This is the second movie he's directed.  The first was Mission Impossible 3.

Yeah thats right, I keep forgetting he didn't direct Cloverfield.  I really liked his MI interpretation as well.  Anyone catch that Kirk's "mother" was the same chick from his MI movie that Tom Cruise is sent to retrieve?

[Trippy]

We got one golden movie out of the reboot.  The next will be average, and the third will open with a montage of zoom-ins on Kirk and Spock's codpieces as they fight on a planet filled with statues of kneeling naked men.  So buy this one on DVD and forget about the future 

Well, we'll see if the "every other" curse starts up again (broken previously by ST: Nemesis), this time with the "odd" movies being the good ones and the even ones being the bad ones.

[Trippy]

Yeah thats right, I keep forgetting he didn't direct Cloverfield.  I really liked his MI interpretation as well.  Anyone catch that Kirk's "mother" was the same chick from his MI movie that Tom Cruise is sent to retrieve?

Keri Russell != Jennifer Morrison

[Ghambit]

[Slyfeind]

Very interesting, very well done. I'm glad I saw it. Random scattershot thoughts....

I was afraid, so very afraid, so tremblingly pee-my-pants afraid, that tying in the old with the new would invalidate the new and make it less important than the almighty whatever of the original series. Strangely, they invalidated the old stuff, but made it okay at the same time. It wasn't a formula Star Trek movie, but it was a formula movie, which I appreciate. Each character had their own story, I liked their individual interactions with each other, Sulu was badass without being over the top, and I pretty much felt for everybody as much as I wanted to. Chekov's accent was too much. Uhura was downright awesome. I kinda wanted her and Kirk to get together but I really like her with Spock in the end. Very interesting relationship. All the relationships, they didn't force them, but just allowed them, just enough. I didn't identify with Kirk as much as I would have liked, but he definitely had his moments. I like how they found Scotty, but that little greeble sidekick was just weird. I wouldn't call it a movie where you turn your brain off. I don't get that at all. Oh, and I loved the hints of the old music, very subtle.

Oh, and I don't understand why there's so much argument about time travel. Are we talking from experience here?

[ahoythematey]

(more of my 3rd-hand info)

Paramount gave the go-ahead a few weeks ago for the sequel.  A writer from Fringe, Star Trek, and some other guy (forget his name) will be tasked with the screenplay.  There are whisperings they want to make an alternate version of Khan, perhaps with Javier Bardem as his namesake.  

After seeing Abrams' work on this film, I'm not sure they should do as they typically do with Trek and have alternate directors/producers.  They need to keep him on tap.  I mean, fresh ideas are good but I'd really like more from Abrams and his Transformers writers - why screw up a good thing?

Everything I hear mentioned about future movies indicates that Abrams and team are absolutely against remaking/reimagining/rebooting Khan.  I hope that is true and stays that way; Khan has it's place in the list of awesome already, and trying to make another version would just dilute that.

[Azuredream]

I wouldn't call it a movie where you turn your brain off. I don't get that at all.

[Reg]

I thought it was awesome that they held to Star Trek tradition and used Majel Barrett as the computer voice even though she's been dead for a while now.

[Comstar]

Apparently there's a deleted scene where Spock says something about the Time Line attempts to heal itself, so improbable and incredible coincidences result from that.  Or you could blame Starfleet time cops (who were in Enterprise, so are still in the same time line).

[Trippy]

Voyager had the Starfleet Time Police as well.

[Arthur_Parker]

I liked it a lot, Star trek should be about short skirts and alien sword fights, the other spin off shows were too politically correct.  Sure, occasionally, you hit on a good episode (Yesterday's Enterprise) but most of the time bad casting choices dragged them down.

[Venkman]

All the good I remember of old Trek was in TNG, and most of that was a byproduct of 80s/early-90s optimism (as an episode or in the face of overwhelming bad guyness). I missed the latter 2/3 of DS9 though.

There are whisperings they want to make an alternate version of Khan, perhaps with Javier Bardem as his namesake.

You don't reboot a franchise by retelling the same old stories. That's how they drove it into the ground in the first place. If your whisperings are legit, I'd suspect it's part of the old guard at Paramount that a) doesn't know how to do anything else; and, b) hasn't recognized the impact it had on early TNG, early DS9, half of Voyager and a good chunk of Enterprise.

[Riggswolfe]

I wouldn't call it a movie where you turn your brain off. I don't get that at all.

[Azuredream]

[Brogarn]

Definitely have to turn your brain off for some of the weaker parts of the script, but over all a great movie.

[Slyfeind]

Here's a thought I had about the Kobiyashi Maru....

Just a thought I had this morning, for what it's worth.

I rather think ridiculous coincidences are part of movies. They all have them, everything from Star Wars to The Matrix to Splash, Schindler's List, Braveheart, You Got Mail, and Evil Dead 2. So yeah, in that respect, you have to turn your brain off for every movie. Shrug.

[Reg]

I think the blatantly obvious cheating was the way to go. It made it clear to everyone that he had no intention of trying to get away with anything. He was just making the point that he didn't believe in "no-win" scenarios.

[Ghambit]

I wouldn't call it a movie where you turn your brain off. I don't get that at all.

[HaemishM]

Movie was fucking fantastic. Nerdragers can gladly lick chocolate sauce off of my nuts. As a long-time old skool Trek fan, not only was I quite happy with the movie, I thought the actors, script writers and directors all honored the original characters and performances while still taking them in new directions. Despite it being a 2-hour movie, I wanted MORE TIME with every one of the main characters. I could happily watch this cast in a weekly TV show. Karl Urban as McCoy was easily the standout, but even Pine's Kirk was great.

As for the plot holes/coincidences: the coincidences of narrative are what make the stories interesting. This guy at this time in this place doing these actions with these supporting characters - that's what makes narrative. As long as the coincidences aren't so unbelievable as to distract from the story, it's all good. Spock being on the planet and close to Kirk when it happens really isn't that far of a stretch, especially if you take the "timeline tries to heal itself" approach. The time travel I thought was done well enough - it wasn't confusing to the punters (who would have hated a confusing time-travel story), it was definitely sci-fi lite with just enough truthiness to make a good movie without being overburdened by theoretical discussions most people won't give a shit about anyway. It reboots the franchise nicely without totally shitting on the previous continuity - unless you are a hopeless Trekkie twat, in which case you really should go back and hide in your mother's closet you freak.

I plan to see it again with the wife this weekend.

[Venkman]

What's the statute of limits for the spoiler tag? I feel like at this point if you're joining a 13-page deep thread about a movie, you've seen it or are looking for more than hated/loved it. That'd seem as intuitive as not clicking on the T&A thread at work...

I think the blatantly obvious cheating was the way to go. It made it clear to everyone that he had no intention of trying to get away with anything. He was just making the point that he didn't believe in "no-win" scenarios.

[Murgos]

Bah, Spock himself is incredulous at meeting first Kirk and then Scotty JUST when they need to meet.  I'm pretty sold that his reaction were intended to be interpreted as, "This is unlikely to the point of nearly impossible, something else is going on."

Of the things that bothered me in the movie, that sequence of events wasn't really one of them.

[Yegolev]

Spock-Prime makes blatant references to destiny.  Fin.  Why did Spock put Kirk into a pod instead of beam him down to the outpost?  Anger and spite since Kirk has been nothing but a huge pain in his ass the whole time.  How is it that Kirk finds Spock-Prime instead of Skywalker on Hoth?  Either destiny or plot device.  In any case this movie kicked ass.  Acting, action, plot (yea, I said it), it all came together to make a fantastic movie that was completely absent any TNG Model UN moments.

[Slyfeind]

Regarding Karl Urban as McCoy, he looked awful in the trailers. It looked like he was doing a really bad DeForest Kelly impersonation. Watching the movie though, holy crap he nailed it. I especially liked how he related to the other characters, and those scenes at Starfleet Academy were great.

[Murgos]

How is it that Kirk finds Spock-Prime instead of Skywalker on Hoth?  Either destiny or plot device. 

Obvious nod to Empire with the over the shoulder flyover shot and the beast thing appearing out of the snow.

I was almost positive it was going to be a Tauntaun.

[Velorath]

How is it that Kirk finds Spock-Prime instead of Skywalker on Hoth?  Either destiny or plot device. 

Obvious nod to Empire with the over the shoulder flyover shot and the beast thing appearing out of the snow.

I was almost positive it was going to be a Tauntaun.

Unfortunately, that whole sequence with Kirk being chased by the snow creature reminded me more of Lucas' more recent work (the beginning of the sequence in particular, where the smaller creature gets eaten by the bigger one reminded me of the underwater sequence in Episode 1).  I was so relieved when that part ended that I didn't care how coincidental Kirk meeting Spock was.

[Yegolev]

Regarding Karl Urban as McCoy, he looked awful in the trailers. It looked like he was doing a really bad DeForest Kelly impersonation. Watching the movie though, holy crap he nailed it. I especially liked how he related to the other characters, and those scenes at Starfleet Academy were great.

They were all doing really good impersonations.  It was a lot like remembering the show instead of actually watching it, which we all know is better.  Even (especially?) when Pine was struggling to get up during fights, he was doing Shatner.  Incredible.

First monster being eaten by second, larger monster was great.  I laughed.  I don't remember anything about Star Wars Episode One.

Also, did anyone else think of

during that first shot of Vulcan's surface?