Trekkie comments
May. 10th, 2009 02:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
marinessJust some random observations on the Trek film.
1. So, I'm thinking, between this film and Lost, we can all guess where Fringe is going next season.
2. Loved the "we're using time travel to reset the entire series, so ignore all continuity issues. Ha, ha." Especially given the usual Trek approach of "we can't change the past! AUUGH! AUUGH!"
(although, ok, a vague memory tells me that's not exactly how black holes work, and an even vaguer sense of responsibility makes me question the wisdom of carrying around big red balls of stuff that makes black holes, but, a) I worked it out: in the future, everyone will call "time portals" "black holes" and b) having discovered the practical implications of this, and the joys of getting to head back in time to tell your parents that yes, that Dungeons and Dragons obsession paid off after all was so clear, so evident that ships in Spock Prime's time automatically started carrying the stuff around just to create portals everywhere. Yes. Yes. This works. And it even explains the astonishing coincidence of two major characters just happening to end up in the same place on the same nearly deserted ice planet (well, ok, it doesn't, but just go with me). Hush, practical scientists!)
3. Was I the only one to sniffle during the prologue? Well, more than sniffle? Sniffle.
4. For the first time, I noted the pure theatre aspect to Trek, an almost Shakespearian tinge, if you will-- or at least will the original series. Bear with me: I'm not saying that Star Trek is Shakespeare, although the franchise quotes the guy a lot, but more that the same way you'd recognize Lady Macbeth and her carpet cleaning issues from actress to actress, we recognized every. single. character. even before they were named on screen.
Of course, this was helped by all around brilliant casting: All of us thought Sulu, even with his great action scene, was kinda underused (we want more Sulu in the next film, oh writers), but otherwise Chris Pine's hilarious channeling of Shatner's poses; an Uhura that kicked ass and didn't fall for Kirk (glee!), equally hilarious Scotty and Chekov (although we are all confused as to why Chekov had to run to the transporter room other than Make Things More Dramatic! but whatever), Zachery Quinto's intense Spock; and the brilliant, brilliant Bones.
(I suppose it's only fair to note thattgregoryt was less impressed with Spock, but he thought Bones more than made up for it.)
And getting Uhura right was important. When I was a kid, she was my favorite, because she was a girl, and she was in space (that she was, most times, merely the receptionist was completely lost on me). This Uhura, announcing calmly that she was assigned to the Enterprise, thank you very much, was a moment of supreme rightness. And, she got Spock. Because of her brains; because she was the best at xenolinguistics. (The men in our group felt that she got Spock because of Zoe Saltana's admittedly amazing legs, but I think they might have been projecting just a tad.) Yes.
5. While this was not an issue for me, I understand that several people would, however, like to object to the implication that a classic Mustang can survive a massive fall down a cliff, and that Mustangs are meant to be adored, not crushed. (AUUGH! was the specific cry). Duly noted. Moving on to…
6. Best character introductions: Ooh. Hard to pick, but Bones getting on the shuttle with Kirk probably wins out.
7. Best scene: Divebombing to the Impossibly Big Drill and then swordfighting on the Impossibly Big Drill. I admit that this scene may have had just a touch of the ridiculous to it, but, you know. Sulu! Swordfighting! Not to mention the inevitable RedShirt death!
8. The special effects: wow. As I mentioned, I was rewatching the originals, and, well, I'm going to have to put off rewatching them for a bit, because the comparison will not go well.
Incidentally, if you haven't seen the film in Imax, go. Engage. At Warp Factor 10. Or 15.
9. The small moments: 1) the mention of Jonathan Archer's beagle; 2) the divebombing redshirt (one woman behind me gulped, "oh NO!" when the costume made an appearance) 3) Kirk eating an apple during the Kobayahsi Maru sequence; 4) Bones, watching Spock leave: "I like him!" 5) Scotty: "Can I have a towel?" 6) "I have been and always will be your friend." (more sniffles) 8) Christopher Pike in the wheelchair at the end (sniffle) 7) "SPPPOOOOOCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKKK!"
And, of course, 9) "Damn it, I'm a doctor, not a physicist!"
(Apparently, though, I missed seeing the Tribble? I am astounded that I could miss seeing anything on a six story high screen but I gather my eyes were distracted. Must look for the Tribble in the next viewing.)
1. So, I'm thinking, between this film and Lost, we can all guess where Fringe is going next season.
2. Loved the "we're using time travel to reset the entire series, so ignore all continuity issues. Ha, ha." Especially given the usual Trek approach of "we can't change the past! AUUGH! AUUGH!"
(although, ok, a vague memory tells me that's not exactly how black holes work, and an even vaguer sense of responsibility makes me question the wisdom of carrying around big red balls of stuff that makes black holes, but, a) I worked it out: in the future, everyone will call "time portals" "black holes" and b) having discovered the practical implications of this, and the joys of getting to head back in time to tell your parents that yes, that Dungeons and Dragons obsession paid off after all was so clear, so evident that ships in Spock Prime's time automatically started carrying the stuff around just to create portals everywhere. Yes. Yes. This works. And it even explains the astonishing coincidence of two major characters just happening to end up in the same place on the same nearly deserted ice planet (well, ok, it doesn't, but just go with me). Hush, practical scientists!)
3. Was I the only one to sniffle during the prologue? Well, more than sniffle? Sniffle.
4. For the first time, I noted the pure theatre aspect to Trek, an almost Shakespearian tinge, if you will-- or at least will the original series. Bear with me: I'm not saying that Star Trek is Shakespeare, although the franchise quotes the guy a lot, but more that the same way you'd recognize Lady Macbeth and her carpet cleaning issues from actress to actress, we recognized every. single. character. even before they were named on screen.
Of course, this was helped by all around brilliant casting: All of us thought Sulu, even with his great action scene, was kinda underused (we want more Sulu in the next film, oh writers), but otherwise Chris Pine's hilarious channeling of Shatner's poses; an Uhura that kicked ass and didn't fall for Kirk (glee!), equally hilarious Scotty and Chekov (although we are all confused as to why Chekov had to run to the transporter room other than Make Things More Dramatic! but whatever), Zachery Quinto's intense Spock; and the brilliant, brilliant Bones.
(I suppose it's only fair to note that
tgregoryt was less impressed with Spock, but he thought Bones more than made up for it.)And getting Uhura right was important. When I was a kid, she was my favorite, because she was a girl, and she was in space (that she was, most times, merely the receptionist was completely lost on me). This Uhura, announcing calmly that she was assigned to the Enterprise, thank you very much, was a moment of supreme rightness. And, she got Spock. Because of her brains; because she was the best at xenolinguistics. (The men in our group felt that she got Spock because of Zoe Saltana's admittedly amazing legs, but I think they might have been projecting just a tad.) Yes.
5. While this was not an issue for me, I understand that several people would, however, like to object to the implication that a classic Mustang can survive a massive fall down a cliff, and that Mustangs are meant to be adored, not crushed. (AUUGH! was the specific cry). Duly noted. Moving on to…
6. Best character introductions: Ooh. Hard to pick, but Bones getting on the shuttle with Kirk probably wins out.
7. Best scene: Divebombing to the Impossibly Big Drill and then swordfighting on the Impossibly Big Drill. I admit that this scene may have had just a touch of the ridiculous to it, but, you know. Sulu! Swordfighting! Not to mention the inevitable RedShirt death!
8. The special effects: wow. As I mentioned, I was rewatching the originals, and, well, I'm going to have to put off rewatching them for a bit, because the comparison will not go well.
Incidentally, if you haven't seen the film in Imax, go. Engage. At Warp Factor 10. Or 15.
9. The small moments: 1) the mention of Jonathan Archer's beagle; 2) the divebombing redshirt (one woman behind me gulped, "oh NO!" when the costume made an appearance) 3) Kirk eating an apple during the Kobayahsi Maru sequence; 4) Bones, watching Spock leave: "I like him!" 5) Scotty: "Can I have a towel?" 6) "I have been and always will be your friend." (more sniffles) 8) Christopher Pike in the wheelchair at the end (sniffle) 7) "SPPPOOOOOCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKKK!"
And, of course, 9) "Damn it, I'm a doctor, not a physicist!"
(Apparently, though, I missed seeing the Tribble? I am astounded that I could miss seeing anything on a six story high screen but I gather my eyes were distracted. Must look for the Tribble in the next viewing.)