Just got back from seeing Star Trek and...

[Subdivisions]

it was excellent! Anyone who grew up watching the original series on TV is going to love this new incarnation of the original Starship Enterprise and her crew.

JJ Abrams did a fantastic job of re-creating the characters Trek fans have known and loved for over 40 years. The acting is surprisingly good and features actors who are young and energetic and who can conceivably carry the big-screen Trak fanchise into the foreseeable future.

This is not only a good recreation, it's one hell of an action-packed sci-fi adventure that leaves you wanting more - and there will be more. This movie is very visually intense, so much so that it may detract from the overall story for some fans. But the first time you see the USS Enterprise and then watch as it bolts into warp speed to engage the battle, it is simply awesome.

I must confess that I'm a LONG time Trek fan and I might tend to be slightly biased by this film. However, there were lots of kids in attendance and the general conversation and consensus after the movie ended was very positive among all who were there. We spoke to a few in the parking lot afterward who had watched. One group we spoke with were 50-ish with a 18-teenish son. The son was not familiar with the characters like his parents were. We all agreed that this movie was so well made that for youngsters, a familiarity with the original crew members was not necessary to enjoy the movie. But, for us older folks, the consensus was that the re-introduction to the characters and the actors that play them were simply excellent.

All and all a very good movie and a very good time. In fact, this is the first time since the original Star Wars movie that I will go for a second time while it's still in theaters. And maybe even a third.

I give this movie and overall rating of 5 Stars!

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1761608473/">Star Trek Movie Trailer

[greyl]

1. How was Simon Pegg as Scotty? nt

[Subdivisions]

3. A very nice thing about this movie is that, not only is it visually stunning, it's also

very funny at times and Simon Pegg was a riot. I was particularly surprised at how much the younger movie-goers enjoyed this film. Very refreshing to see people of all ages enjoy a sci-fi flick this much.

Sorry, can't give much detail on anything without deminishing it for others. I highly recommend seeing it IN THE THEATER, on the big screen.

[greyl]

19. Cool thanks, that's all I wanted to know. :) I love that guy. nt

[The Backlash Cometh]

67. I'll go see the movie just because of him.

[roguevalley]

89. I hear it was loaded with references, 'easter eggs'. I am going monday.

I remember the day it debuted in 1967. I was blown away.

[mainer]

71. "Hot Fuzz" one of my favorite movies!

But very few people have seen him in it. Too bad. It's a riot.

[donco6]

85. Pegg makes me laugh so hard my sides ache.

I loved Hot FUzz and Shawn of the Dead.

[mrs_p]

112. awesome!! he was perfect.

if i may answer too.

[Bill219]

2. My wife and I just got back from the IMAX theather

That movie blew our minds

It was everything that we had hoped it would be and more.

Action packed, funny, and the actors that were cast in the iconic roles were awesome.

Chris Pine does a great Kirk, he makes the role his own while sneaking in some of Shatner's mannerisms.

The Kobayashi Maru scene had everyone in the theater laughing.

Keith Urban is McCoy and has many great McCoy moments

We are both going back tomorrow night to see it again

[Subdivisions]

5. Speaking of mannerisms, yes KARL Urban nailed Bones to a T.

I thought his portrayal was spot on. So spot on that he nearly channeled DeForrest Kelley even down to his appearance.

Ah... the fabled Kobayashi Maru! EXCELLENT! We've always heard of it since the the 1960s and now we finally got to see it. FUNNY!

[alittlelark]

4. I went to the 2:00 showing - it was packed.

The movie was great! I've been a trekkie since '76.

The Spock / Ohura thing was a shock... I did not expect that!

[Subdivisions]

7. Yea, that was a BIG surprise. But I'm ok with it. Makes it a little more...

liberal :D.

[leftofthedial]

6. outstanding!

I loved it. 5 stars.

All the casting was astounding. Bones, Spock, Scotty...

[Subdivisions]

8. There was a projector mishap that delayed the film for us for about 20 minutes.

So, the theater managers apologized and gave everyone a complimentary pass to see another showing of any film at any time. I'm going to use mine to see this movie again - not that I wouldn't pay but, hey, free is free!

[leftofthedial]

13. I wonder how many little references are hidden in the details...

They hit all the obvious dialog references, except "Beam me up Scotty."

[Subdivisions]

14. Any hardcore Trek fan will hear lots of them. No, no "Beam me up, Scotty!" But,

we did hear the famous Kirk/Scotty exchange:

Kirk: "I need more power, Mr. Scott!"

Scott: "I'm givin' 'er all she's got, Cap'n!"

And the McCoy dialog references are many.

I'll leave it at that :D!

[uppityperson]

35. Any "he's dead, Jim"s?

[Subdivisions]

38. LOL! No, not that I recall. But, JJ Abrams and the cast has breathed

new life into the Star Trek franchise and I'm sure there will be plenty of chances to work all the old faves into future sequels. They have left no reason that this franchise can't continue as long as they continue to pay special attention to staying true to the original characters and concentrating on interesting story lines.

[Tesha]

57. No, but when McCoy gives a "Jim, I'm a doctor, not a ..." line...

our theatre's audience broke into applause.

Tesha

[roguevalley]

90. Deforest kelley must be smiling from heaven. :)

[Bolo Boffin]

94. I liked the line:

"My ex-wife got the planet in the divorce"

I wish I could have heard DeForrest say that one.

[InvisibleTouch]

110. And that also led to...

...how he got the name Bones. I was wondering beforehand if we would find that out!

[Tesha]

56. Well, did you notice Admiral Komack at Kirk's board of inquiry? (NT)

[Liberal_in_LA]

9. Trekker here too. Can't wait to see it! Thanks for the review.

[Subdivisions]

10. You will not be sorry! But hurry before you hear any spoilers! n/t

[Liberal_in_LA]

17. I'm used 2 having ALL movies spoiled before I see them. In the age of the web, I can't help but peek

Already peeked a bit on wiki.

[Subdivisions]

23. I've know about this film for a long time. I managed to avoid peeking :^). n/t

[calimary]

15. My husband wants to wait til some afternoon next week to take in a matinee.

I am counting the hours!!!!! Can't wait for this one - I hope it reinvigorates the franchise - going too long without SOMETHING "Star Trek" is not a good thing.

[Liberal_in_LA]

18. the 'Enterprise' series kinda sucked. Missing GOOD star trek

[Subdivisions]

24. I like Enterprise. And, not to give away too much, but there's a reference

in this movie giving a nod to Enterprise, which surprised the heck out of me.

[iamthebandfanman]

47. theyd almost hafta id imagine

wasnt captain archer supposed to be present at the launch of NCC-1701 and then died the next day ?

[calimary]

31. Yeah - only vague ideas why

The first thing that killed it for me was that lox of a theme song - WORST TV THEME EVER. BEYOND lame!!! There are those who say Scott Bakula helped kill it - miscast. And I've heard the complaints that the thing to do was not go BACK in time when a starship could only do about Warp 4 when maybe they should have explored Star Fleet Command or some such thing, which makes a lot of sense to me, btw. There was just something about "Enterprise" that didn't quite click. And I remember a lot of ballyhoo about Jolene Blalock presumed to be the breakout star of the series - and really, nothing much happened for her or to her. It just didn't quite get there.

[iamthebandfanman]

48. yah, the theme

was awful for enterprise.

it was like a lame 80s family sitcom song.

lol

[iamthebandfanman]

49. dupe.

[Captain Hilts]

64. It was lousy. nt

[madrchsod]

11. i saw the first episode on the tee- vee stoned out of my mind

and have been hooked ever since...looks like i may have to go to the theater..i do`t have a big lcd tee-vee

[Subdivisions]

12. You HAVE to see this on the big screen. The visuals and special effects are awesome. n/t

[Deja Q]

60. Does the plot carry the movie or is it all about the "ooh" and "aah" special effects?

Any video game sold for the PC also has pretty special effects.

I'd better see this movie today, during the $5 showing, just so I have a leg to really stand on... making guesses based on the actors' ages is only useful for one argument. The movie still may have merit despite being ageist.

[cascadiance]

116. The plot surprised me a little the way they resolved it... (warning - slight spoiler)

I was prepared for another time travel sequence to help resolve things even in the middle while watching the film (going back through the rift), but that didn't happen. I think they did the franchise a big favor by not trapping it now into being bound by history the way prequels typically are in other series... We can see familiar characters yet different situations now, and can be prepared to not feel like we know the ending any more...

[MADem]

16. You know, I always wondered where the Spanish speaking people went in the Star Trek future....

And the Arabs, and the Southwest asians....it's like they all got, I dunno, super swine flu or something....and departed the mortal coil before getting a shot at the final frontier.


Am I missing something? Was there ever a Captain Abdallah or a Lietenant Rodriguez?

[Subdivisions]

21. For it's time, Star Trek (the original series) was ground-breaking

for its racial diversity and sensitivity.

Here is an interesting analysis of the racial and ethnic makeup of Star Trek:

http://www.adherents.com/lit/startrek.html

From the article:

For the record:
40% of principal characters have been non-human, or partially non-human
33% have been women
28% have been played by non-white actors

[MADem]

25. There are a LOT of spanish-speaking people in the world, though.

I just don't remember....ANY.

Maybe there were some, I just don't remember seeing them.

[Subdivisions]

27. I can't remember specifically where, but I'm sure I've seen Spanish/Hispanic

characters or actors on any one of the five Star Trek TV series and eleven movies.

Also, you can count King Abdullah of Jordan among the actors portraying Star Trek characters. This from Star Trek Voyager:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTjJiz9tV-Q

[MADem]

29. HA!! He was a prince back then (and could get away with it!)

Here's the scene--not on camera long, but better than nothing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTjJiz9tV-Q

[Frank Cannon]

103. Commodore Jose Mendez tried Spock in "The Menagerie"

[renegade000]

32. one of the main characters on DS9 was of middle eastern descent

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_Bashir

[MADem]

42. I used to watch the original ST...the Spock and Kirk stuff.

Beyond that, though, I was working and not in USA. I didn't see the other series hardly at all--every now and again someone would send a tape of Whoopi Goldberg playing a bartender or something. I wonder if Dr. Bashir is supposed to be Syrian?

I just thought it was odd that there wasn't ONE Spanish speaker that I remember--not one Martinez, or Rivera, or Santiago....

[renegade000]

44. Yeah I've seen all of the incarnations of trek

And I can't recall any Spanish speaking main characters. If I recall there was a South American (Brazilian? I'm not sure if it was explicitly stated on the show) crew-member on DS9, but he was very minor: only in a few random episodes, then went the way of a red shirt >_<.

[MADem]

76. The Way of The Red Shirt!!!

:rofl:

It's true--you always knew which poor bastard was going to bite the bullet!

[Trailrider1951]

149. What about Erika Hernandez?

she was captain of the starship Columbia in Enterprise.

[shadowknows69]

52. I thought Bashir was a great character too and the actor who played him

Has done some good characters in mainstream movies. "Syriana" comes to mind most prominently.

[roguevalley]

91. he was a hoot. remember his bear, Kukalaka? BWAHAHA!

[AnnieBW]

96. Alexander Siddig

a.k.a. Siddig el-Faidil. He's the nephew of Malcolm McDowell. And, his father was pretty high up in the Sudanese government that was overthrown by the current asshole. Sid does a lot of charity work for Amnesty International because of that.

[Marr]

140. He was the best part of that show, IMHO.

[Captain Hilts]

63. Voyager, DS9 and Enterprise were too North American. nt

[cascadiance]

97. Hah, I used to watch TOS dubbed in Turkish when I was a kid...

... living in Turkey back in the early 70's and they were just starting up TV broadcasts there in those days. It was in black and white there, but it was entertaining to watch. Sometimes it was just subtitled with english dialogue, which was better...

[quaker bill]

53. Khan

Ricardo Montalban. While his ethnic origin was a bit clouded in the plot, he could not help coming off as hispanic.

[cabluedem]

66. Indeed so. I beileve he was of Mexican-Spanish decent, but "Khan" was not Hispanic. nt

[ContinentalOp]

78. Khan was supposed to be Indian. -nt-

[Tesha]

83. More specifically, Khan Noonien SINGH is a Sikh.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khan_Noonien_Singh

Tesha

[ContinentalOp]

128. All Singhs are Sikhs right? -nt-

[Tesha]

142. In general, yes, as far as I know.

I suppose there are now non-observant kids and the
like who still maintain "Singh" as their traditional
family name, though.

I'm not close enough to that culture to be sure; perhaps
an expert will come along...

Tesha

[buzzycrumbhunger]

68. I found one

Googled my way to Chakotay from the Voyager series (which I never watched because I couldn't stand Kate Mulgrew). They kind of muddy it up by calling him Native American, though, which in his case means Mayan (guess my preconceptions about "Native American" are pretty limited, as it never occurred to me to broaden that to the whole of North and South America. . . It does seem a little odd, given the frequent outcry of Native Americans when movie makers cast Mexicans in the roles of "Indians.")

I'm certain there were several red shirts with Hispanic names (I swear I remember Kirk ordering a Rodriguez into a landing party at least once), but not major characters. It is hard to not include Ricardo Montalban, though they apparently thought we would buy him as an Indian. (Where was the outcry against this particularly bad casting?)

IMHO, the original series was responsible for breaking a LOT of race barriers--perhaps one of the biggest factors of our generation, in fact, despite its short run. Remember that first kiss between Kirk and Uhura was considered scandalous by many at the time, and the idea of a Russian and Japanese as allies seemed far-fetched to some, too. I think within the constraints of storytelling, it just wasn't possible to include a shout-out to every possible ethnicity.

[KatyMan]

74. B'Elanna Torres

on Voyager? Sure half Klingon, but Torres is a pretty Spanish name. In the beginning of STIV, there's a Captain of Indian descent who's ship is the first to get hit by the whale thing, although I don't believe he is given a name.

[cascadiance]

98. Chakotay was played by a hispanic actor and plays a role of being Native American descent...

[MADem]

107. I'm talking about characters of spanish descent, not the heritage of the actor.

That guy and "Khan" weren't playing some feller named Rivera or Rodriguez, that's my point. It's as though all the hispanic people in the future died of swine flu or were "assimilated," or something.

[Ex Lurker]

20. is Uhura in the same academy class as the others?

if so, why is she only a Lieutenant when Kirk and the others are higher rank? Hmm

[Subdivisions]

22. You'll have to watch the movie. It gives the answers to that question, though

maybe not to your satisfaction.

[MADem]

77. I wondered that, too--I'm thinking, how the hell do they promote in Star Fleet?

Time in grade must be totally out the window! And never mind Up-or-Out! You can stay as long as you can push your walker to your workstation!

Is "meritorious promotion" actively used, or what? Or is poor Uhura in a specialty that pretty much dead-ends at a certain paygrade, like lawyers and public affairs and supply corps types?

:rofl:

[Tesha]

84. As Gwen DeMarco (Sigourney Weaver) says in "Galaxy Quest" about her job as Communications Officer...

Tommy Webber: (about Gwen repeating what the computer says) You know, that is really getting annoying.
Gwen DeMarco: Look! I have one job on this lousy ship, it's *stupid*, but I'm gonna do it! Okay?
Tommy Webber: Sure, no problem.

[Joe the Liberal]

26. I've never been a Star Trek fan........

I grew up on the Star Wars films, I was hooked from the very opening scene where the star destroyer slowly looms in. I never really payed much attention to Star Trek, I always thought it was kind of lame/boring. In fact, for the longest time I always thought it was a rip off of Star Wars, I know now that is'nt true.


Although I would really like to see this film to see what Star Trek is all about and being that this movie starts at the beginning (I'm assuming) I can get introduced to all the characters/story. I may go see it this weekend, although I hate crowded theaters so I may go sometime next week, on a weekday, or weekend when there aren't as many people.

[Subdivisions]

28. This movie should do the trick, Joe! n/t

[Subdivisions]

30. I rarely ask, but could I get a couple more recs on this so I can get

the reaction from the wider board? Please?

Thanks :D !

[Elwood P Dowd]

33. I just gave you one,

though I'm not much of a movie person. I did enjoy the TV show back in the day when I was a college student.

[Subdivisions]

34. Thanks! n/t

[Elwood P Dowd]

39. When I took logic in college

there was this prof who made jokes about the show and then proceeded to confuse the hell out of us.

[Subdivisions]

40. Logic plays a major role is this movie, as it usually does when

Vulcans, especially Spock, are involved.

By the way, Leonard Nimoy is the only surviving original series actor to appear in this movie.

[Joe the Liberal]

37. NO.......

just kidding! :D

[Subdivisions]

36. Fan review on Yahoo!:

http://movies.yahoo.com/mvc/dfrv?mid=1809752801&uid=P7RfLxD7jtFOUEC70AsEw0rF_fIe&s=&i=6&spl=0

Origin stories, prequels, and the rebooting of an obsolete franchise can be a tall order for any film-maker to accomplish. Just ask directors George Lucas and Gavin Hood (X-Men Origins) how big a task it can be. Now its J.J. Abrams turn and he’s going for one of the holy grails of science fiction mythology…STAR TREK!, A franchise whose time seem to have ended in film the year 2002 with the underwhelming Nemesis. Unlike Lucas and Hood, who could not create a good movie by taking a beloved universe and explaining their origins all over again, Abrams has seemingly done the impossible. He has created one of the best science fiction movies I’ve ever seen, and he done it with a prequel/origin story.

-snip-

The screenplay, written by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, is also deserving of the praise that is thrust upon this movie. Here’s another example where studios need to take some notes. When it comes to creating a good story for cinema, one must not completely placate to a certain audience. That means striking a balance that will make the hardcore fan base ecstatic, but also bring in the casual movie-goer as well. Star Trek’s story is so well written that whether you’re a Trekkie or not, you’ll love this movie, and if you are a hardcore Star Trek fan, believe me you’ll have moments where you’ll just have to applaud. Also, I won’t spoil it, but there is a certain twist that completely reinvents the Star Trek series and will allow us to love the new crew of the U.S.S Enterprise for years to come.

Which brings me to the actors, all of whom had big shoes to fill and they all pull it off. Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, and the rest of the cast in this film just seem perfect for their roles. For me personally, Karl Urban’s McCoy at times completely stole the show. He just pulls off the one-liners so well and had the entire audience clapping at the nostalgia. The one performance that people might nit-pick about it will be Eric Bana’s Nero. He’s not the most memorable villain of all time, but he does his part which is really all that is asked for.

Star Trek (perhaps by default) is the best prequel of all time. Everything just clicks and it will keep you completely enthralled. J.J. Abrams has not only rebooted this franchise, but he has taken it to heights that no one could have possibly imagined when this project was first announced. It’s the best Star Trek ever, it’s one of the best science fiction movies I’ve ever seen, and it’s a great start to hopefully an outstanding new series. As long as this team is on board, Star Trek will indeed live long and prosper!

[Subdivisions]

41. Dave Letterman's Top Ten List with Leonard Nimoy...

Top Ten lines never said in a Star Trek film...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlTx3fbYMf8 (abbreviated Top Ten list)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BhN51Eta8s (advance to 6:30 for complete Top Ten list)

[buzzycrumbhunger]

43. Wheee!

I just got home from seeing it, too (digital!) When I first heard about this, I was reluctant to accept the bridge the wrong color, Sylar as Spock, and just the idea of rewriting history. After seeing the trailers, though, it gave me time to warm up to the idea and I have to say they did a really excellent job. Loved the casting, loved the fact they recaptured the general premise that made TOS so great to begin with, and they even explained away the discrepancies so I didn't miss the styrofoam sets.

I always had a hard time getting into the newer series, after about halfway through TNG. IMHO, this will breathe new life into the franchise. The crowd at this showing (11 pm) was a real mixed bag from teens to fogeys, and it was the first movie in a long time (at least since LOTR) where everyone seemed there to actually watch the frickin' movie. The place even erupted in applause at the end. Pretty cool! :D

[hfojvt]

45. I am a little cynical about the "action packed" part of it

Star Trek was not an action series and this seems to be an action movie. The previews have turned me off with too much boom-bang and "omigod we're in danger!" melodrama.

[hyphenate]

135. Me, too.

OTOH, you might want to see it at least, just to know what the hoopla is all about. It's not the "old" Trek which spurred on many of us into scientific careers, SF and Fantasy genre novels, or gave a forum to debate social and political events. But insofar as today's generation is concerned, or for those with short attention spans, it does give pleasure. It's bubblegum pop compared to the champagne and caviar of the Roddenberry created universe.

[iamthebandfanman]

46. i MAY watch it, when it comes out on dvd

because frankly..

i dont want to pay a theater to watch a movie about a subject that the director openly states he doesnt and has never liked, which is star trek in general.

probably makes this film great for others who were never much into the other movies and series either, as its a new take on it...

but im sorry, i like consistency when it comes to long established story lines... and this movie just doesnt have it from what ive read on trekkie sites.

granted its small things,
like the fact the movie supposedly shows enterprise launching from earth...
when all trekkies know from the original series that enterprise was built on earth(san francisco) and assembled in space at a spacedock... enterprise was never built to take off and land on planets...
infact i dunno if enterprise EVER got that ability...tho they did make the ship able to seperate from its engines for emergency landings (crashes) later in the next generation movies.
pretty sure voyager was the first ? could be wrong on that tho....
grew up around trekkies, so i picked up a lot of this stuff ;)

[Tesha]

58. The Enterprise is first seen docked at space dock, just as it should be.

I think you'll find the movie is far better at maintaining
"canon integrity" than you've been (and I was) led to expect.
There's really only one big change in the time line.

Tesha

[roguevalley]

92. it crashes on planets really good though.

:evilgrin:

[xenussister]

120. I hope when you see it you LOVE IT!

I hope you see it on DVD on a small screen, and just frickin' LOVE IT! Because then you'll kick yourself for NOT seeing it on a large screen with the big sound, just because of some silly fanwanking.

I love fanwanking that backfires.

Star Trek ROCKED! I can't wait to see it again.

[frazzled]

50. Is that Tim Geithner on the far left? /nt

[shadowknows69]

51. Do you work for Paramount?

Just kidding. Good to see many positive reviews coming from this. I unfortunately know most of the plot and I don't really like the overused Trek device they use to bring the villian into play. I feel they might have messed with continuity a bit too much but this always happens in these reimaginings, but I'm a stickler for consistency with the source material.

[Buzz Clik]

54. That picture worries me. Not unlike a Buffalo Wild Wings Commercial, no one on set over 27 years old

The trailers reminded me of Starship Troopers -- a kickass space adventure made by and for the twenty something set. (Plot? Dialog? Shhhh!!)

Please tell me it was better than that! We actually have time to see a movie this weekend, and we cannot afford to see a dog.

[ContinentalOp]

80. I don't understand these criticisms.

It's a story about these characters when they were young. What's the big deal? This is a multi-billion dollar franchise and they're hoping that this reboot will last a while, so if you actually go pay to see it, maybe you'll get see these people still playing the characters in their middle age later.

[Buzz Clik]

82. Well, I explained my concern quite clearly. And I saw it today.

My fears were not realized. Unlike Starship Troopers, it didn't suck.

[Tesha]

86. "Starship Troopers" didn't suck.

It just turned out to be Verhoeven making fun of Heinlein's
Nazi future, and that pissed off a lot of Heinlein fanbois.

Starship Troopers remains one of the slickest bits
of political satire yet to hit the silver screen.

Would you like to know more?

Tesha

[Buzz Clik]

88. Oh, my. Political satire?

No, it was a slick bit of over-the-top special effects that had barely any trace of a plot.

It was a great date flick, however.

[Bert]

101. Starship troopers was satire

It might help if you watch the directors commentary, but starship troopers is one of the most misunderstood movies ever. After all this is from Verhoeven, who did the Robocop depicting Detroit as a future police state as if it's not one already, he did grow up during WWII. The humans are all bad in Starship Troopers, they exist only to serve and not question. He said on the commentary that apparently he was too subtle, but Geez. The aliens only attacked after they were invaded by the religionists, the humans dressed like NAZI's(see how Doogie is dressed), and they even have the movie within it called 'why we fight' which is a famous piece of NAZI progpaganda.

Verhoeven was in fact mocking Heinlein's social theories which are detailed more in the book than in the movie. Like that only soldiers are allowed to vote, and that people should be whipped into obedience and treated at the level of a puppy. Look at the news where a man is caught in the morning, convicted in the afternoon and hung in the evening.

In Heinlein's defense though, he did write Stranger in a Strange land, which is a far cry from this. I believe it was Asimov who lamented that it was sad to see Heinlein turn into an authoritarian in his later years. A straight up version of this movie would be something that the Republicans would call a masterpiece and Al Quaeda would copy.

[Buzz Clik]

111. Ok. It's been 12 years since I saw the flick, so I went for a refresher at Rotten Tomatoes

Dutch director Paul Verhoeven (TOTAL RECALL, ROBOCOP) mixes big budget bug bashing with twisted satire of old Hollywood movies in this adaptation of Robert Heinlein's classic sci-fi novel. It's the future, Earth is at war, and the kids are all going off to fight giant killer bugs on the remote planet of Klendathu. Casper Van Diem, Denise Richards, Dina Meyer, and Patrick Muldoon play some of the blandly attractive young recruits who engage in soap-opera style love triangles as they toughen up and learn to fight (and die) like soldiers. Michael Ironside is their gung-ho, one-armed leader. The real stars though, are the superbly animated bugs. Packed to the rafters with jaw-dropping special effects and insane violence, the film managed to be a box office hit though it undoubtedly left some audiences confused at Verhoeven's slyly deadpan humor. By the time Neil Patrick Harris (TV's Doogie Howser) starts marching around in a Gestapo-style uniform, for example, it will be apparent this isn't STAR WARS. What it is however, is a rousing experience for mature viewers in the properly ironic frame of mind.



http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/starship_troopers/

So, there it is. It was satire, even if twisted. The only impression I carried for twelve years was coed showers, awful acting, and cool killer bugs.

I guess I was not in the "properly ironic frame of mind."

[Bert]

121. Dont feel bad

When I first saw it I didnt know what to think either. Something about the 90210 characters bothered me a bit. I though at first that I was alone in thinking that we and not the ugly beasties were the real evil invading aliens when I watched it. Most everyone else thought it was a rah rah independence day type of film and not a subtle jab at blind militarism(another Verhoeven film, but one that although good was paper thin as far as depth of plot goes)

[Frank Cannon]

105. Have you watched it since 9/11 and our war in Iraq?

You would almost think that movie was made in reaction to it, when it actually predates the Iraq war by six years or more.

[Tesha]

109. Yes, Mr. Tesha and I have both been hit a lot harder by certain movies since Bush seized power.

Starship Troopers, Robocop, Total Recall*, V for
Vendetta, Children of Men, 1984, Brazil, both
Manchurian Candidates, The Running Man, and
probably a few others I'm not thinking of right now.

Tesha

* Is Verhoeven over-represented here, or does he just have
a good sense of political satire in a post-free world?

[ContinentalOp]

131. To be fair, some of those movies are post Bush,

but damn if Children of Men isn't the greatest, most powerful anti-war movie of all time.

[Tesha]

143. Yeah, I understood that oddity when I wrote my reply.

My rationalization, of course, is that the novel Children of Men
was written in 1992 and the comic book, excuse me, "graphic novel"
V for Vendetta was written in the 1980's. Will that get me a "pass" ;-) ?

Tesha

[cascadiance]

115. I think it also predates Fox News popularity too, though its hard to tell after the fact...

I think both started about the same time around 1996/1997, and at that time it was well before Fox News was popular then. I wonder if Starship Troopers had a role in popularizing Fox News then. Because it seems that Fox News seems to follow the script of Starship Troopers' TV news cut-ins, and therefore looking at the movie later, the satire gets lost on some I think when they weren't able to watch it predating the Faux News era where the satire in effect sadly reflects more the real state of affairs in news now than it did then, though the media was well on its way towards where it is now...

[Frank Cannon]

147. Fox News didn't really ramp up to full ridiculousness until post-Monica

in 1998. So yeah, I think that a lot of people think that the news cut-ins in Starship Troopers are a lame parody of Fox News, when it's actually the other way around!

[cascadiance]

150. Or Fox was "realitizing" Heinlein's parody so that it no longer looked like parody...

... to future viewers not familiar with media coverage before the Fox era...

[Bert]

123. Yes I have

I remember growing up when journalism was supposed to not have a bias. Now you are supposed to have a bias and hope the market place balances things out. I would prefer the return of the fairness doctrince and a move towards non-profit based news like the bbc. Couldn't be worse than what we have now. What's worse than even our news though is Italy's, believe it or not. When the ruling Junta directly owns over 90% of broadcast media it is a return to fascism sad to say. And just like in most fascist states there is an unholy marriage between government and business in our country that came to bloom under Cheney/Bush. When government serves business our millitary is nothing more than a tool of business and is deployed in the case of the Iraq war to protect the interests($) of those businesses.

[Frank Cannon]

104. Thanks for the kind word about "Starship Troopers"

It is actually a brilliant work of satire. I don't know why more people don't get this. It's from the same guy who gave us Robocop, for crying out loud.

[datasuspect]

55. wow! you even did market research on multiple demos in the parking lot?

.

[Deja Q]

59. I loved the original TV series, but I'll let you know what I think.

:)

Might be good; Treks II and VI were by far my favorites and they have a revenge theme going... Especially as VI was self-contained and created a villain one could really hate...

Just seeing a bunch of kids, who probably were picked from the broadway show "Muppet Babies Live!", suggests more of the populist and ageist drivel I try to avoid because anyone over 35 is supposed to be evil or incapable of being a leading-type figure... if they were going to reboot the series, they didn't need to use all young people.

The original series, aimed at kids, was composed of 34~44 year olds. So who came up with the idea that anyone over 45 is a pandering, worthless a piece of shit to me. (Right, Russell T Davies?)

[exboyfil]

61. Enjoyed the movie but would have liked a script edit

While Star Trek is fantasy it still needs to come off as believable within its own mythos. I feel that the movie failed in that regard. I will be somewhat oblique since I do not want to have spoilers but I think they could have done the following:

1. The status of Kirk at the end of the movie is pure fantasy - more akin to a preteens dream than how an organization such as Star Fleet would actually operate. They did not need to do this - it would have been simple enough to reboot and keep some of the original continuity in place.

2. How Kirk Senior would have time to do what he did after Nero took so little time at first to almost completely disable the ship makes me wonder. Especially when you consider what Nero was capable of 25 years later with essentially the same ship (unless he was able to upgrade etc in the interim???)

3. The trasporter event which bothered me a great deal while watching the movie could be explained by the Spock Prime and Scotty Prime characters possibly getting together on Romulus to work out the details as part of a scientific exchange. We know both are alive during the Next Generation era and Spock is obviously alive in the post-Next Generation world of Nero. From Next Generation Scotty was put on ice for an extended period of time until found by Picard. I still have to wonder how such a discovery could be applied to transporter technology of the early original Enterprise era though.

4. I think the original Star Trek crew could have breen brought together in a more realistic fashion by Nero as part of his psychotic plan.

5. How could Spock view what he did from an ice planet several light years from the event????

6. Funny how both the Pike from the original series and this movie's Pike got around at the end. Any chance for a future trip to Talos. Could Spock and Pike maintained continuity by still experiencing the events of "The Cage" but just on a different ship???

7. How does the crew of the Kelvin even know that Nero's ship is Romulan?? If so given the earlier war between the Romulans and Earth, I can see the existence and recognition (or misrecognition in this case) of this ship really changing all of Star Fleet/Federation history. The paranoia must have been something since the Romulans almost kicked Earth's butt before.

Overall I liked the movie, and it is a masterstroke to reset continuity. You have now opened up the opportunity to explore all of the old Trek favorites in different ways (the planet killer, City of the Edge of Forever, etc)

[Subdivisions]

69. All good points.

However, as a long-time Trek fan, I kept the fact that this is a reboot in mind, as I've done since I first learned of it a year ago. Because it's a reboot, I was willing to give the producers some wiggle room to set up the new series. Admittedly, I went into this purposely avoiding any detailed analysis of continuity for that reason.

As you stated, "it is a masterstroke to reset continuity". And once this film is behind us, the nits you pick, however fair and relevant, will be behind us and, as you further stated, the opportunity now exists to explore strange new worlds, seek out new life and new civilizations, and to boldly go where no one has gone before! (HeHe! Had to slip that in there :D)

Came back to this to add: Also, we must understand and acknowledge that this film has another mission to complete. Last night while seeing this film, I was struck by how many younger audience members were in attendance. I live in a small town with one movie theater. So, of course, all the kids were out in force as they are any Friday night. Before the movie began, I was skeptical that teenage girls (boys love this sort of thing) would get into it. To my left there were four teen girls. Judging from their reactions as the movie progressed, they LOVED it. As it did the general audience. My point being that, not only was this movie good at rebooting for old Trekkers like me, it did a great job of introducing Star Trek to the younger generation who will now move through their adult years enjoying future sequels.

[Mass]

62. Saw it too and really liked it.

They did a good job of keeping the main characters' persona and not making the old set look too childish, while making a story that is interesting to watch and a full use of CGI effects.

[Canuckistanian]

65. My 12 year old son is a rabid Trekkie

He DEVOURS Star Trek. He's seen every movie from the Box Set and for Xmas we got him STNG Season 4. He cried tears of joy when he opened it.

We're trying to figure out just when we can see the movie - it's a big trip to the city just to see a movie.

[Subdivisions]

70. If he loves the Trek Universe that much, seeing this film will be a gift. n/t

[Frank Cannon]

106. Your son is going to go nuts when he sees this movie

This IS the Star Trek movie I wish they'd made the first time.

[KatyMan]

72. ****NOTE SPOILERS SORT OF*****

This is just a great movie altogether, and great for the Trek series. I'm a pretty die hard fan, and have been for decades, and I wasn't the least bit disappointed. Upthread it's been hinted that this messes up the original timeline, but that's the point! Pay attention to Spock's explanation of everything to Kirk and you'll see. Nothing in the original canon will happen in this 'series' (at least in the same way). This is not TOS, nor is it intended to be.
Uhura's character is much more important, and has a much bigger role than originally, younger and fresher. So she's a lieutenant--nothing wrong with that, lots of them on the ship.
I also didn't have a problem with the ages of the characters, it wasn't noticeable to me. They all did a great, and I mean great, job of channeling the originals without caricaturing them. Bones is great.
All in all, I'd say it was right up there with II, IV and VI. Now we can't wait for the next one :) It's playing on IMAX near us, and I'm thinking we'll head out again today to see it there.

[neverforget]

73. Star Trek 12: So Very Tired

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfzuRMthMzk

I love The Simpsons spoof. It cracks me up everytime.

I can't wait to see this movie! It looks awesome!

[Richard Steele]

75. I had to chose between "Trek" and "Wolverine" last night...I chose poorly. Wolverine sucked.

Glad to hear Trek was OK. Maybe it'll still be around,
come next payday.

[Marr]

141. God, did it ever. I made the same mistake on Friday.

I very nearly left the theater early with Wolverine, and I've only done that one other time in my life.

[Scout]

79. do we have a new Nurse Chapel too?

i haven't seen any mention of her character.

i'll be seeing the movie soon!

[Tesha]

87. Nurse Chapel didn't appear, as far as I could see.

Nor is she in the IMDB credits.

Tesha

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

108. Referred to by name

but no screen time.

[cascadiance]

81. How was Majel Barrett Roddenberry in one of her last two "voyages" (roles)?

I think there's one more film with her voice in it that's coming out later this year (Hamlet A.D.D.), but this is the role that probably everyone will remember as her last as the voice of the Starfleet Computer...

[indie_voter]

93. I loved it!! This show was my obsession when I was younger

I was very very young when it was on network TV, but watched every episode on UHF reruns.

When the first movie came out, I saw the first showing but was so disappointed.

I'll confess, I was afraid when I heard they were redoing Kirk/Spock/McCoy, etc. But this movie was fantastic. It was respectful to what came before yet doesn't get mired in the past.

I don't think you need to be conversant in Trek lore to enjoy this movie, some of the jokes won't resonate, but I think the the story stands alone without prior knowledge of the universe.

Bravo!! This is the way to keep a franchise fresh and relevant.

[Subdivisions]

134. When I was 12 years old I went through a bored phase during the summer. So,

me and a couple of friends of mine collected materials, cardboard refridgerator boxes, wood pallets, christmas lights, etc., and we literally reproduced the bridge of the Enterprise in my parents' garage. In those days, a series of pictographic books came out that reproduced each episode of TOS in actual still pictures from the series. Myself and aforementioned re-inacted those episodes on tape recorders, even recording the sounds from the teevee and playing them back through speakers behind the boxes that were decorated with markers and construction paper and christmas lights, right down to the viewer at Spock's scanner station and the Captain's chair and the forward viewer.

That thing and that activity drew kids from around town and occupied many a summer day :D!

[AnnieBW]

95. I'm going back tomorrow

And taking my Aunt. She's a Trekkie, although more of a TNG fan. She took me to see Star Trek: The Motion Sickness when I was a kid.

[Skittles]

99. definitely will see it

:thumbsup:

[TheWatcher]

100. A Wonderful Re-Boot and Re-Invigoration of the Franchise.

Some will be pissed off at the changes, but this movie is an absolute Triumph.

Definitely looking forward to the sequels.

[byronius]

102. SO. DAMN. GOOD.

[mrs_p]

113. my mom super liberal, dad super conservative

divorced now. the (only) thing they had in common - STAR TREK. so i was raised on the programs...

saw movie last night and absolutely loved it! recommend to anyone. wish i could go back today, but have to study for finals...

[anonymous171]

114. I loved it! nt

[deutsey]

117. Excellent movie.

As a fan of the original series, I really loved this movie. Intelligent writing, good acting, wonderful cinematography. What a pleasure. And, as a fan of Leonard Nimoy, it was great to see him still pulling off a good performance.

One of the best movies I've seen in a while.

[Cybergata]

118. Here's another old Trekkie who says YES TREK IS BACK!

I watched TOS when I was in junior high, again in college, again after college, loved TNG, adored DS9, but said goodbye with Voyager. It is so good to have Trek back. The actors breathed new life into the old characters and brought them all back in fine form. I want MORE! I love the ship and wish I were on board.

[Subdivisions]

130. I've spent nearly 40 years wishing that ship(s) were contemporary. I would

have definately enrolled in Star Fleet and ended up on one had I the choice!

[neverforget]

119. My wife and I both loved the movie! Abrams did a fantastic job with

restarting the Trek franchise.

[HughMoran]

122. I'm a Trekkie and I appreciate the review

Star Trek is a phenomenon that I consider a part of who I am.

[Subdivisions]

129. You're very welcome, Hugh! Have you seen this film yet? I'm assuming

you haven't from the tone of your post. Hurry if you haven't! Before you see any more spoilers!

[Blue_Tires]

124. kicks way too much ass on way too many levels for me to even discuss

:thumbsup: :nuke:

[jehovas_waitress]

125. Giacchino

The score by Michael Giacchino was absolutely immense. That guy is my favorite in film these days and it looks as if he and J.J. Abrams are on their own Spielberg / John Williams path.
I saw it in 70MM IMAX and it was a lot of stimuli to process.

[Blue_Tires]

126. ok...now i can at least TRY to give my thoughts

just back from the theater...short and sweet:

This movie in a lot of ways was like killing off the memory of a long lost friend...Because only after seeing this did I realize how bland, formulaic and unimaginative the previous canon movies are...I didn't want to believe it -- As a fan I clutched to hard to the memory of the old franchise I didn't see how much I had lowered my expectations for them...

But this...You're telling me that will a little vision and guts we could have had a Star Trek like this YEARS AGO?!?!?!

I want to see this cast and crew make a sequel...Like tomorrow, please...

[hyphenate]

127. It was good.

For those who followed Enterprise, there is a really quick joke about Captain Archer in a scene between Scotty, Kirk and Spock. It whizzes by, so it might be too quick to get it if you aren't looking for it.

For Stargate:Atlantis fans, Paul McGillion has a small role in it. I forgot about it, and didn't notice.


I have a couple of thoughts on it, though, that I think made me like it a bit less than some. BTW, like some others here, I've watched it since 1966. I missed a couple of eps, and watched from "Where No Man Has Gone Before" and rarely missed an episode of TOS.

I tend to be picky sometimes, especially when I've had a little time to think about something for awhile. Now, before I proceed, I will include some spoiler space as a warning for those who want to see it without knowing much about it.

*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Now, the first problem I had was in respect to the overall plot of Nero going back in time after Spock Prime. If they went back through time, why didn't Nero simply just send a message back to Romulus to evacuate the planet before the supernova? In the Trek world we know, there were often episodes with time travel, and so it would have been logical for Nero to go back to his own future and prevent it from being destroyed. Yes, I am aware that the moment they went back into the past, they created an alternate timeline, and that's fine, but within the twenty five years they spent moving forward, Spock was marooned on Delta Vega, and I fail to see why he never went to the outpost where Scotty was. Seeing that it was Mr. Spock and Scotty, the two of them would have had IQs higher than the majority of the Bush administration, and they could have come up with a method to destroy Nero and whatever his plans were at any given time. Even if it wasn't Scotty, but a whole different group of people, they would have been familiar with Vulcans, and sought help from the UFP along the way. And if Nero hadn't left Spock on the planet 25 years before, where had Spock been? Suspended animation on Nero's ship? And if that were true, why didn't Nero just blow up Vulcan sooner if he wanted to torture Spock with Vulcan's demise?


The little guy with Scotty is going to be a very BAAADDD thing. It adds a "cutesy" factor which reminds me so very much like an Ewok. And I despise cutesy where it's not meant to be. Too many SF shows have been ruined by putting such a character into one of them. It's going to be great in terms of merchandising to the kids, but I have a problem with the film in terms of kids under a certain age. It moves very swiftly and often times the film has something going on that flies right by and until an action is finished, it's hard to grasp exactly what is going on. Younger children will enjoy the action and the short sequences will please those in the audience with attention deficit problems, but if this is supposed to be part of the Trek mythos, it must be reiterated that those of us who were in love with TOS did so because it was more than flash, bang, zoom. Do we really want to see Trek become merged with every other sf based movie out there?

Speaking of which, we were treated with previews of upcoming films, and there were three or four films which seemed to be all alike, even if they weren't supposed to be. Transformers, Terminator: Salvation, and one or two others were nothing but one explosion, robot character and CGI effect after effect. As a SF fan all my life, I was always drawn to cerebral tales, and very few of these films seem to satisfy that itch, and while Trek teeters on the edge of being just like the lot of them, I hope now that the "genesis" tale is done that they will put way more into the possibilities that emerge from the whole new situation.

Someone I know was quite upset with the fact that with this new movie, future films will focus on the new people, characters and what differences will emerge, and make the new "canon" the story of Star Trek. I doubt if that is going to happen, as we have way too many elements as part of the "prime" Trek, but this certainly will enable the franchise to continue onward. And I like the new cast for the most part, I just think that making it a whole new franchise of its own would have been better. On the other hand, Paramount has never been the one to shrug off a promising new financial endeavor (we used to call Gulf & Western "Engulf and Devour"), especially when it doesn't cost them anything in buying an original concept.

I guess I place myself in the TBD (To Be Determined) category of viewers. Perhaps on a second viewing, my questions will be answered, but there are just quite a few things which bothered me in terms of continuity, and in terms of logical answers. And no, I never quite cared about Vulcans--I was a Kirk fan. :)

Out of ***** stars, I give it: ****

[Tesha]

144. Spoiler reply -- You gave been warned!

Nero doesn't save Romulus for two reasons:

1. He's nuts, N-V-T-S nuts.

2. That Romulus was destroyed is the axle upon which the whole plot revolves.
The needs of the writers outweigh the needs of rational bad-guy behavior.

On your other point, Spock Prime didn't come through the black hole at the
same time as Nero and the badyear blimp. Instead, Spock came through on
the twenty-fifth anniversary of Nero's arrival, and Nero had apparently been
checking for Spock each year on the anniversary. Spock Prime's arrival then
sets the whole cascade of the current-age plot into motion: marooning Spock,
destroying Vulcan, etc.

The real logical fallacy is why anniversaries measured in Terran years have
anything to do with black hole return trip schedules. But for that, see my Rule
Number Two.

Tesha

[cascadiance]

151. Spoiler response...

As noted in the other response here, Spock feels like he's only been away from his time for a short time (minutes/hours/days) vs. 25 years for Nero who entered the rift earlier...

I'm still interested in seeing how they do Terminator: Salvation. It does look like a special effects fest, but the Sarah Connor series actually didn't turn out too bad this year either. Had a pretty good set of plot twists at the end as well. Will be interesting to see if they can craft something new and interesting (even for in effect another "prequel" movie).

And I think there can be pretty decent scifi plots and have decent special effects as was demonstrated with the recent Battlestar Galactica series that worked on so many levels, and also had direct allegorical poignant commentary on today's events in a good part of the show too, which in my book puts in category of more cerebral than just exciting hormones with rapid moving special effects that many other "sci fi" flicks have these days, which I also moan about as well.

I thought it interesting and related to your comments here that in one of the commentary shows on Battlestar Galactica, they interviewed the producer who was saying that the one thing she wanted but wasn't able to get was putting a pet like the old "Boxy" from the older Battlestar Galactica series, and was strongly vetoed by the newer Battlestar Galactica writers and directors, precisely for the reasons you note here. Intelligence won there...

Sometimes they can make these characters work though. C-3PO and R2-D2 arguably were scripted well in to the Star Wars series, and had they not have been, they might also have been one of those insipid and cheesy pieces too. They had some bad moments, but they also had some good moments too!

I do like the way the new series starts and the flexibility they've afforded to them with plot lines the way this plot played out, but at the same time being able to borrow from earlier Star Trek history and lore to make interesting plots and depth. And it will be interesting to see if they play on clashes of timelines and cause and effect in creative ways with the two time lines down the road too, which was in effect done in an earlier episode of TOS anyway.

[Maru Kitteh]

132. I LOVED this movie! It was fantastic whether you are familiar with ST or not.

[Subdivisions]

137. For those not familiar with the Star Trek Universe, part of the reason

I, as a long-time Trek fan, love it so much is because it is a fantastic re-boot, making it just as enjoyable to newcomers and youngsters who are not familiar with the original characters or premise.

[bridgit]

133. We're taking friends to IMAX, we got comps!

:popcorn:

[Subdivisions]

136. Stay away from spoilers! You're going to love this film. Try not to

nit-pick it too much on the first go 'round. But absolutely do try to pick out the franchise references from the entire Trek history. There's alot of them. Enjoy!

[bridgit]

138. Oh! ------- Absolutely! Brand New Eyes! Agreed!

[Marr]

139. I think the casting for Bones and Scotty is inspired.

Both unusual choices.

[Frank Cannon]

148. The whole cast was great

They really hit the jackpot on casting the characters, and those actors have solid brass gonads for stepping into those roles as confidently and well as they did.

And was I the only one who thought Kirk's dad actually looked a little bit like a young William Shatner? Maybe it was just the haircut.

[WolverineDG]

145. I really liked it

I know there's a few hard-core trekkies whining & moaning, but they're the ones who made fandom such a chore for me that I stopped going to cons, so nuts to them. I understand why they couldn't go back & just remake the old series, so creating an alternate timeline where new stuff can happen is great. :)

Quinto as Spock :loveya:

Wasn't sold on Pine as Kirk until I saw the movie. The rest of the cast is great too & I hope they ramp up Uhura's role so she's more than just an intergalactic telephone operator. :)

dg

[Kaylee]

146. Saw it this weekend on a whim with my Hubby and absolutely loved it!

We are going back to see it on an IMAX screen before the run is over. They definitely revitalized a series I hadn't watched religiously since ST:TNG ended.