Zeonprime
IreneStar Trek (2009) - under the microscope
May 27th 2009 00:52
Leading up to the release of JJ Abrams' Star Trek I was filled with a mix of hope and trepidation, reading all I could about the movie in advance and preparing myself with as open a mind as possible for this "new" Trek. My concerns regarding this new Star Trek included the writing team of Orci and Kurtzman who were behind Michael Bay's Transformers in 2007, which had plot holes a 60-ft tall robot could walk through (and did) and JJ Abrams, who only had a couple of movies under his belt.
After watching the first five minutes of Star Trek, I said to myself, "They got it right." Unfortunately, I spoke too soon. For the most part this initial assessment is true for the movie; the tone and the characters were there for me, and I grudgingly accepted that this was not a Trekkie's movie, but a Trek movie made for the average moviegoer. Abrams was smart enough to put in plenty of nods to the Trekkies to keep us appeased throughout the course of the film. However, the more I watched the more I thought the situations implausible, the science lacking and the overall story stretched beyond the suspension of disbelief.
For one thing, Kirk has always been one to fudge the rules to save the day, but he has always had to face the consequences (I can think of at least two separate court martial cases against him), whether it be the death of a crew member, the loss of a ship or the death of a friend. We always knew that Kirk weighed the costs versus the benefits before breaking the rules. The film was constantly on “fast forward” moving forward without consideration of the consequences, much like this new Kirk character.
The director made an effort to expand the audience’s knowledge of both Kirk and Spock and how they ended up together; this was handled well for the most part. The Kobayashi Maru exam was a nice touch, adding a sense of conflict to two characters who we know will become the best of friends. Unfortunately, the rest of the crew does not get the same attention. Having Kirk and his junior officers-to-be all represented as being roughly at the same stage of careers seems improbable, never mind the fast-tracking an entire ship's crew by the end of movie to senior positions. Sure, the fleet suffered horrible losses to the Romulan Nerada, but I have a hard time believing there were no other qualified senior officers in the whole of Starfleet that could not have stepped into the positions.
I’ve read repeated comparisons to the all-time champion of Trek movies, Wrath of Khan and how this movie pales in comparison. WOK is the quintessential example of what a Trek film SHOULD BE, with its humor, excitement, great villain and an effective MacGuffin (the Genesis Device). While Star Trek had some very nice nods to what was done in WOK, I took them like all the other little gifts to Trekkies, as acknowledgment that this Star Trek is part of a much larger universe that Trekkies have embraced for decades. One such comparison between WOK and Star Trek is the villain Nero.
And my next post will discuss Nero at greater length. Thanks for reading!
Spock and Kirk: then and now
After watching the first five minutes of Star Trek, I said to myself, "They got it right." Unfortunately, I spoke too soon. For the most part this initial assessment is true for the movie; the tone and the characters were there for me, and I grudgingly accepted that this was not a Trekkie's movie, but a Trek movie made for the average moviegoer. Abrams was smart enough to put in plenty of nods to the Trekkies to keep us appeased throughout the course of the film. However, the more I watched the more I thought the situations implausible, the science lacking and the overall story stretched beyond the suspension of disbelief.
For one thing, Kirk has always been one to fudge the rules to save the day, but he has always had to face the consequences (I can think of at least two separate court martial cases against him), whether it be the death of a crew member, the loss of a ship or the death of a friend. We always knew that Kirk weighed the costs versus the benefits before breaking the rules. The film was constantly on “fast forward” moving forward without consideration of the consequences, much like this new Kirk character.
The director made an effort to expand the audience’s knowledge of both Kirk and Spock and how they ended up together; this was handled well for the most part. The Kobayashi Maru exam was a nice touch, adding a sense of conflict to two characters who we know will become the best of friends. Unfortunately, the rest of the crew does not get the same attention. Having Kirk and his junior officers-to-be all represented as being roughly at the same stage of careers seems improbable, never mind the fast-tracking an entire ship's crew by the end of movie to senior positions. Sure, the fleet suffered horrible losses to the Romulan Nerada, but I have a hard time believing there were no other qualified senior officers in the whole of Starfleet that could not have stepped into the positions.
I’ve read repeated comparisons to the all-time champion of Trek movies, Wrath of Khan and how this movie pales in comparison. WOK is the quintessential example of what a Trek film SHOULD BE, with its humor, excitement, great villain and an effective MacGuffin (the Genesis Device). While Star Trek had some very nice nods to what was done in WOK, I took them like all the other little gifts to Trekkies, as acknowledgment that this Star Trek is part of a much larger universe that Trekkies have embraced for decades. One such comparison between WOK and Star Trek is the villain Nero.
And my next post will discuss Nero at greater length. Thanks for reading!
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