The TV commercials claim that “This is not your father’s Star Trek.” Which made me wonder: What audience is this new J.J. Abrams movie actually aimed at?
Copyright 2009 Pararmount Pictures. All Rights Reserved
So – to get a sense of who’d embrace this Star Trek reboot – I assembled a rather unique control group:
Copyright 2009 Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved
So here we have three generations of Hills. Each of them a big enough “Star Trek” fans that Dad, Pete and Jeff were all thrilled when I invited them to come along to a press screening of this new Paramount Pictures release.
So given the wide range of ages here, the differing levels of fandom, were my family members able to come to some sort of consensus in regards to the new “Star Trek” movie? Happily, the answer to that question is yes. All three Hills genuinely enjoyed this reboot of this sci-fi franchise. But for surprisingly different reasons.
For my father, this new “Star Trek” movie was fun because of the talented young cast that Abrams had assembled to play Kirk, Spock et al. These performers brought a level of energy & excitement to Gene Roddenberry’s characters that Dad hadn’t seen since … Well, since “Star Trek” initially aired on NBC back in the 1960s.
For my brother Pete, what made this new “Star Trek” movie fun was all the clever winks & nods to the Trek TV episodes & films that came before it. From actually getting to watch the young James T. Kirk (played with a convincing Shatner-like swagger by Chris Pine) beat the no-win scenario in Starfleet’s Kobayashi Maru training exercise to those tribbles that Scotty keeps in a cage on his desk, it’s clear that this project was put together by people who had great respect & affection for their source material.
That said, the reason that my nephew, Jeff, enjoyed “Star Trek” was because this new Paramount Pictures release is a good movie – period. Even if you can’t tell a Romulan from a Klingon, this film’s storyline is so engaging and entertaining that you can’t help but be sucked in.
As for me … I guess the clearest sign that this new “Star Trek” film is a success was when – as the movie was drawing to a close and as this new set of actors was taking their characters’ standard positions on the bridge of the Enterprise – I felt this real pang of sadness that the adventure was over. For now anyway.
Mind you, Paramount has already signed Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman (i.e. the two gentlemen who wrote “Star Trek” ‘s very clever screenplay) to write a sequel. Which – if all goes according to plan – will be beaming into a theater near you sometime during the summer of 2011. So it won’t be all that long ‘til my family get another shot at going “ … where no one has gone before.”
But until this “Star Trek” sequel arrives, there are the infinite pleasures of this J.J. Abrams movie to enjoy. Which – with apologies to the nice folks who put together those TV commercials for this new Paramount Pictures release – WAS my father’s Star Trek. And my brother’s. And my nephew’s. And mine.
Your thoughts?
It's got Nimoy but no Shatner? Then it doesn't get my ticket money. I will gladly step aside for anyone else who wants my theatre seat for Star Trek Babies.
STAR TREK was having showings all over the place tonight starting at 7pm - the theatre we wound up at wasn't terribly crowded...so, hopefully the crowds hit tomorrow.
The film is fun. I enjoyed it and the characters. There's enough plot twists and re-directions to supply the foundation of a new line of STAR TREK stories and outings from a thoroughly likeable and enjoyable crew.
Even green alien chicks, too.
Uhuru...who knew?!!?
It is a great stepping off point for the Star Trek franchise to roll from. I am a multi-generational Star Trekker...I was there with the first series in my youth (14 years of age or so) and all the way through...and this one is great. It has the nuances of the original series and a sense of humor and adventure that is, in some ways, even better than that which boldly went before.
Now, can anyone tell me what happened to the beagle?
"I like this ship. It's exciting!"
-Scotty-
Kd
8)
Curmudgeon,
Believe me, it does not need Shatner. To have had him in the movie, it would have really taken the audience out of the enjoyable experience. That would have been the point that the movie would have dropped iun quality because of pandering. The fact that Nimoy is in the movie as Spock, enhances the storyline and his appearance in the movie is for lack of a better word, logical. The movie is fun and if you are a Trek fan, you are doing yourself a great disservice by not going to see it.
I thought the new Star Trek was fantastic. However, it hit me later that this "reboot", courtesy of a time travel story line has effectively wiped out TNG, DS9 and Voyager from the Star Trek canon. Unless they find a way to undo the results of this film in a future film, the stories from the other 3 franchises never would have happened--it's much more than a butterfly effect. There are some pretty important, long lasting consequences to the time line.
Kirk was already dead in the timeline Spock Prime came from, so having Shatner in the film would have been, in a word, illogical.
It depends on how you look at it EpcotFan. The hows and whys of the crew coming together on the Enterprise may be different but they did all come together. In the original timeline Kirk cheated the test, became the youngest Captain in Starfleet, Spock was the first Vulcan to serve in Starfleet...those things still happened but in a different way....course Vulcan asploding is a big difference..
The other more "logical" answer is that a new, alternate timeline has been created...one in which they can pretty much do whatever they want...
http://www.raymation.net
Yes, EpcotFan, the original timeline is still in existence as an alternate reality, as mentioned in the film. In that timeline, Nero and Spock disappeared, presumed dead, and Romulus and Remus are gone, but the story otherwise continues unabated.
If you have seen the film check this out:
http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1611116/story.jhtml
Is that your full review Jim?
Was it worth giving you a press pass for that???