zelempa | What? A post from ME?

My ratings:

Epic Epicness Level: Laughably High (Meets Expectations)
The cheesiness of starting the movie with the birth of the main character--raising him to the level of a messiah--cannot be overstated... or overenjoyed.

Loving Respect for Canon Level: Low (Does Not Meet Expectations)
The whole thing I was excited about--seeing a new take on the "text" (i.e. some viable version of ST canon, as honed by years of fanwank)--is pretty much invalidated by the decision to set all of the events from minute 1 of the movie on out (and on into all the future movies, presumably) in an alternate universe. I mean, who even knows WHAT the continuity will be like 20 or 30 years from now when Alternate Captain Picard takes over.

Slashy Subtext Level: High (Exceeds Expectations)
KIRK: wtf mate?
NIMOY!SPOCK: Oh yeah, I had to do all that so that you and Past Me would see that you are totally made for each other.
KIRK: Oh. Well. Thanks?
NIMOY!SPOCK: ... (hold me)

Beautiful Space Boys Level: High (Meets of Exceeds Expectations)
Well, Kirk and Spock were okay, I guess, but my question is this: WHY WAS BONES SO CUTE? He was the cutest! That is the opposite of how it is on the TV show. Also Scotty was pretty appealing (but I'm a sucker for a Scottish accent, this is well known about me. I do love that one hobbit.)

I did enjoy it, I did, although I think I may have ruined the enjoyment of my fellow-patrons by loudly saying "WHAT" during Spock and Uhura kissing. WELL, I MEAN REALLY. WHAT.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I am reading all spoilers despite having not seen the movie. Otherwise I will not be excited about it at all.

How does the shirt-ripping, girl-bedding-despite-bad-ideaness (see icon), Kirktastic cheese fare in translation?

Also, "I mean, who even knows WHAT the continuity will be like 20 or 30 years from now when Alternate Captain Picard takes over."

...I think I know how the TOS fans felt when they expressed dismay at the recasting of Kirk. The idea of Alternate Captain Picard just seems so...unPicardlike. *shudders*

Yeah, I know. Thinking about someone else playing Picard is the only thing that gives me pause about this whole endeavor, really.

But I've been totally pro, and that's much of why I saw the movie, even though I don't really know TOS. Allowing other actors to play the characters--to have new interpretations on them--doesn't invalidate the original performances; it just elevates the role to an even more legendary level, and allows you to see things you didn't necessarily see before, even if you like a different actor better. Like I feel like seeing Edward Petherbridge's performance enriches my understanding of Lord Peter Wimsey, even though Ian Carmichael's is so great. The same principle applies to a new director/technology/era/vision taking on the basic Star Trek story.

So that's why I felt like it was kind of a cop-out to set the whole thing in an AU; like they're not really doing a new version or new reading of the Star Trek text, they're just adding to the existing Star Trek canon. I also feel like it gives them a level of freedom to go in their own direction that I think makes the whole thing less fun; I'm less interested in the original ideas of the writers and J.J. Abrams than I am in seeing a respectful rendition of canon. What I'd like, I guess, is the Peter Jackson version of Star Trek TOS.

But I can see why they did it the way they did, why they felt that doing a new performance of the existing canon was too limiting, or that it would feel like an invalidation of TOS in some way. I think it would be the opposite, it would be a celebration of TOS, J.J. Abrams's TOS like John Gielgud's Hamlet (I think I'm stealing the Hamlet metaphor from another LJ post I read when the ST movie was announced, don't remember whose). But I can see (more so when I think about Picard) how fans would feel uncomfortable.

Okay, that didn't respond to your comments so much as it did respond to mine. But, yeah.

Kirk is VERY cheesy, and it's excellent. He uses bad pickup lines, pulls faces, and acts nonchalant in a fun, John Sheppardy kind of way. (He's more Sheppardy than Shatner's Kirk, even, I think. Actually, I think I like Pine more than I like Shatner--but I'm admittedly a whippersnapper whose hardly seen any TOS.) Also, there is a green girl.

Quinto is a decent Spock. But he only raises his eyebrow once, and it's not as fabulous as it could be. (They kept the eyeshadow look, which I think was a good move.) Also, when he says "Fascinating" (which they had to do once in the movie, of course), it's referring, essentially, to a swivel chair. Of all things! Of course "Fascinating" is best when it refers to some foible of Kirk's, but at least it should have been about something, you know. Fascinating.

What? A post from ME?

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