The box office estimates are in and Star Trek beamed to the number one spot, bringing in an estimated $76.5 million over the weekend. I had a chance to check the movie out on Saturday, and I liked it quite a bit. I think it did a good job of bridging the old Star Trek universe with the new one (I wore my F’Continuity T-Shirt just in case), and I like how they were able to tell an origin story without getting too over the top.
I did have a few concerns and problems with the feature, but there were pretty minor considering. But what Major Spoilers is really concerned about is your reaction, Dear Reader. Did you see Star Trek this weekend? What were your thoughts on the JJ Abrams flick?
DISCUSS I SAY!
31 Comments
i really, really enjoyed it. I hope they make more movies with this same cast i thought they worked together quite well.
It did take me a few minutes to get used to the guy playing young Spock, i kept expecting him to cut someone’s head open with his finger.
Loved it. May go see again in IMAX. Excellent job moving us into uncharted territory (no spoilers), while still paying homage to the past. Best Star Trek movie ever.
JJ Abrams is soooo about to get paid (more).
Loved it too. Few minor issues, but overall fantastic. Liked Chris Pines take on Kirk quite a bit. Sylar as Spock was also cool but a bit creepy. Simon Pegg has the best lines in the movie.
The final was a bit forced and there was no real sense of danger for the main characters and the Enterprise.
I saw it Friday afternoon and thought that they did a great job with it. And, best of all, I think they did a great job of rebooting the universe without negating everything that came before it.
Having grown up on TNG and watching bits of the first Star Trek I was going into the movie with somewhat of a dislike, but that all changed the first 30 minutes or so.
The people who from Fox Studios who made Wolverine Origins could take notes from Star Trek.
Best reinterpretation: McCoy
Least reinterpretation: Spock
Most reinterpretation: Scotty
New Spock was so slavish a tribute compared to everyone else, he seemed a bit out of place. Simon Pegg, on the other hand, couldn’t make me forget he was Simon Pegg. Karl Urban was the best at walking that tightrope between old and new, just making my eyes pop out every time he opened his mouth.
But a uniformly enjoyable cast on a great popcorn movie. Milady and I spent the following hour and a half just muttering “wow…” over and over again; haven’t felt like that about a movie in a long time…
I’ve never been a fan of Star Trek of any variety. Original, Next Generation, Deep Space Nine,………you get the point. I had no plans or desire to see this movie, but my step-dad who is a big Star Trek fan asked me to go with him and offered to pay since I had no interest. I went in expecting a big snooze fest, but I’ll admit I was pleasantly surprised. I really really enjoyed this film.
I know I’m gonna get a lot of hate for this, but I have absolutely no desire to go back and catch up on older Trek stuff (I’ve tried, and it just doesn’t work for me between the confusing history and cheesiness of it). But, anything Trek that comes out from this point on I’ll definitely give a shot and look forward to instead of just casting it aside.
I’ve always considered myself more of a casual trek fan more than anything else, but I really, really loved this movie. I thought all of the characters were perfectly cast (including zachary quinto—people I talked to have either loved him or liked him).
The film really acheved what it set out to do all along, by rebooting the franchise for everyone to be able to follow. George Lucas should take notes; this movie was everything the star wars prequals and new indiana jones never were
I am a big trekkie and I really enjoyed this film. The character interpretation I liked least (in no disrespect) was Uhura. I felt the “romance” with Spock was out of nowhere and a bit out of touch, no real set up for it in my opinion. I did miss the single laser shooting phasers as well. However, the inclusion of a variety of aliens was good, but I wish there were some more classics in there like (a personal favorite) Gorn, and half-white half-black. Also niice touches for me like the Ceti-Alpha bugs, Kobyashi Marou, etc. To keep me entertained. The new McCoy sold me in his first few lines. Pegg made a good Scotty in that he wasn’t played entirely for laughs. Chekov and Sulu getting some hero moments was great as well. Part of me wished for two little jokes a Zoidberg-like alien in the background and a character named Branigan, neither here nor there.
It was good and not only because of the acting and direction (And obviously the visual effects) No the writing was great as well, sure the plot was a bit lacking and it felt a bit like it was being spoon fed but the movie is supposed to find new audience for Trek. BUT like i said the writing was great and for two important reasons mainly: this movie had to walk some very thin lines where it had to be open to new comers have stuff for the Trekkies, but also be funny and carry some drama all at once…and it freaking succeeded SPOILER!!!! Spocks mothers death as well as the opening were very well written and packed a real emotional punch yet the movie still felt popcorn-esq and it never felt boring. In short it was very very well paced (reason 2) and with some funny moments and lines delivered by Pine and Pegg. Very enjoyable and i highly recommend it for newbies and Trekkies. And to be honest i didn’t find a change which couldn’t be thought of as an improvement or necessary.
Just a sidenote: I have no idea how they did it and movie deaths are something i never get which annoys me since it feels like I’m missing out on some immersion or something, but dammit if Spock’s mothers death didnt..gaah..WHY!?! The opening didn’t have any effect compared to her death and i don’t know what was different.
Haven’t seen it yet and I may be an old fogey but STAR TREK was never meant to be “popcorn” entertainment. Entertaining, yes, but also an exploration of our future with moral and even spiritual questions raised. Roddenberry’s Trek never went to war or fought “super villains” like Soran, Sybok, Shinzon or Nero. Not even Khan; they left him in peace in the series. Is the new Trek just a roller coaster ride action movie or is there any of Gene’s philosophy in it?
I have been a long time Trek fan-of all series.I went to see the film and enjoyed every minute of it.
The only problem I had was it was a reboot.Not a new story but a reboot.So everything from TOS and onto now that we have seen may never happen!Deaths of key parents now change entire stories not to mention a certain couple of planets that blew up real good.
So I enjoyed the movie but I am curious the direction they are heading in.After all this is a comic book site.We have seen reboots before.When the Legion of superheroes was Rebooted I gave up reading it.All my old friends had been changed or are now gone.Then 3boot.Now after the Legion of 3 worlds my old friends may come back.I’ll believe it when I see it.
@Bob Yeah maybe thats why they call it a reboot.this movie was naver made out to be anything other than a reboot. love how you called the Legion friends i called the people in daredevil friends and my real friends kina poked fun at me but thats they way i see it as well .
“So everything from TOS and onto now that we have seen may never happen!”
Exactly wrong.
It did happen. Everything. Every last bit of it. All of that lead to Ambassador Spock (which is entirely consistent with everything in the all of the previous Treks) failing to save Romulus and setting off the events that we saw in this movie.
This movie’s timeline is different. It’s an alternate universe (you remember the one with the alternate universe where they’re all evil with goatees? Like that, but not). It’s an alternate timeline. Everything you knew and loved about everything that happened before still happened. It just hasn’t happened in this timeline … yet. Some things may not ever happen (again) in this time. Some things may happen, but happen differently (like Kirk not being in command of the Enterprise after Pike was taken).
But, this ‘soft reboot’ managed to preserve everything that had ever happened, while opening up the entire Trek universe for new stories to be told, and even for old stories to be retold without us being able to know for sure how things will turn out …
That was the beauty of this movie.
> dammit if Spock’s mothers death didnt..gaah..WHY!?! The opening didn’t have any effect compared to her death and i don’t know what was different.”
I had the opposite reaction. I got teary-eyed (!!!) in the opening sequence, but when Spock’s mother died, all I could think was “why do they have to kill off the mom???” I know it’s balanced — one dad, one mom — and I understand that it forces Spock to re-examine his commitment to his human half, but still — it’s a bit too close to “women in refrigerators,” especially given that there are only two significant women characters in the film.
And on that note: Can we not give Uhura something to do beside pine for Spock? Her first scene shows that she’s immensely competent — why not give her a stronger role in the action scenes?
I agree that the writing was good — the story remained focused and all the episodes made sense in terms of how they added to the resolution. My only complaint was the coincidence involved in Kirk’s first encounter with Nimoy; everything else was logically explainable.
Jacin i agree 100% you could call it a multivers the movie kinda want out of its why to say that all that other stuff happend but now its going to happen differently backed by the fact that old spock not disaparing or losing his memory of what happend in the orginal seires.
i really loved this movie got to set in the back next to an old man(guy looked like 70) who would not stop talking but was a really nice and charming man very informative would turn to me every now and then to explain the conncations(like that whole test that spock built) and till me some back story(think he told me how Christopher Pike ended up in the show) by the time i got home i kinda missed the guy(sad part was man’s family set him back their than want and sat 10 rows down from him even though their was enough sets for them to sit with him)honestly think i would not have liked the movie as much as not for that old man
Kirk as a Will Ferrell style jerk I really didn’t care for but Damn I loved the way Karl Urban played Bones. Over all its not a bad film but when Kirk was running away from that monster on the ice planet and the bigger one eats it I’m think of Qui-Gon Jinn line in the phantom menace about there always being a bigger fish. Bit to much bsg style shaky cam for my taste and a lot the really nice CGI work you couldn’t see because 1the camera was in so tight 2 camera was shaking to much or 3 changing shots to quick take in what your seeing 4 and my god man do we really need that much lens flare.
The other thing really worth note to be was Capt. Christopher Pike. The voice on that guy is great Deeps and powerful but we a level come compassion to it just moves you when he talks. This guy would be a great voice actor. And speaking of voice actors Leonard Nimoy makes ever scene he is in better. I know this movie wasn’t about theses two but I really wish they could have played a bigger role.
All and all better than your average blockbuster but its no dark knight but most likely better than anything else til terminator comes out.
Also one other nitpick I live about 20 minutes away from Riverside, Iowa and I don’t know where they filmed “Iowa” but there was no where near enough corn or soybeans for that to pass as Iowa.
Overall, I loved it.
Spock didn’t impress me as much as I thought he would, the actor looks the part but something was just ‘off’. Kirk and Bones were great.
It was nice to see Leonard Nimoy but the he was maybe given a little too much screen time.
The f’continuity plot device was a masterpiece. Future films can now concentrate on a good plot instead of what has happened ‘before’. Plus it means that Trek fans can still be surprised at what happens!
My 10 year old son has never really watched Trek and came along. He loved it and wants more!
To Night Marshal:
I haven’t seen the movie but considering they would have had WWIII, perhaps all the crops were nuked. Also the whole in the future thing.
I demand corn thats all I’m saying its not hard to find its grown all over the world
@Doctor Zen
Haha you are going to like it most of your fears are not grounded in anything at all besides what the trailers wanted 16 year old boys to think. You will love the “villain” and young Spock though the exploratory stuff is lacking mostly due to it being an origin movie, still though it has a bit of everything from old Trek and the popcorn quality comes in at no expense to any other part of the narrative.
I thought it was really good. As a guy, who grew up watching the show in reruns on channel 11 in New York, there were plenty of things that could have really taken me out of this movie. They didn’t. My inner geek has gone over some of them in my mind since, but even when I recognized them during the movie, I didn’t care.
I felt Karl Urban was the one trying hardest to do an impression and didn’t really pull it off. I would have liked it if Robert April had been George’s captain, as it might have helped explain the long delay in the Enterprise’s construction.
Okay, parental fridging has become WAY too over-used, to the point of cliche. It’s becoming synonymous with “I’m too steeped in weaksauce to think of any other way to motivate my character.” That was really the only part of the movie that I was disappointed in.
I was slightly disappointed in Uhura, but only slightly. The character was excellently written and showed that her capabilities as Communications Officer are far, far beyond the ‘space telephone operator’ of TOS. However, I felt that the actress portrayed her almost as a stereotyped ‘Strong Girl Character’, and lacked the grace, poise and elegance of the original (I mean, y’gotta admit, even when she was pulling a phaser on you, Uhura did so with a poise that a ballerina would envy.)
Beyond those two quibbles, I was very impressed. The characters came across to me as the characters, not as parodies or imitations. And I very much loved the comparison of young, conflicted Spock and older, comfortable-with-himself Spock (plus the look of ‘HOLY CRAP!!!” in young-Spock’s eyes is just too funny.) That was fifty dollars I did not mind spending at all.
I absolutely loved it. I saw it Friday night with my dad who has watched pretty much every Star Trek incarnation since its debut 40 years ago … and he felt it was the best Star Trek movie ever. Even as we walked into the theater he kept on grumbling “I don’t know about this JJ Abrams’ guy … stupid LOST”.
It was respectful to canon and had everything for everyone. It was good to see Kirk kicking ass (and getting his ass kicked). The Kobayaski Maru sequence was everything I expected it to be. Urban and Pegg just chewed through their dialogue and had quite a few good lines.
Sure Nero was just cruising around space for twenty-odd years (doing god knows what) and Uhura and Spock made out … it was awesome to see Trek on the big screen again.
I’ve never really been a Star Trek fan but I went to see this one anyway. I really enjoyed it. It was fun, full of extremely foxy people, and it was genuinely funny at times. My only little complaint was with the red matter. Without killing it for anyone, I’ll just say that its use didn’t seem to follow the internal logic of the movie at the climax moment. But that didn’t ruin the movie for me. Maybe this is a movie a lot of women can enjoy if they’re dragged by their significant others because there were so many good looking guys. McCoy had me at “throw up”.
I am a Star Trek geek of longstanding and LOVED this! I have gone to every opening since Wrath of Kahn twice and this was no exception. I especially loved that with the time travel twist absolutely no one can say that they’ve had their childhood crapped on. I don’t think any of the main cast hit a wrong note. I’ve read what others elsewhere have said about Uhura losing something to prop up Spock but coome one. Classic Uhura was important as a concept not a character. I don’t think they gave Miss Nichols a satisfying scene until she pulled a gun on the twit in Search For Spock. This Uhura got more AND she was part of another character’s growth as well.
I might even go see it again next weekend…
Thanks, lifeisaglitch! I feel better about seeing it already. You’re right, of course, that origins don’t have much room to tell anything else so I’ll take it for what it is. It’s interesting that Abrams is using the multiverse idea; he seems really into that, if you watch his FRINGE.
WOW… I liked Trek from way back when. I have all 10 movies and every TV season on DVD. I saw TNG, DS9, VGR, even Enterprise the day they aired first. Trek has been huge in my life. I truly am floored that anyone who likes any of that previous Trek can like this horrible movie. As a Trek fan I am sick with the lack of consistency this movie has with all prior Trek. I wrote a list so long about things I hate about this movie. OK lets say Romulans went back in time fine I can go along with that. How does that change all Trek written before the jump back?? Spock and Ahura kissing …OMG…thats such crap! That would NEVER happen. Vulcans can love but would never say it… Sarek died unable to express his love to either of his 2 wives (Amanda and Parrin). AND AND AND no human knew what a Romulan looked like till TOS Balance of Terror. So why was it no surprise when we saw them in this movie?? Why was there water on the floor on the Romulan ship?? Chekhov WTF he was not met until the 2nd year of TOS… and they made him like Wesley Crusher …ahhhhhhhhhhhhh how ridiculous! This movie is disrespectful to over 40yrs of Trek. Frack all of you for supporting this movie.
when Gene Roddenberry made Star Trek he made it with a purpose! he was a rebel in what he tried to get across to people and was so ahead of his time! Star Trek has always been an example of how good humanity can be unlike everything else that makes humanity seem so evil and demonic. but now its just like everything else. all people care about is the hook ups and action sequences. no depth what-so-ever!!! how could they treat Star Trek like that?!? i personally am staying true to what Star Trek originally stood for!