Because everyone else seems to have loved Star Trek, and while it was enjoyably brainless at times there were a few things that really bugged me about it. Now I wasn’t expecting the GREATEST MOVIE OF ALL TIME because let’s face it, it’s a Star Trek movie and pretty constrained on that front. However, the big thing that really pissed me off was when I realised it involved time travel – almost always a sign of massively lazy plotting and just a vehicle for bring back Leonard Nimoy as though that was crucial for the story to come full circle. Which it wasn’t. Only geekiness on the part of the writer/director required that and it immediately constrained the plot so much the film was never going to become as good as the sum of its parts, which were usually pretty good parts.
The other thing that bugged me was the structure of the film, bad guy appears and conveniently directs the course of Kirk’s life, Kirk spends five minutes screen time at the fleet academy and then heads off to chase bad guy. Continues to chase bad guy for a while, deals with bad guy. Nothing to surprise, nothing to make you think, just a lot of eyebrow waggling from Spock who looks woefully lacking in instructions from the director and is having to make it up himself. There was nothing else to it at all, some leering at women that wouldn’t have looked out of place in a Roger Moore Bond film, lots of in-jokes (one of which, I forget which, I realised I was enough of a geek to realise the trivia behind it unlike most of the cinema, which just goes to show) and some pointy-ear rubbing on the part of Uhura – for reasons I suspect was the writer trying to move away from the more obvious Kirk-Uhura sexual tension and keep to the checklist of human emotions that are required in an epic film, but just failed to work at all.
Actually, there was something else. What the hell is with the propensity to give up captaincy of a ship so easily? Can’t see the old Kirk doing so without a gun to his head, not anyone on BSG or B5 for example, but this lots do it at the drop of the had. Spock loses his temper for a moment and so relieves himself of command, whereas I couldn’t help thinking that Admiral Adama would have choked the guy into unconsciousness, kicked him in the crotch and then chucked him bodily from the room shouting ‘and who the fuck else wants some eh?’ And that would just be for questioning his orders, not attempted mutiny and dissing his mother.
So, anyone else annoyed by what could have been a really good film? Or is it just me as it is on the subject of Batman Begins and the piece of toss they called scriptwriting in that movie?
That was pretty much my feeling on the latest ST too.
Excellent, not just me then!
haven’t seen it yet, but it why is everyone so good looking? the whole thing is a bit like hollyoaks in space.
Well you say that, but Kirk’s got some serious acne scars on his face. He ain’t so pretty when you get close up!
In more detail as I was a bit rushed… I share your belief entirely that time travel (when not in fiction specifically about it like Dr. Who) is generally a lazy cop-out instead of writing a proper plot. Compared to many shows, I usually think ST handles it’s science with a degree of respect, which I found greatly lacking in this version.
One of the best bits of the ST films was the interplay of the characters, and the way they bounced off each other. In this it was pretty perfunctory, just a quick run through “Hi, here’s everyone, bye”.
Lazy writing and plot holes generally were a big issue. If history has been altered, it’s a big ask that Kirk et al. abruptly just happen to bump into each other so coincidentally. And also how coincidental that wormhole just happened to pop the Romulan ship back in time to that particular point in time. So Spock didn’t make it Romulus in time. But, like, wouldn’t the Romulans think they might evacuate anyway just in case? Wouldn’t Spock send a little message like “Sorry, running a bit late, get your people off your homeworld we’ll find you a new one.”? It might be okay to just make stuff happen in the confusion mess that is Lost, but anyone prepared to pay more than cursory attention can find that sort of thing glaringly awkward otherwise.
Kirk being a yawnworthy tearaway teen genius stereotype was weak. Nor do I think it was remotely necessary to blow up, like, the second most notable planet in the whole Federation. That’s just overkill, especially as it seemed to kind of brush over 6 billion dead Vulcans with not much horror.
Well, all fairly watchable, but deeply unsatisfying.
That was pretty much my feeling on the latest ST too.
Excellent, not just me then!
haven’t seen it yet, but it why is everyone so good looking? the whole thing is a bit like hollyoaks in space.
Well you say that, but Kirk’s got some serious acne scars on his face. He ain’t so pretty when you get close up!
In more detail as I was a bit rushed… I share your belief entirely that time travel (when not in fiction specifically about it like Dr. Who) is generally a lazy cop-out instead of writing a proper plot. Compared to many shows, I usually think ST handles it’s science with a degree of respect, which I found greatly lacking in this version.
One of the best bits of the ST films was the interplay of the characters, and the way they bounced off each other. In this it was pretty perfunctory, just a quick run through “Hi, here’s everyone, bye”.
Lazy writing and plot holes generally were a big issue. If history has been altered, it’s a big ask that Kirk et al. abruptly just happen to bump into each other so coincidentally. And also how coincidental that wormhole just happened to pop the Romulan ship back in time to that particular point in time. So Spock didn’t make it Romulus in time. But, like, wouldn’t the Romulans think they might evacuate anyway just in case? Wouldn’t Spock send a little message like “Sorry, running a bit late, get your people off your homeworld we’ll find you a new one.”? It might be okay to just make stuff happen in the confusion mess that is Lost, but anyone prepared to pay more than cursory attention can find that sort of thing glaringly awkward otherwise.
Kirk being a yawnworthy tearaway teen genius stereotype was weak. Nor do I think it was remotely necessary to blow up, like, the second most notable planet in the whole Federation. That’s just overkill, especially as it seemed to kind of brush over 6 billion dead Vulcans with not much horror.
Well, all fairly watchable, but deeply unsatisfying.
I thought the movie was in trouble when the writers said they’d ‘studied’ THE WRATH OF KHAN to see what made it great and then said they were using some non-entity villain with a ship much more powerful than the Enterprise and had an insane budget. Which is very much the exact opposite of THE WRATH OF KHAN.
It wasn’t terrible and I’d rate it somewhere in the middle of the pantheon of STAR TREK movies, but the script was weak, the science atrocious (even by STAR TREK’s usually elastic standards) and basic plot logic was left at the front door. The cast was solid, apart from Simon Pegg who was just comic relief with a weird alien sidekick, but I was left distinctly underwhelmed.
I think I was helped by the fact I’ve been so spectacularly disinterested by all Ster Trek movies I’ve seen, this was a bit better by comparison. Might well be I’ve not seen the good ones however, but for me the whole setting is so constrained it needs to be broken out entirely to become worthwhile. I can see what you mean about the Wrath of Khan, at least they didn’t stick the bug in someone’s ear this time though…
If Iain Banks had written the concept, as a man who’s thought a bit about semi-utopian settings, I’d have been first in line, but as it is I was the one being dragged by my fiancee to the SF movie! And then got what I expected.
THING IN THE EAR
Believe it or not Tom, they actually did hint at putting something in his Captain Pikes ear, yeah ok am 2 months behind but had to get my say in as a Trekkie!! However the movie was poor the script wasnt good but it appealed to a new generation.
And as an aspiring yet rubbish script writer, I feel that the writers in hollywood are to busy spending their time on things like Heroes, House, Lie to Me..not Lost.. they lost the plot a long time ago(pun intended) and perhaps even Ugly Betty, most movie script writers are looking for a big pay out and hollywood will take on anything that has big fights and little or no plotline, its as dodgeball put it, Americans dont like things to be complicated and bad guys can never win…unless its Stars Wars as they expect that.
Hate American Script Writers!!!
Star Trek was ok though, and Although there is alot of excellant Scottish actors out there Simon Pegg did a good Glasgow/West of Scotland accent :)…am Scottish so am allowed to say it
I thought the movie was in trouble when the writers said they’d ‘studied’ THE WRATH OF KHAN to see what made it great and then said they were using some non-entity villain with a ship much more powerful than the Enterprise and had an insane budget. Which is very much the exact opposite of THE WRATH OF KHAN.
It wasn’t terrible and I’d rate it somewhere in the middle of the pantheon of STAR TREK movies, but the script was weak, the science atrocious (even by STAR TREK’s usually elastic standards) and basic plot logic was left at the front door. The cast was solid, apart from Simon Pegg who was just comic relief with a weird alien sidekick, but I was left distinctly underwhelmed.
I think I was helped by the fact I’ve been so spectacularly disinterested by all Ster Trek movies I’ve seen, this was a bit better by comparison. Might well be I’ve not seen the good ones however, but for me the whole setting is so constrained it needs to be broken out entirely to become worthwhile. I can see what you mean about the Wrath of Khan, at least they didn’t stick the bug in someone’s ear this time though…
If Iain Banks had written the concept, as a man who’s thought a bit about semi-utopian settings, I’d have been first in line, but as it is I was the one being dragged by my fiancee to the SF movie! And then got what I expected.
THING IN THE EAR
Believe it or not Tom, they actually did hint at putting something in his Captain Pikes ear, yeah ok am 2 months behind but had to get my say in as a Trekkie!! However the movie was poor the script wasnt good but it appealed to a new generation.
And as an aspiring yet rubbish script writer, I feel that the writers in hollywood are to busy spending their time on things like Heroes, House, Lie to Me..not Lost.. they lost the plot a long time ago(pun intended) and perhaps even Ugly Betty, most movie script writers are looking for a big pay out and hollywood will take on anything that has big fights and little or no plotline, its as dodgeball put it, Americans dont like things to be complicated and bad guys can never win…unless its Stars Wars as they expect that.
Hate American Script Writers!!!
Star Trek was ok though, and Although there is alot of excellant Scottish actors out there Simon Pegg did a good Glasgow/West of Scotland accent :)…am Scottish so am allowed to say it
Star Trek
Guess I just love space opera. However, with a new timeline, “Old” Spock remembers the old one. Will he influence any forthcoming stories with advice
or foreknowledge?
Vulcan had a considerable impact on the Federation, what happens now? Vulcan is gone, but possibly enough of their population survives to create another planetary culture///maybe this time a bit angry and bitter. A new direction for the Federation, possibly not peacefully. The Romulans are a spin-off of Vulcan, wonder what affect if any this will have on their developement?
And I agree it was ridiculous for Kirk to get command that quickly of a major NEW starship. The Federation must be hard up for starship officers.
GordonL
Star Trek
Guess I just love space opera. However, with a new timeline, “Old” Spock remembers the old one. Will he influence any forthcoming stories with advice
or foreknowledge?
Vulcan had a considerable impact on the Federation, what happens now? Vulcan is gone, but possibly enough of their population survives to create another planetary culture///maybe this time a bit angry and bitter. A new direction for the Federation, possibly not peacefully. The Romulans are a spin-off of Vulcan, wonder what affect if any this will have on their developement?
And I agree it was ridiculous for Kirk to get command that quickly of a major NEW starship. The Federation must be hard up for starship officers.
GordonL