This film is fun, but problematic. My greatest hangup with it is that the characters often aren't very likable (in and of itself not the problem) but the film/other characters never call them out on it and they are extravagantly rewarded on top of it. Of the three leads, let's start with Kirk (who has the least issues). He's arrogant and could probably be best characterized as a bit of a lout. This isn't really the issue, though, given that he frequently gets his ass handed to him while other characters call him out on his bullshit. Rather, what's puzzling is that Captain Pike seems to exercise a great deal of favoritism towards Kirk (making him First Officer?!?) to the point where it strains credulity. Granted, Kirk has a lot of potential, but Pike's faith, without showing us more of their relationship, seems a bit unwarranted.
Another problematic character is Uhura. She differs strikingly from her TOS counterpart which isn't a bad thing necessarily except that she can be a bit…rude, for lack of her better word. Most irksome for me was her automatic presumption that Kirk would, of course, have no idea what xenolinguistics was which reminded me of every condescending jerk I've ever had to work with (especially given the tone she used in talking down to him).
Then there's Spock…and wow is his character a headache. Most importantly: what kind of instructor throws a student's dead father in his face like that? Sure, Kirk cheated, but good Lord was Spock's response harsh and, frankly, borderline unprofessional. Then there's the fact that Spock is being a massive hypocrite: he's dressing down Kirk for breaking the rules while he himself is dating a cadet — Uhura. And while it may not be against regulations to do so (the film only hints at it through Spock's concern of displaying favoritism), Spock nonetheless abused his position to keep Uhura off the Enterprise to protect their relationship, thus barring her from a job placement she'd earned. Given that these are our three main leads (Uhura largely replacing Mc Coy), it can be difficult to invest in them when they come across as needlessly petty or are handed positions without really achieving them. Granted, the characters do improve in the sequel, but I found that I had to start watching the original series before I came to care for the characters enough to bother.
Why should I root for them?
This film is fun, but problematic. My greatest hangup with it is that the characters often aren't very likable (in and of itself not the problem) but the film/other characters never call them out on it and they are extravagantly rewarded on top of it. Of the three leads, let's start with Kirk (who has the least issues). He's arrogant and could probably be best characterized as a bit of a lout. This isn't really the issue, though, given that he frequently gets his ass handed to him while other characters call him out on his bullshit. Rather, what's puzzling is that Captain Pike seems to exercise a great deal of favoritism towards Kirk (making him First Officer?!?) to the point where it strains credulity. Granted, Kirk has a lot of potential, but Pike's faith, without showing us more of their relationship, seems a bit unwarranted.
Another problematic character is Uhura. She differs strikingly from her TOS counterpart which isn't a bad thing necessarily except that she can be a bit…rude, for lack of her better word. Most irksome for me was her automatic presumption that Kirk would, of course, have no idea what xenolinguistics was which reminded me of every condescending jerk I've ever had to work with (especially given the tone she used in talking down to him).
Then there's Spock…and wow is his character a headache. Most importantly: what kind of instructor throws a student's dead father in his face like that? Sure, Kirk cheated, but good Lord was Spock's response harsh and, frankly, borderline unprofessional. Then there's the fact that Spock is being a massive hypocrite: he's dressing down Kirk for breaking the rules while he himself is dating a cadet — Uhura. And while it may not be against regulations to do so (the film only hints at it through Spock's concern of displaying favoritism), Spock nonetheless abused his position to keep Uhura off the Enterprise to protect their relationship, thus barring her from a job placement she'd earned. Given that these are our three main leads (Uhura largely replacing Mc Coy), it can be difficult to invest in them when they come across as needlessly petty or are handed positions without really achieving them. Granted, the characters do improve in the sequel, but I found that I had to start watching the original series before I came to care for the characters enough to bother.