vp21ct
Since: Jul, 2009
01/16/2011 00:00:00
I think that Nemessis was the movie to really break the 'Allegory' code that Star Trek always seemed to have.
That said, I think that this movies 'message' might have more been a meta-one directed at the fans. That something that they love can change, it will change, and, ultimately, just like the future, it will change for the better.
EponymousKid
Since: Jan, 2001
01/16/2011 00:00:00
Fan fiction? Jesus Christ, are you really going to go down this road? This is based on a television show. Gene Roddenberry only wrote a few episodes of TOS - is everything besides that fan fiction?
And come on. Is there anything wrong with revisiting the original series?
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The Most Elaborate Fan Fiction Ever Made
I'll get my nerd rage out of the way immediately, the warp nacelles of the Enterprise look like exhaust pipes. There, done.
I enjoyed watching this movie thoroughly, it was funny, action packed, spectacular and in many ways feels like The Movie that we never truly got, from the Catch Phrases down to the theme music. Every performance is solid, each is utilized in a distillation of their original role. The special effects are fantastic (The classic Enterprise has never looked so lush and majestic). But one thing was nagging at me, it feels the movie was made by fans who wanted to play with their favorite show. It's like saying that the Star Trek Universe isn't big enough to have someone other than Kirk as captain.
They took the basic character archetypes, cast new actors and wrote a story they think will be fun. Case in point, they took a skill Sulu manifested in one episode (fencing) and turned it into his major role in their story. That is a fan fiction staple.
Bruce Greenwood to me gave the best performance as an easily respectable authority figure, but there is nothing identical between his Captain Pike and that of Jeffery Hunter's, it is just a name. Chris Pine carries his James T. Kirk with confidence but has little resemblance to Shatner's Kirk. The only actors to truly embody their characters are Karl Urban and Simon Pegg (The accents help a lot, but it is also their mannerisms). Watching them channel the spirit of their predecessors is the closest the movie comes to replicating the series.
But that brings me to one last point, Star Trek has always been a commentary on social issues and moral dilemmas, even in the worse films they bring up points that should spark discussion. Unless you dig really deep, this movie is only about the gimmick of revisiting the original series.
One thing stands out, though, and it overrides almost any criticism I may have. These people really cared about this movie. They put genuine love into it and it shows with almost every scene (it helps the studio gave such unprecedented support). They made a movie they hoped people will love and they largely succeeded. When Spock narrates the classic “Final Frontier” speech, I found myself genuinely wanting to see where they take it. That is the best compliment I can give anything.