[Kaboom]

Originally Posted by OneBuckFilms

Things I loved about the movie:

- Characters were really well done.
- The Production Design / Costumed (Yes, that includes the new Enterprise).
- The sense of fun.
- The Sound Design (the TOS beeps, new Engine sounds, Bridge ambiance, Warp Boom).
- The fantastic VFX.
- Michael Giacchino's fun, energetic and catchy score.

Issues:
- Some "interesting" science.
- Engineering (execution, basic idea was good).

Pretty much all of this. However, I liked Engineering. It makes so much sense to me for that department of the ship to look more industrial and functional, rather than super-clean and shiny like most of the rest of it. If all that's required to keep things running is just punching commands into a console... why not do that from the bridge? Engineering fits as a place where you need to get your hands dirty doing the things that you CAN'T just do by pressing buttons.

I didn't mind the make-believe science, either. Star Trek's been chock-full of that since day one.

My small issues:
- Spock and Uhura: I get it, they took the playful flirtatiousness they had in TOS and turned it into a full-on romance. But I think they took it a tad too far. It struck me as little more than Uhura slobbering all over his face, and Spock actually reciprocating. I felt it took away from both their characters a bit.

- The size of the ship(s): I understand their desire to make things bigger for the sake of more... "majestic" and impactful visuals. But if they're going to do so, don't half-*** it. The majority of the visuals peg the Sexyprise as really not much bigger than her TOS counterpart. But then others, the bloated shuttlebay in particular, make her seem even bigger than a Sovereign-class.

As gorgeous as the Kelvin and Enterprise are, I would have appreciated some consistency.

[kevin]

Since history is repeating and there's a whole host of debates about this that and the other it might not be a bad thing to restate some key observations -

I loved the production design and especially the industrial looking bowels of engineering etc on both ships. Given the massive amount of interior systems that a starship has to have to function, not including Warp Drive and Impulse etc then of course even in the TOS ships there would be miles and miles of pipes, conduits, water treatment, air systems, and dozens of things I can't imagine to be fitted in.

I've often imagined unseen parts of the other ships must at some point look the way it does in the new film.

So I find the new take considerably more visually appealing, without losing any particular sense of 'reality' about the technology itself.

I also have no major problems with the Enterprise and Kelvin designs - the Kelvin is great and the only realy gripe I have with the Enterprise is the slightly resculpted secondary hull. It seems a bit on the small side but maybe the enlarged neck has something to do with it.

Costumes were fantastic all round - maybe not quite the all red cadet one but onscreen it worked.

Characters - spot on! Actors - spot on (mostly!). Not crazy about Cho and Yelchin but Sulu and Chekov aren't my favourites anyway so it's no deal breaker. I also liked the fact that O&K took many of the 'rumoured' elements of the backstory of Spock and McCoy (Spock designing the KM, McCoy and the bitter divorce) that were aprt of the Prime universe and made them part of the new film as well. The Spock-Uhura element was also fine. Weird at first, but by the end I liked it.

Probably because Saldana and Quinto sold it so well.

Special effects - peerless. Sound effects - excellent

I also don't find there to be a big issue with consistency between the Kelvin and the Enterprise. Bearing in mind they were designed and built at least 20 years apart - maybe more depending on the age of the Kelvin, so while it's exteriors are a pretty good evolutionary match (not for TOS in the case of the Kelvin but I prefer the movie finish anyway and always expected them to use that) I can see why the interiors would be quite different in terms of the Bridges etc.

20+ years of technological development and design evolution more than accounts for it I would think myself.

On the lesser side -

Nero was sadly probably cut down too much and the relationship with Spock that could have anchored the whole film was lost along the way. I understood exactly why he was doing what he was doing and why, but he was less effective than I had hoped for overall. Eric Bana was great but Nero needing a little beefing up. Shame as probably only a couple tinkers here and there could have done it.

The silly science, plot holes and contrivances - well, as someone sufficiently versed in TOS to know it's also riddled with the above at times (depending on POV granted) I find it to be quite in keeping with the spirit of TOS in that regard.

I couldn't complain about that because I've accepted it in the Prime already many, many, many times!

I also don't have a problem with the A.U.

TOS itself has endorsed and supported the idea of the multiverse ever since we discovered the Mirror existed and continued to exist and develop even when we didn't see it. Fair enough, it wasn't called Quantum Mechanics then, but it remains an alternate universe that exists. Therefore, I see no reason we can't dip into another one set with our characters and have fun in it.

And the 'substance' - well, it depends on what you want to make of the themes it offers, it does offer some but they may not be to everyone's taste. The lack of allegory/social commentary etc does not significantly concern me at this early juncture because I see this film as Act 1 in the story of the A.U and all Act 1 ever normally does is get the basic players into place and set them up for the rest of the story.

That's was this film achieved (fantastically) and now it's time to see where Act 2 takes us.


Oops - that was a little more than I intended to write........

[starwarsrcks]

those are very good thoughts

[samwiseb]

Originally Posted by kevin

Oops - that was a little more than I intended to write........

Been there, done that. Here I was just thinking I wouldn't even attempt to list all the things I thought the movie did right.

Save for some silliness with puffy hands, accidental breast-groping, the whole Willy Wonka moment with Scotty in Engineering and the somewhat drawn-out action sequences (which most summer movies have anyway), almost every scene earned a "my god, this is how it was... I remember when Star Trek used to be fun like this" reaction.

[OneBuckFilms]

Kevin, I' with you on this.

[celticarchie]

I said I was gonna write a list of all the things I liked about Star Trek: The Movie.

I'm working on it, but I think you'll like it starwarsrcks.

[starwarsrcks]

I don't care if the list has good or bad things about the movie you have your own opinion on Star Trek and I'm fine with that

[kevin]

Originally Posted by samwiseb

Been there, done that. Here I was just thinking I wouldn't even attempt to list all the things I thought the movie did right.

Save for some silliness with puffy hands, accidental breast-groping, the whole Willy Wonka moment with Scotty in Engineering and the somewhat drawn-out action sequences (which most summer movies have anyway), almost every scene earned a "my god, this is how it was... I remember when Star Trek used to be fun like this" reaction.

Exactly - I know what you mean!

The more I've gone back to watch TOS again the last couple of years the more the new flick feels just fine!

There are areas for improvement (as ever) but it's a solid enough start!

Originally Posted by OneBuckFilms

Kevin, I' with you on this.

Cheers, but others opinion's are different and it's important to note that some of the critiques have merit in them.

[starwarsrcks]

What areas do you think needs improved

[celticarchie]

Okay, so here it is the list of things I liked about Star Trek: The Movie.

Part One.

First up, the opening shot of the U.S.S. Kelvin. Design-wise I liked the Kelvin, and the shot itself felt like we were a camera that was floating in space that had just bumped into the Kelvin. Along with the comm-chatter, this did have me thinking... "Please let me be wrong and this is gonna have a feeling of Star Trek crossed with Alien/Aliens!"



This guy. Captain Richard Robau. Don't ask me why too much I don't know for sure. Maybe it was because he had the feel of a space explorer. The kinda guy who'd want to stand on another world, and look past it to the next. Maybe it was because he was afraid to go to the Narada, but he went anyway.



The design of the Kelvin's shuttle and the scratch marks/weathing on it. It's makes it look like it's been scouting unknown space for years at a time.



George Kirk. Although, I've ranted about his death scene a bit. I liked the guy, along with Captain Robau & Winona Kirk. I'd have liked to get to know these characters more.



Okay...image limit reached so this is end of part one.

To be continued...dun-dun-dah!!! Shucks I can't even put a smilie up!