[kevin]

Oh, what a bubble to burst.

I did actually look for something like that when it was panning out. But I never noticed it on the first viewing. When I see it again these are the kind of things I'm wanting to notice.

But I never cared where the ship was built anyway.

[JSnyder4]

Originally Posted by kevin

But I never cared where the ship was built anyway.

Me either.
It's a rather stupid thing to be concerned about in the end.
For the movie, it works as it is supposed to.

[heat010]

I agree that they took a lot of liberties with the canon and the characters were really out of place. Spock would never get in a relationship on the same ship. And what's up with that Orion girl? She looked like she just got out of a Star Trek convention, not the exotic knock your socks girl from The Cage. It was wrong.

The only character I really had respect for is Sulu because he played it very seriously.

3 out of 4 stars

[Timster]

I'll put aside my canon gripes (no small feat for me) for a moment.

But I have seen many posts (perhaps not all but nearly all) and to the extent that I have seen comments about the CGI effects, other than some mild glare and "shaky camera" complaints, the consensus seems to be that the effects were "great."

Let me again be the dissenter: I disagree, particularly with respect to the battle scenes.

Though I purposely tried not read reviews beforehand I did see some commentary and one of the bits I noted was one where someone connected with the film indicated a desire to depart from the ST "way" of viewing space battles (two hulking ships approaching each other from afar and firing on each other like ST:WOK space battle or Master and Commander sea battle) and adopt a more Star Wars mode of gyrating/twisting turning type encounters. I had no problem with anyone improving on the space battle stuff (in fact, I thought the much maligned Nemesis had a great space battle scene) and I was actually looking forward to what the new movie would bring.

For the most part, I would say that the previously posted complaints about camera glare, shaky camera stylings were on point, and in my view the constant inappropriate closeups actually diminished the beauty of the the space battle scenes. For instance, in the initial battle with the Kelvin, the camera loved to follow the flight of Romulan torpedos -- but the closeup kills the effectiveness of the scene and just makes for an explosion that jumps out at you but you are almost blinded by the glare of the close up impact. More dramatic: yes, but not as effective. A shot or two of these closeups could have been interspersed here and there for effect with some of the "older" distance/perspective shots, but there was just too much closeup to discern just what the hell was going on.

If you think about it, most people in a movie theater want to keep some distance from the viewing screen for this very reason and the seats closer to the screen are always the last to fill up -- it is just too uncomfortable to be so close up to the screen all the time and these battle scenes seemed to always be in this "in your face" mode. This need for ultramagnification was all over the place; even the Enterprise bridge viewing screen was so huge and the shot of Nero was so close up that the Enterprise crew could see Nero's nostril hairs when he phoned a friend and inquired if the Federation ship captain wouldn't mind shuttling over for some tea, or perhaps some eel torture games.

Another thought: the Romulan ship was from the future (towards the end of the STNG time period, 100 years after Kirk's time where the 200 year old Spock is an ambassador) and it is pitted against a Federation ship (The Kelvin) that is 30 years before Kirk's time. Aside from the fact that the close up angles made it difficult to see what was going on, can someone tell me why this vastly superior future Romulan ship (which later destroyed 3 Kirk era starships in Vulcan orbit in a matter of minutes) was having difficulty in destroying just one even older Federation ship that had no warp power and no shields after the first torpedo impact? And what was the point of George Kirk taking his damaged ship and manually exploding it into the middle of the Romulan ship if no damage to the Romulan ship was actually caused?

Moreover, in the last battle scene of the movie, this advanced Romulan ship has now sustained an explosion of Spock's Vulcan ship (piloted by the younger Spock), the creation of a black hole in (or was it behind, sorry I couldn't see what the hell was happening because of the constant close up crap and ultrafast scene cuts) it and even Kirk discerns and says that the Romulan ship is compromised so that does explain why the inferior Enterprise is able to destroy it. But what did the Enterprise exactly do when Kirk said words to the effect of "Fire everything"-- again there is a close up the front of the Enterprise, launching what appears to be a gatling gun type of hailstorm (torpedos, phasers, water from a squirt gun, you name it, it came out in a flash) that lasts for a second or two and then it is difficult to see the damage caused by this weapon barrage (forget about the fact that this firepower was more advanced than the Enterprise E's arsenal from 100 years later). With all the money spent on these effects you would think that they could have backed up, taken their time and properly shown how a ship got destroyed from a frontal ship assault and the immense pull from a black hole. That shouldn't have been so hard!

I suppose if I went back to the movie a second time (like some have already done) I might be better able to appreciate the effects of the space battles but my bottom line was the the effects were so designed to be "in your face" that for me the superiority of these effects was lost/wasted/diminished. And one should go to see a movie again to get subtle things that were missed the first time around, not to re-view obvious things that were just improperly focused.

Sorry but I'll take the Nemesis or First Contact battle scenes over the scenes from the new movie any day -- I'll comprehend more of what I'm seeing and I won't get a headache. Or I wouldn't need to go back multiple times and see it again.

For the next Trek film the CGI mavens should heed a simple order once in a freaking while: "Mr. Sulu, screen magnifiction factor .25" Please!

[Spock]

Originally Posted by Magnum

DS 9 and the Star Trek Enterprise went back to the Mirror Universe and kept it alive. I hope Paramount does the same for the normal Star Trek Universe. Thats all I am asking. Keep this universe of Abrams, but please every once in a while make a movie about the normal universe too.

No.. The Reason for staying with the NEW timeline is simple..(with the exception of spock (vulcans live a long time...) The other actors are TOO OLD to play those characters.. this way we still have trek (the old one is still there..if you wish to see it there are many ways to do this...) But We now have a NEW re-invigorated trek that can be expanded upon and have NEW story lines and adventures.. I don't wish to see all the OLD episodes and movies RE-MADE..(with different actors) THAT would be STUPID and REDUNDANT. That Timeline has happened it is Documented.. watch it ALL you Want! If you Don't like the new trek.. get a netflix account and watch all the old trek you want.. The "NORMAL" universe is up to TNG.. and even most of those actors are getting up there... We need to move on... OR you can stay where you are and also trek lives in fan fiction.. Enjoy it.. But don't expect everyone else to Re-tread the same ol' stuff over and over.. it makes NO Sense... Live Long and Prosper.... and GET OVER IT. ;-)

[The Saint]

Originally Posted by I-Am-Zim

Anthony: Does the time travel explain why the Enterprise looks different and why it is being built in Riverside Iowa?
Bob: Yes, and yes.

Actually? No, it really doesn't. See, a couple of the more notable things that make the Enterprise look different also appear on the Kelvin, and the Kelvin's design pre-dated Nero's arrival in the Kirk era. Then, after Nero destroyed the Kelvin, he basically did nothing but wait for Spock for the next 25 years. That's why Kirk had to explain to Pike that the "lightning storm in space" was the arrival of the ship that destroyed the Kelvin -- if Nero had created enough of a stir to affect the design of the Enterprise, presumably Pike would have known what that "lightning storm in space" meant without having to be told.

[The Saint]

Originally Posted by Spock

No.. The Reason for staying with the NEW timeline is simple..(with the exception of spock (vulcans live a long time...) The other actors are TOO OLD to play those characters.. this way we still have trek (the old one is still there..if you wish to see it there are many ways to do this...) But We now have a NEW re-invigorated trek that can be expanded upon and have NEW story lines and adventures..

So can the classic one. I think what he meant was using the new actors to portray the original universe characters in adventures we haven't seen that happened before and during the original five year mission.

[The Saint]

Originally Posted by Livingston

Come on, it was fun though, wasn't it? You were just a little enthralled watching it weren't you? I mean, regardless of any plot/story criticism, this compared to TOS, it was an experience and I don't just mean brainless eye candy. There was a hint of majesty there wasn't there? The final frontier, expanse. Unknown territory. I felt the film really captured that well. Space, the final frontier, it captured that well, I thought.

Not really, no. Sorry to disappoint you, but this struck me more as a space action flick that had been shoehorned into Star Trek branding more than an actual Star Trek film.

[jerhanner]

Originally Posted by Spock

We need to move on... OR you can stay where you are and also trek lives in fan fiction.. Enjoy it.. But don't expect everyone else to Re-tread the same ol' stuff over and over.. it makes NO Sense... Live Long and Prosper.... and GET OVER IT. ;-)

Spock, you are wise in all your manifestations.

[omegaman]

Anyone else wondering why McCoy was making such a fuss onboard the shuttle that was simply transporting him from Iowa to Star Fleet Academy. Are we to assume the shuttle had to fly into space to get from Iowa to San Francisco?