Star Trek Film (2009)

[Kansas 0]

If I said his performance was average and didn't stand out beyond the others, will I get flamed? :)

 

Yes.

 

In all fairness, these actors will all be finding their character footing as they settle into these iconic roles. Probably the only one out of the full cast who was "sure and steady" grounded was Bruce Greenwood as Capt. Pike, and even that is a limited scope of comparison because we have only glimpsed Pike in the two part TOS "Menagerie" episode slash original pilot episodes.

 

I'll throw out another one: Chekhov/Yelchin did have that whole bright eyed seventeen year old cadet thing down, but his role also had a bit of overkill comedic relief with the r's and w's accent.

 

Now, back to Grom again: Yes. Don't be messing with my boy McCoy.

[DrDMatthews 0]

Yes.

 

Now, back to Grom again: Yes. Don't be messing with my boy McCoy.

 

 

I'm with Kansas on this one. Karl Urban as McCoy was positively fabulous! Better leave him alone, Grom. :)

 

I also liked Bruce Greenwood's portrayal of Christopher Pike. I've always imagined Captain Pike to be exactly like Greenwood played him. To be honest with you, I liked them all. The character portrayals were far better than I ever hoped for so I'm a happy camper.

 

I even like the bridge.....thought it was fabulous.

[Leila Kalomi 0]

Sure funny I wasn't the only one to think the time-ship looked like a gungan sub. I liked it the best of all. Now I want one. I even put together an animation of one on my computer. :)

[Torre Ze'Rea 0]

I'll throw out another one: Chekhov/Yelchin did have that whole bright eyed seventeen year old cadet thing down, but his role also had a bit of overkill comedic relief with the r's and w's accent.

I did some research into that.... turns out that is pretty much the way he talks (magnified some).

[V'Roy 0]

I did some research into that.... turns out that is pretty much the way he talks (magnified some).

You actually researched how an unknown actor talks? Sheesh.

 

Greenword's portrail of Pike is what I would expect a "senior Captain" to be like - fatherly, has confidence in those he leads, sees potential and promotes it, and a good character judge.

 

I don't think I will warm up to the new Chekhov. No explanation how he got to be an Academy graduate at 19, no explanation for brown, curly hair instead of the Davy Jones / Moe (from 3 Stooges) salad bowl haircut, no explanation as to how he joined the crew so early since he joined TOS in the 2nd season, no need for another math whiz if you already have Spock. The bit with the computer not understanding him was funny, and this makes up for a lot of these inconsistencies, but not all of them.

[Kansas 0]

But, this *is* an alternate timeline TOS.

 

All these new/old characters might not necessarily develop the same way as the old ones. It's just like Mirror Universe in that way - it's all going to be the same, but different, like Chekhov.

 

Chekhov:

 

Chekhov was asked "How old are you kid" at one point during the film - he responds that he is seventeen.

 

You're right VR, he joined the cast in the second season, and this seventeen year old starts out on the bridge crew it seems right off the bat, let alone sporting the curly blond hair highlights.

 

The math whiz thing I have no idea, other then differing disciplines? Chekhovs concentation is probably navigation and transporter technology (judging by the fancy calculations he did to grab Kirk and Sulu from freefall) and Spock is probably full science and computers (he was the Kobyashi programmer for this timeline).

 

If anything, the new Chekhov set up worked better for me then Wesley ever did.

 

I'm going with an assumption that:

 

1.) Chekhov was a borderline genius, probably took part in AP classes in highschool, and when he did officially enroll, I'm sure it was for Starfleets advanced acceleration cadet programs.

 

2.) Genius Boy was completeing a work study on the Enterprise, under the watchful eye of senior Captain Pike.

 

Now of course this is all total speculation, but I'm curious if the novelization of the film (out today) clears up some of the character backstories with this sort of information.

 

The Engine room:

 

Several peeps have mentioned the engine room with the copper piping and tubes and water? That was a bit trippy, and I think TKar mentioned it was filmed in a beer factory?

 

But it sorta all ... worked out. Sure looked like a working engine room didn't it? I was thinking old time aircraft carrier, what with all the pipes and valves and catwalks, and the water could be used to cool down working parts.

 

And, Doctor Matthews, I'm just going to pounce Grom when he walks past and least expects it. :-P

 

EDIT: added engine room blurble and a few more Chekhov blurbs.

[Grom 0]

Chekhov was asked "How old are you kid" at one point during the film - Chekhov responds that he is seventeen.

 

You're right VR, he joined the cast in the second season, and this seventeen year old Chekhov starts out on the bridge crew it seems right off the bat. But, this *is* an alternate timeline TOS, so all these new characters might not necessarily develop the same way as the old ones. It's just like Mirror Universe in that way - the same, but different.

 

I'm going with an assumption that:

 

1.) He was a borderline genius, probably took part in AP classes in highschool, and when he did officially enroll, I'm sure it was for Starfleets advanced acceleration programs.

 

2.) Genius Boy was completeing a work study on the Enterprise, under the watchful eye of senior Captain Pike.

 

Now of course this is speculation, but I'm curious if the novelization of the film (out today) clears up some of the character backstories with this sort of information.

 

One of the charms of this movie is that it makes a big deal about these guys are special, the best and the brightest. There is no tired and worn "overcoming all odds" theme in the new Trek characters like in many movies today. This is the best and brightest Starfleet has to offer...and I would argue that it's more realistic to have a 17-year-old Checkhov than an older character without the talent for the position. If you've got the stuff, no military in the world would hold you back.

Edited May 12, 2009 by Grom

[Cdr Zareh 0]

Right, and in the original, he was supposed to kind of be "boywonder" anyway. As far as the haircut, that's really nitpicking. OMG he didn't have a bowl cut. zomg. broken character. :)

[Torre Ze'Rea 0]

You actually researched how an unknown actor talks? Sheesh.

 

Greenword's portrail of Pike is what I would expect a "senior Captain" to be like - fatherly, has confidence in those he leads, sees potential and promotes it, and a good character judge.

 

I don't think I will warm up to the new Chekhov. No explanation how he got to be an Academy graduate at 19, no explanation for brown, curly hair instead of the Davy Jones / Moe (from 3 Stooges) salad bowl haircut, no explanation as to how he joined the crew so early since he joined TOS in the 2nd season, no need for another math whiz if you already have Spock. The bit with the computer not understanding him was funny, and this makes up for a lot of these inconsistencies, but not all of them.

 

Well, I was trying to figure out if it was simply comic relief.

 

He seems a little Wesley Crusher to me (more dopey though), but to be fair, in the ending, he was in cadet red, so thank bob we don't have another 'super genius 17 year old' thing going on here.

[V'Roy 0]

If you've got the stuff, no military in the world would hold you back.

:)

[V'Roy 0]

If anything, the new Chekhov set up worked better for me then Wesley ever did.

 

***

 

Several peeps have mentioned the engine room with the copper piping and tubes and water? That was a bit trippy, and I think TKar mentioned it was filmed in a beer factory?

 

Oh come on, Jar Jar Binks or Batman's sidekick Robin would be a better setup than Wesley. That's not exactly a high standard to aim for.

 

(Wil Wheaton was supposed to have a cameo in Galaxy Quest as a fan complaining about having a "boy wonder" constantly save the ship. It would have been worth the admission price just for that scene.)

 

And Scotty in charge of a beer factory? Maybe Starfleet should rethink that one.

[John_Anderson 0]

It wasn't a bad movie. I knew they were reinventing/rebooting/renewing/reviving err..anything else? .. Star Trek going into the film. Was it a 150 million investment that can launch another..Star Trek Generation of fans. Sadly, I don't think it will.

 

I said it before somewhere...this reminded me of a reboot of "Lost in Space" done several years ago. Another film was not made. I just don't think another film will be made at this time. Yes it made 76 million first extended weekend. But the next blockbuster is due next week so the box office dropoff will be big.

 

I have to disagree with you there sir. A few points, first, I think this will bring a lot of people into the fold that may not have given Star Trek a chance. I'll use my own brother as an example. My brother would be the total opposite of a Star Trek fan, he has had zero interest in it, and use to tease me about being a fan many years ago when I was little. I dragged him to go and see it over the weekend, and afterwards he told me he really enjoyed the movie, and that he couldn't wait to see more of it. I was pleasantly surprised that he enjoyed the movie as much as he did.

 

Second, pretty much everyone behind the scenes is already saying the sequel has been given the green light by Paramount, with Paramount seemingly doing this a couple of weeks before the movie hit. They knew the buzz before hand was pretty strong, and that the movie was going probably going to be pretty successful for them.

 

This movie is showing stronger legs already then Wolverine at the box office. Sure it has to compete with Angels and Demons this weekend, but I doubt that Angels and Demons will cut that much into Star Trek's take. They are 2 completely different movies with different audiences.

 

Star Trek will probably be this years Iron Man, and I'd guess it'll finish close in the 200-250 million range domestic at the box office. It will probably finish the year out behind Transformers and Harry Potter in terms of total gross for the year, which being third behind those is pretty big. Paramount will also makes tons of money on the DVD release too.

 

So we can expect in probably a couple more weeks for Paramount to put the official word out that sequel is good to go, probably for the summer of 2011 I'd figure. I don't know when we might see it in 2011 as Marvel has an ridiculous amount of movies coming out (Spider-man 4, Thor, and Captain America) but we'll see.

 

I know I can't wait for the sequel to come out already :)

[Kansas 0]

And Scotty in charge of a beer factory? Maybe Starfleet should rethink that one.

 

Well, to be honest, Scotty was the underused character here. He was the late appearance arrival as well.

 

Kirk and Spock got the most exposure. They always get the most, we know this.

 

Uhuru had the romance subplot, along with some scenes that revealed she was a communications whiz. Chekhov got to go all mad skillz with navigation and the transporter tech. McCoy got to wax grump poetic about space being dangerous during the recruit shuttle scene, shoot up Kirk with meds, and take over for the deceased CMO in a battle scene. Sulu had issues getting the ship started, went all swordsman boo yah during the atmo dive scene.

 

Then we have Scotty who doesn't appear until almost halfway through. He was stuck in the hind end of nowhere on the ice outpost, and we got some backstory that he had been working in transporter tech (the Porthos Incident) projects, and that was pretty much it.

 

DeForest Kelley was often quoted as saying that he came in through the backdoor on Trek, starting with McCoy on the first episode "Corbomite Manuever" rather then in the pilot. I'd say that this new Scotty was introduced through the backdoor in the new film?

[Leila Kalomi 0]

Soooo, Kansas, you're saying being in charge of a beer factory is rewarding for Scotty?

[Kansas 0]

Soooo, Kansas, you're saying being in charge of a beer factory is rewarding for Scotty?

 

Well, someone needs to keep the production line going, so the Iowa Bar where Kirk tangled with the security cadets (and unsuccessfully hit on Uhuru) could fulfill his order for a "Classic Budweiser".

 

Scotty can do it from the Beer Engine Room!

[George_Pickett 0]

I liked the movie and am glad that Trek will survive. I saw it on the 8th at a Ulra-Imax in Columbus, it's the only way to fly :)

It was easy to believe the new actors we're my old fav's and over all I can't wait for another film. The possibilities are limitless. I did like the weapons of the Enterprise as apparently StarFleet following the destruction of the Kelvin saw the need for better weapons then they had at the same time in the Original Canon. I'm going to see it a forth time at the Drive In this weekend can't wait. Great film!

Edited May 14, 2009 by George_Pickett

[Samantha_Kent 0]

The bit with the computer not understanding him was funny, and this makes up for a lot of these inconsistencies, but not all of them.

 

I actually found this one of the strangest bits of the whole movie, given that it seems both implausible given the emphatically multicultural nature of the Federation -- presumably there are even stronger accents than Chekov's out there -- and (from an IC standpoint) unsafe to have a computer which is not able to interpret anyone not speaking Standard American or British English.

 

Well, someone needs to keep the production line going, so the Iowa Bar where Kirk tangled with the security cadets (and unsuccessfully hit on Uhuru) could fulfill his order for a "Classic Budweiser".

 

Did anyone else notice that Uhura ordered something Cardassian? (O.o)

Edited May 14, 2009 by Samantha_Kent

[Leila Kalomi 0]

Did anyone else notice that Uhura ordered something Cardassian? (O.o)

Ooh, no. I'm starting to think I need to watch the movie again.

 

EDIT: Oh wait, I just saw a movie clip on their website. It was a Cardassian Sunrise. :) I still think I need to rewatch it, though.

Edited May 14, 2009 by Leila Kalomi

[T'aral 0]

Honestly, though - much of the love pouring out for this movie is based on the glitz & glam. It doesn't have to be Star Trek ... 5th Element had pretty much everything this movie did, though the humor was - in a way - strangely less contrived.

 

What bothers me most of all is the gigantic enemy. It is cliche' these days, but the enemy always has to be gigantic: some overpowering, awe inspiring thing that one cannot possibly overcome yet somehow always does. Was it Star Wars that started that theme with the Death Star?

 

If the threats were less impossible, the solutions could be less unbelievable. After all the crashes & booms, the story is what remains. If there was one good thing that carried through the TOS movie series, it was a minimum of impossible opponents and the fact that the movies didn't attempt to top one after another as the sequels progressed.

 

They told stories: one after another. Maybe not the best stories at times, but worlds didn't have to be destroyed in order for the story to move forward. For the next movie, I'm fully expecting Marvel Comic's Galactus to make an appearance.

[Leila Kalomi 0]

Honestly, though - much of the love pouring out for this movie is based on the glitz & glam. It doesn't have to be Star Trek ... 5th Element had pretty much everything this movie did, though the humor was - in a way - strangely less contrived.

 

What bothers me most of all is the gigantic enemy. It is cliche' these days, but the enemy always has to be gigantic: some overpowering, awe inspiring thing that one cannot possibly overcome yet somehow always does. Was it Star Wars that started that theme with the Death Star?

 

If the threats were less impossible, the solutions could be less unbelievable. After all the crashes & booms, the story is what remains. If there was one good thing that carried through the TOS movie series, it was a minimum of impossible opponents and the fact that the movies didn't attempt to top one after another as the sequels progressed.

 

They told stories: one after another. Maybe not the best stories at times, but worlds didn't have to be destroyed in order for the story to move forward. For the next movie, I'm fully expecting Marvel Comic's Galactus to make an appearance.

 

The Doomsday Machine: Giant planet eater destroying hundreds of planets and starships and stuffs.

Operation: Annihilate!: Brain cells that cause solar systems to go insane.

The Immunity Syndrome (One of my favorites): Giant ameoba that eats planets and Vulcans.

[STSF Precip 0]

I have to disagree with you there sir. A few points, first, I think this will bring a lot of people into the fold that may not have given Star Trek a chance. I'll use my own brother as an example. My brother would be the total opposite of a Star Trek fan, he has had zero interest in it, and use to tease me about being a fan many years ago when I was little. I dragged him to go and see it over the weekend, and afterwards he told me he really enjoyed the movie, and that he couldn't wait to see more of it. I was pleasantly surprised that he enjoyed the movie as much as he did.

 

Second, pretty much everyone behind the scenes is already saying the sequel has been given the green light by Paramount, with Paramount seemingly doing this a couple of weeks before the movie hit. They knew the buzz before hand was pretty strong, and that the movie was going probably going to be pretty successful for them.

 

This movie is showing stronger legs already then Wolverine at the box office. Sure it has to compete with Angels and Demons this weekend, but I doubt that Angels and Demons will cut that much into Star Trek's take. They are 2 completely different movies with different audiences.

 

Star Trek will probably be this years Iron Man, and I'd guess it'll finish close in the 200-250 million range domestic at the box office. It will probably finish the year out behind Transformers and Harry Potter in terms of total gross for the year, which being third behind those is pretty big. Paramount will also makes tons of money on the DVD release too.

 

So we can expect in probably a couple more weeks for Paramount to put the official word out that sequel is good to go, probably for the summer of 2011 I'd figure. I don't know when we might see it in 2011 as Marvel has an ridiculous amount of movies coming out (Spider-man 4, Thor, and Captain America) but we'll see.

 

I know I can't wait for the sequel to come out already :)

 

Hey I won't be mad if I am wrong...lol. I'll get more Toy Ships to play with in the future!

 

It's not Angels and Demons...It's that Terminator Movie around the corner that I think will pull the sci-fi fans elswhere.

 

If the movie can pull in 200 million domestic...that will pay the movie off and then some hence I would concur a sequel would be likely authorized.

 

-Precip

[Kansas 0]

Honestly, though - much of the love pouring out for this movie is based on the glitz & glam.

 

If the threats were less impossible, the solutions could be less unbelievable. After all the crashes & booms, the story is what remains.

 

They told stories: one after another. Maybe not the best stories at times, but worlds didn't have to be destroyed in order for the story to move forward. For the next movie, I'm fully expecting Marvel Comic's Galactus to make an appearance.

 

This first film needed to introduce all these characters, give us the Kirk and Spock backstories, as well as have a bad ass villian guy. That's a lot for a two hour film.

 

And since these actors have signed for three films, I'd imagine that after this initial introduction film? We might get two more films that have more of a storyline/plot.

 

But, I'll agree that this story could have used more classic TOS teeth. Or at least a retainer. Dentures?

[V'Roy 0]

Honestly, though - much of the love pouring out for this movie is based on the glitz & glam. It doesn't have to be Star Trek ... 5th Element had pretty much everything this movie did, though the humor was - in a way - strangely less contrived.

That's it. You nailed it. We didn't need Kirk and Spock, just send in Bruce Willis and that cute orange-haired chick.

[DrDMatthews 0]

But, I'll agree that this story could have used more classic TOS teeth. Or at least a retainer. Dentures?

 

Trek was pretty much toothless going into this movie. Now, it has something to chew with and, hopefully, more fans to go along. That's why I can't wait for the sequel. I'm looking forward to a much meatier storyline.

[T'aral 0]

The Doomsday Machine: Giant planet eater destroying hundreds of planets and starships and stuffs.

Operation: Annihilate!: Brain cells that cause solar systems to go insane.

The Immunity Syndrome (One of my favorites): Giant ameoba that eats planets and Vulcans.

 

 

It's a good point, though a bit off. Of these three, only one truly qualifies: The Immunity Syndrome. That one is a prime example of how the Enterprise was supposed to die, yet miraculously survived.

 

The Doomsday Machine was overpowering, yet was fundamentally flawed ( and it only ate one starship ). Get far enough away and it leaves you alone. It would take some time, but someone would've figured out that the best way to kill a dragon is to throw something down its throat.

 

Operation: Annihilate! demonstrated a powerful enemy, yet one which had a very basic flaw: the killer egg-foo-yung paddies always remained in the shade. Then again, they could've always been nuked from orbit and the colony written off: that woud've worked. ( Instead they were simply microwaved. :) )

 

The Romulan vessel took out how many starships? T.D.M. had the power and the invulnerability, but was too stupid to pursue. Once serious damage was taken ships would've been able to back away. And do you recall the size of the Romulan mining vessel? It had to be about ten times larger then the Ebony-Glass Bugle of Death.

 

 

Just submitting the arguement: bigger isn't better.