Star Trek

[misguidance]

Today I treated myself to a solo trip to the cinema, to see Star Trek.   I wanted to go on my own because JR and Martin also want to see it, but I have no desire to listen to them bitching about the special effects while I am watching a movie.  Normally I don't mind that- it's pretty interesting- but not today.

This is one that I actually wanted to just sit and watch, and enjoy.

So..... my first impressions of the film are actually pretty good.  The casting, for one thing, is exceptional, and the designs of the space craft were as lovely as I had hoped.  The music, too, was amazing- I love classical tracks in filsm, and I love the.... I dunno.... the drama of big orchestral pieces. ^__^  I will probubly end up getting the score of this film on CD, I like it that much.

The story is where I feel somewhat put out.  Like most big films, I try not to find out too much before going in, so I can safely say that I knew nothing about it when the lights went down.  Now, I kind of wish I had known more, because then I might have avoided the mild feeling of resentment I now feel.

You see, it's a damn good film, but it deals with my most hated of plot devices: the Alternate Reality.

Now, I am pretty sure that this film is the set-up point for either a new series of films or maybe even a TV show (which I would watch, if it kept the same casting) but at the same time, I feel it is somehow disrespectful to the original material- and actors- to use such a cheap trick to re-imagine the series.  It would have been cleaner, in my opinion, to state from the outset in press releases or whatever, that this was a remake and was not going to be identical to the original.   I dunno.... maybe they did do that, and I missed it, but the whole time travel thing is something that I have never really liked.  I have only ever seen it work well in the Prince of Persia games, and in those it is limited at best.  Even in Legacy of Kain (which I adore) the time travel stuff felt wierd.

I suppose I just wish that if they were going to completely remake it, then they would have had the balls to just do it, and be confidant enough in their own work not to try and justify it. 

I mean, every time we get a remake of something the makers just do it without trying to explain the differences.  Why is it that the one time justification is not needed, the makers go out of their way to put it in?

And really- it is an exceptional film.  I don't think I can say enough just how good it is.  It has the right balance of drama and comedy, the characters are well reprisented and well scripted, and the whole thing was well put together and smooth.  The action was engaging but not overwhelming, and there was enough of the old 70s camp in it to make it feel like 'home' for the series, if that makes sense.   The bad guy was bad, the good guys were good, and the aliens looked brilliant.   Realy, other than that one little plot device, I just can't fault it.

Also, I would like to say now two things that are very important: they guy playing Kirk has a really long forehead, and the guy playing Spock had the most incredible screen presence.  I was so impressed with him- he had some HUGE boots to fill, and he pulled it off flawlessly, while still bringing his own interpritation to the character.  The same can be said of the child who played the young version of Spock.  I forsee him being a good actor, when he grows to maturity.

Like I said before, if this film spawns a new series with this casting, I will definately be tuning in to see it. >_>  I was especially happy to see Karl Urban turning up as Bones, because I adore Karl Urban, and he is perfect for the over-the-top acting that was needed.  I loved him in DOOM.  He makes me LOL, in a very good way.  Same goes for Simon Pegg, who I was afraid would be too much for the film, but was actually excellent.

So.... overall, I would say that this is one of the best films I have seen all year.  And that's including the major gripe I had with the plot. .

I would be very interested to hear what everyone else who has seen it thinks of it.