Movie Madness: "To Boldly Go Where No One Has Gone Before"

O.k., so as a "Trekkie" I couldn't possibly leave my impressions of this until the end of the month movie recap, now could I?

I think I can sum this one up in one word: AWESOME!!!

:o)

Hmmm... although I think it might be more useful for anyone reading this if I develop that a bit! :p

I'll admit I've been a bit wary about this film ever since I heard about it and the fact that the idea was to "reboot" the franchise... A recipe for disaster if ever I heard one! And so o.k., JJ Abrams has brought us some damn good TV shows, but Mission: Impossible III just felt like an over-blown Alias episode, so not very inspiring for something with the scope (and baggage) of Star Trek. Plus there's the fact that -much as I've enjoyed them- most ST movies feel like double episodes of their respective TV series (although I'm basing myself mostly on the TNG stuff as I shamefully admit I've seen very little of the original series, at least that I can remember). But then I hear stuff like Abrams is a Star Wars (original trilogy) fan and wants to bring a bit of that panache to Trek. That the scriptwriters are die-hard Trek fans and will respect the "canon" (in other words nothing will contradict what has been previously filmed). Then we learn Sylar (a.k.a. Zachary Quinto) will be Spock... and I'm starting to feel a bit reassured (in sooo many episodes Sylar has actually kind of reminded me of a Vulcan, detached, logical... perfect choice!). And finally I start seeing the movie trailers:



After a series of these I was psiked!!! And man was I NOT let down! Hats off to these guys, they really pulled a good one out of their hats! The 2h just fly by at warp speed and not once leave you looking for an escape pod. Although I suspect that, in spite of many winks to Trek fans -Admiral Archer and his dog anyone?-, it might play better at first with people who aren't die-hard Trekkies... Why? Well, without spoiling it (or trying not to), all the while respecting everything that came before it, it definitely blows it all out of the water to completely reboot the franchise! I guess I should have expected it somewhat when I heard that time travel was going to be a key component... Also, it seems rather odd seeing such an emotional side to Spock... (but I liked it). Plus there's the fact that in a way it does seem more like Star Wars than Star Trek, with more emphasis on space battles than the philosophical/sociological ideas that were cleverly hidden / disguised in the various series.

But leaving all "canon" discussions aside, I just plain enjoyed the movie! The actors felt totally true to their characters (although I think they might have done so even more in English... man I HATE dubbing! grrrr, particularly that recitation at the end by Leonard Nemoy... I could just imagine his voice in my head "Space, the Final Frontier...") and the story was pretty solid.

In any case, I'm already looking forward to the next installment! And the idea of a Federation without one of its key races playing an integral part to it all? So curious to what that would result in!

So, Live long and prosper, and go see it! ;o)