Initial thoughts: Star Trek Into Darkness Preview
So snowbryneich and I went to see The Hobbit in IMAX at the Metro Centre last night, even though the interwebs had told us that the Star Trek preview wasn't showing there, and whee, surprise! It was.
I did want to see it, but I've not been all over the internet looking for spoilers and analysis and stuff--for whatever reason, while I usually think that's fun, I've not been enjoying it with regard to this movie at all, and all the misdirections and crypticness just makes me feel screwed with by the filmmakers, rather than intrigued. So it's a weird balance to walk, and I guess I'm not going to try to remain spoiler-free or anything, because that way is madness, but I'm more kind of 'seeing them if they walk past my face.' I just remember how the last time, I didn't even know there was a new Star Trek movie coming out at all, let alone what it was about, and so when I got to it everything was a wonderful surprise. I liked that feeling.
Now i'm going to contradict everything I just wrote and mention a few teensy thoughts about the preview.
1. The 3D at the beginning was HORRIBLE. I don't hate 3D as much as a lot of my flist does; it doesn't make me ill or (most of the time) give me headaches, but it does make it harder to tell what the hell is going on. Maybe it was that my eyes hadn't adjusted yet or something but it was really, really bad, about the same video quality as a pop-up book. It got a little less bad as it went on but only one shot (the one of Jim and Bones cliff-diving to Enterprise) actually worked well with it.
2. The volcano planet thing definitely sets up the Enterprise crew as a team who want to do good things for others, even if it's of dubious legality. Spock goes on and on about the Prime Directive and not letting the natives see the Enterprise but dude, you're already meddling with their volcano, so STFU.
3. I really dislike romance in my adventure stories that isn't subtextual, and really wish they'd stop with the Spock/Uhura stuff. I know other people like it, but I'm an OTPer and always have been; it's pretty much how I do fandom, and I get to admit in my own journal if something makes me cringe. I like Spock with Kirk and Uhura with Scotty and fortunately fanfic can always make these things happen. That's all I'll say on that because I don't feel like arguing or writing a whole manifesto.
4. On that note, I love that Kirk's first words off the transporter pad are 'Where's Spock?'
5. By the same token, McCoy's 'he'd let you die' is really telling as it sets up how different this relationship is to the one in TOS, where Spock was all by the book except for when anything was threatening his Jim. I expect that McCoy is wrong (though I'm not at all surprised he believes it) and that it's some kind of set-up for Spock not following his own advice later on. (And obviously Jim is going to break all the rules to rescue Spock, because that's what he does.) But yeah, it seems to show that they're off to a rocky start and trying to work out some gaps in their previous education. Kirk and Spock in TOS had years of service time together, and so the new ones shouldn't have the same telepathic (LITERALLY SOMETIMES) relationship, but I hope they will end up there. It should spawn a lot of fic, anyway.
6. No idea as to the actual plot, still, and really kind of starting less and less to care. No amount of speculating will change it at this point anyway. So I just hope that they're clever enough not to try to re-do Wrath of Khan or something (which I watched the other night and yes, it's still just as good), because having gone to all that trouble to set up a new universe and a new timeline, attempting to retell the most iconic story of the lot seems suicidal. Also, WoK is based on a lot of canon history between the characters that this crew does not have, not to mention the recurring themes about growing old, which these guys are just not ready for yet.
7. I still love Sulu SO MUCH. My actual favourite from childhood watchings of TOS, and he's just so badass. Also while I fancy Chris Pine hopelessly, were I going to write shippy self-insert I would totally take Sulu.
8. Enterprise is so shiny and pretty and beautiful and I don't even care she's not supposed to go underwater; I totally love the shot of her rising up out of it, it is beautiful. (...It's starting to show that I RP Jim Kirk, isn't it? Oh well. Captain/ship is kinda always one of my tropes. Jim/Enterprise, Jack Sparrow/Black Pearl, Doctor/TARDIS....)
Anyway, that's it for now; I need to go wash my hair and get ready for Christmas Eve stuff. Thoughts on second viewing of The Hobbit later!
I did want to see it, but I've not been all over the internet looking for spoilers and analysis and stuff--for whatever reason, while I usually think that's fun, I've not been enjoying it with regard to this movie at all, and all the misdirections and crypticness just makes me feel screwed with by the filmmakers, rather than intrigued. So it's a weird balance to walk, and I guess I'm not going to try to remain spoiler-free or anything, because that way is madness, but I'm more kind of 'seeing them if they walk past my face.' I just remember how the last time, I didn't even know there was a new Star Trek movie coming out at all, let alone what it was about, and so when I got to it everything was a wonderful surprise. I liked that feeling.
Now i'm going to contradict everything I just wrote and mention a few teensy thoughts about the preview.
1. The 3D at the beginning was HORRIBLE. I don't hate 3D as much as a lot of my flist does; it doesn't make me ill or (most of the time) give me headaches, but it does make it harder to tell what the hell is going on. Maybe it was that my eyes hadn't adjusted yet or something but it was really, really bad, about the same video quality as a pop-up book. It got a little less bad as it went on but only one shot (the one of Jim and Bones cliff-diving to Enterprise) actually worked well with it.
2. The volcano planet thing definitely sets up the Enterprise crew as a team who want to do good things for others, even if it's of dubious legality. Spock goes on and on about the Prime Directive and not letting the natives see the Enterprise but dude, you're already meddling with their volcano, so STFU.
3. I really dislike romance in my adventure stories that isn't subtextual, and really wish they'd stop with the Spock/Uhura stuff. I know other people like it, but I'm an OTPer and always have been; it's pretty much how I do fandom, and I get to admit in my own journal if something makes me cringe. I like Spock with Kirk and Uhura with Scotty and fortunately fanfic can always make these things happen. That's all I'll say on that because I don't feel like arguing or writing a whole manifesto.
4. On that note, I love that Kirk's first words off the transporter pad are 'Where's Spock?'
5. By the same token, McCoy's 'he'd let you die' is really telling as it sets up how different this relationship is to the one in TOS, where Spock was all by the book except for when anything was threatening his Jim. I expect that McCoy is wrong (though I'm not at all surprised he believes it) and that it's some kind of set-up for Spock not following his own advice later on. (And obviously Jim is going to break all the rules to rescue Spock, because that's what he does.) But yeah, it seems to show that they're off to a rocky start and trying to work out some gaps in their previous education. Kirk and Spock in TOS had years of service time together, and so the new ones shouldn't have the same telepathic (LITERALLY SOMETIMES) relationship, but I hope they will end up there. It should spawn a lot of fic, anyway.
6. No idea as to the actual plot, still, and really kind of starting less and less to care. No amount of speculating will change it at this point anyway. So I just hope that they're clever enough not to try to re-do Wrath of Khan or something (which I watched the other night and yes, it's still just as good), because having gone to all that trouble to set up a new universe and a new timeline, attempting to retell the most iconic story of the lot seems suicidal. Also, WoK is based on a lot of canon history between the characters that this crew does not have, not to mention the recurring themes about growing old, which these guys are just not ready for yet.
7. I still love Sulu SO MUCH. My actual favourite from childhood watchings of TOS, and he's just so badass. Also while I fancy Chris Pine hopelessly, were I going to write shippy self-insert I would totally take Sulu.
8. Enterprise is so shiny and pretty and beautiful and I don't even care she's not supposed to go underwater; I totally love the shot of her rising up out of it, it is beautiful. (...It's starting to show that I RP Jim Kirk, isn't it? Oh well. Captain/ship is kinda always one of my tropes. Jim/Enterprise, Jack Sparrow/Black Pearl, Doctor/TARDIS....)
Anyway, that's it for now; I need to go wash my hair and get ready for Christmas Eve stuff. Thoughts on second viewing of The Hobbit later!