All aboard the USS Franchise!
I find William Shatner laughable,
Klingons ludicrous,
and Jean-Luc Picard just... well, dull.
So it's a good thing they're nowhere to be seen in the new Star Trek film, which I enjoyed immensely. And why not? I love the concept of space travel and UN-esque peacekeeping forces that actually get things done. I've always had a liking for Spock too, quizzical brow-raise, Vulcan nerve pinch and all (plus Leonard Nimoy must be the only actor whose name that outcools his character's).
Since I have calculated that there is an 83.1% probability of the reader having a short attention span, allow me to provide a breakdown of the good, the bad, and the ugly of this motion picture, in no logical order:
Bad
Good
Huh?gly rather than truly ugly
Klingons ludicrous,
and Jean-Luc Picard just... well, dull.
So it's a good thing they're nowhere to be seen in the new Star Trek film, which I enjoyed immensely. And why not? I love the concept of space travel and UN-esque peacekeeping forces that actually get things done. I've always had a liking for Spock too, quizzical brow-raise, Vulcan nerve pinch and all (plus Leonard Nimoy must be the only actor whose name that outcools his character's).
Since I have calculated that there is an 83.1% probability of the reader having a short attention span, allow me to provide a breakdown of the good, the bad, and the ugly of this motion picture, in no logical order:
Bad
- JJ Abrams is one of the most emotionally manipulative film-makers out there. See the Cloverfield entry.
- Eric Bana's villain simply wasn't villainous enough. Not to mention there are far too many pregnant lady subplots in this film.
- Plot holes you could destroy planets with, albeit well-masked with explosions.
- Everyone's a genius / Which gets kinda tedious.
Good
- Um, JJ Abrams is one of the most emotionally manipulative film-makers out there. See the Cloverfield entry.
- A Leonard Nimoy cameo.
- No William Shatner cameo.
- Sulu can really, really fence.
- The casting is convincing, for the most part. I particularly enjoyed the supports - Scotty, McCoy and Chekhov.
- The soundtrack is inspired; not too obvious. It sometimes holds back where one might expect orchestral fury, and the music is layered very skilfully with the sound effects. Was that the Beastie Boys' Sabotage I just heard? 10/10.
- Tension between Kirk and Spock.
Huh?gly rather than truly ugly
- What is Winona Ryder doing as Spock's mum...?! [At least it wasn't Angelina doing another weird maternal turn.]
- ... and Cameron from House is Kirk's mum?! What are the odds? Although I quite adore Jennifer Morrison...
- Spock hearts Uhura. It grows on you slowly, but it does help that this reboot is aided with an alternate universe plotline.
- They managed to sneak in a scene where Zoe Saldana is in her underwear. Even Transformers didn't manage that.
Click to view