Star Trek
Since I have been a die-hard Trek fan since I was about ten years old (if not longer), I was a bit wary when I heard they were doing a reimagining of Star Trek, with J.J. Abrams directing. Fortunately, I think he did a decent job and set the stage for future films (and maybe series?).
Let me start with the good points of the movie. First off, I think the casting was excellent generally. I was worried that Simon Pegg might make Scotty too jokey or silly but I think he kept it under control. The guys that played McCoy and Chekov both did top-notch jobs, those were my faves. Spock and Uhura were both good, too, though they didn't feel like the same characters as much. Kirk was a mix - sometimes he was totally Kirk, other times not at all, but generally pretty good. Also, I liked the 'alternate reality' explanation, which kind of separates everything that happens from the original series. Nice. The ship re-designs were pretty cool, both inside and out. I liked that they made references to several things from the original series and also kept San Fran as Starfleet Headquarters.
On the down side: Sulu. The guy they cast just has no personality at all, which is totally not Sulu. Also, the phasers shoot more like blasters now - wtf? Since this is an alternate reality, I guess they can do whatever they want, but blowing up Vulcan seemed a little unnecessary, as did killing Amanda (though that was fine with me since it was Winnona Ryder). The weird relationship between Uhura and Spock would be fine, too, but they should have given us at least some explanation for it. There were also a couple of scenes that were totally unnecessary and stupid, mainly the car chase when Kirk was a kid and then later when Kirk is chased down by the monsters on Delta Vega. Finally, whatever that weird alien is that is always hanging around Scotty, it needs to go. This isn't fucking Star Wars, come on.
The story itself was also pretty lame - they should really just stay away from time travel stories, plus the villain was really weak (and his motivation questionable). The main point of the movie seemed to be more introducing the various characters and showing how they became part of the Enterprise team, which they did a great job with. It's just a shame the main storyline wasn't better.
So, it was hit and miss to be sure but overall I thought it was good and fun to watch. I would rate it a B or B+, depending on how well it holds up on repeated viewings. I'd like to catch the IMAX version if possible...
Let me start with the good points of the movie. First off, I think the casting was excellent generally. I was worried that Simon Pegg might make Scotty too jokey or silly but I think he kept it under control. The guys that played McCoy and Chekov both did top-notch jobs, those were my faves. Spock and Uhura were both good, too, though they didn't feel like the same characters as much. Kirk was a mix - sometimes he was totally Kirk, other times not at all, but generally pretty good. Also, I liked the 'alternate reality' explanation, which kind of separates everything that happens from the original series. Nice. The ship re-designs were pretty cool, both inside and out. I liked that they made references to several things from the original series and also kept San Fran as Starfleet Headquarters.
On the down side: Sulu. The guy they cast just has no personality at all, which is totally not Sulu. Also, the phasers shoot more like blasters now - wtf? Since this is an alternate reality, I guess they can do whatever they want, but blowing up Vulcan seemed a little unnecessary, as did killing Amanda (though that was fine with me since it was Winnona Ryder). The weird relationship between Uhura and Spock would be fine, too, but they should have given us at least some explanation for it. There were also a couple of scenes that were totally unnecessary and stupid, mainly the car chase when Kirk was a kid and then later when Kirk is chased down by the monsters on Delta Vega. Finally, whatever that weird alien is that is always hanging around Scotty, it needs to go. This isn't fucking Star Wars, come on.
The story itself was also pretty lame - they should really just stay away from time travel stories, plus the villain was really weak (and his motivation questionable). The main point of the movie seemed to be more introducing the various characters and showing how they became part of the Enterprise team, which they did a great job with. It's just a shame the main storyline wasn't better.
So, it was hit and miss to be sure but overall I thought it was good and fun to watch. I would rate it a B or B+, depending on how well it holds up on repeated viewings. I'd like to catch the IMAX version if possible...