So Star Trek....
Okay so. To start off with, I have never been a Trekkie and will probably never be a Trekkie. I know nothing about the universe other than that Patrick Stewart played Jean-Luc Picard. That's all I know. At least until I saw the newest movie with my best friend steelerswheel in our tradition of "hit a movie then drink coffee at IHOP all night". Trust me, we do that alot. I digress. Star Trek. I went into this knowing nothing about the world into which I was stepping. I felt like a trespasser into a highly respected fandom. But then I saw the movie.
Now, see, I don't claim to be a movie officionado by any means. I don't know the complexities and minutae that make a movie a good movie, or make it a great one. I don't know the exact formula for the perfect on screen romance or the best action. But I do know what makes a movie worth my watching. I know what I enjoy in a plot, a character, or a fight sequence. I know what separates "cheesy" from "classic". And basically, i know that Star Trek was a fabulous, fabulous movie. For several reasons, which I shall list.
Spock
First of all, he, to me, dominated the characters in this movie. The complexities, tragedies, and confliction of his personality and the changes he undergoes captured my attention. The inner turmoil of struggling to belong to his race without denying his mother's blood was angsty and lovely and perfectly acted. The nature of an emotional, caring individual trapped in the logical shell of his race was by far the most wonderful character acting I saw. Thank, and Zachary Quinto is such a cute little Vulcan, despite his inability to "live long and prosper" (his fingers were glued together). Also, the plot surrounding him was complicated, yet clear, and even though it boggles the mind, its so well executed that you can't help but understand.
The plot was complicated, yet understandable. Delving into the concept of crossing timelines and disrupting the space-time continuum is a very, very difficult plot to work with. "Back to the Future" handled it perfectly. "Timline" did not. With the idea of dropping someone out of their time and disrupting the cycle that life exists in, it is very, very easy to leave plotholes or discontinuities or just plain confusion. Star Trek, however, left none of these. Everything was explained, everything was logical (thank you, Spock) and everything fit where it needed to without being overdramatic.
The characters were believable and recognizable. You knew the sort of thing that would come out of Dr. "Bones" McCoy's mouth as soon as he walked on stage. You knew the antics James. T. Kirk would get up to when he got that smirk on his face. You knew the cuteness that Chekov would exude everytime you heard his convoluted dialect. It was refreshing, knowing a character's personality without having to dig for it or struggled to keep characters straight.
And on a parting note: Ahura and Spock? Just plain fuckin' cute. End of story. Thank you for listening.