OK, I sent out a status report on Facebook asking for feedback about the new Star Trek movie. I didn’t give my opinion, because I really wanted to see what fellow Trekkies or almost Trekkies had to say. Since many of you have responded, I thought it was time I threw my two cents in for whatever it’s worth. But since I always have more to say than a status report can do justice, here goes…with apologies to those who loved the rebirth of Star Trek for a new generation.
I knew after about 10 minutes into the movie that once again, Star Trek writers, producers and directors were monkeying with the space-time continuum. For Star Trek novices, that’s a kind way of saying we’d “been there, done that.” I couldn’t believe Captain Kirk, or at least what would be Captain Kirk, would meet the old, and can I say, very, very old Spock. Leonard Nimoy is the only Spock I’ll ever respect and love, but this was just way too much. Of course, Gene, my husband, pointed out to me after several lengthy conversations that we’re now set up for a new story line for a new generation of Trekkies everywhere, including a romance between Spock and Uhura (OK…yuck, and BTW, Gene didn’t like the movie either).
Now don’t get me wrong, I certainly joined in with the rest of the audience’s laughter at the antics of Bones, Chekov and Scotty, but seriously, did the under 40 crowd really get it? I certainly did because I’ve known and loved these characters since I was a wee Trekkie watching the show on Saturday afternoon reruns. Today’s budding Trekkies can’t possibly understand what they’re laughing at. So, that leads me to believe the Trek team assumed an awful lot when they really should have been thinking about the big shoes they had to fill.
I’ll agree with Gene, the action was good. But this certainly wasn’t a Star Trek I’d send my kids to. The language, and I mean the four-letter word kind, was out of character for Star Trek and gratuitous at best. And please, seeing young Kirk in his underwear making out with the green goblin’s cousin, was absolutely out of place and unnecessary. I guess the rebirth of Star Trek is no longer of the family friendly version, and I won’t even give the darkness and violence of the Romulans any air time in this review.
As I’ve said, my relationship with Star Trek goes way back. I am still a big fan of The Next Generation, and Captain Katherine Janeway of Voyager is tied for first with Jean Luc in my opinion. I missed the utopian feel that Star Trek movies always promise. This one was gritty, moved way too fast to establish any real story line and I’ve always hated sideways camera angles. But then again, I’m my own type of dinosaur, so to people who know me well this should be no surprise. I still like real wood in my fire place, the feel of well worn book pages turning in my hands (much to the chagrin of my Kindle carrying environmentally conscious friends), and on top of that I’m a Christ following, stay at home mom who sends her kids to (gasp) public school! So, this trip into the future didn’t suit me at all. I guess I’ll have to be satisfied with my Star Trek reruns whose continuing mission is to seek out new life and new civilizations, not back track into the past, which happens to be a present already too full of violence and instant gratification.
See, I told you this was too long for a status update! Live long and prosper…
