Posted on 05/08/2009 1:26:01 PM PDT by LS
This is simply a great movie. For those of us who grew up first on the television series, then the series of motion pictures, then "The Next Generation," this is the TV series on special-effects steriods, and in my opinion the second best movie of all Star Trek movies, next to "The Wrath of Khan."
The first 20 minutes is jarring, and you have to pay attention. It runs the viewer from Capt. Christopher Pike (played by a one of my favorites, Bruce Greenwood), to the evil Romulan Nero (Eric Bana, sans Hulk get-up), to the young Spock, to the risk-taking James T. Kirk (played supremely in this role by Chris Pine), then finally to the late-teen Spock who chooses Star Fleet, played by Zachary Quinto. Yet somehow the editors managed to keep the essential plot lines straight. Kirk is exceptionally bright, but a hell-raiser. Uhura (Zoe Saldana) is as beautiful as can be, and ironically has no interest in Kirk but rather is in love with Spock. Kirk proceeds to get beat to a pulp by almost everyone in this movie. (First it's cadets from Star Fleet, then Spock, then the Romulans. You begin to think Kirk was taught to fight at UN peacekeeper school).
Above all, what makes the movie is the development, on multiple levels, of the friendship between Kirk, Spock, and to a lesser degree, Bones (Karl Urban) and Scotty (Simon Pegg). John Cho plays a straight Sulu, thank God, and Anton Yelchin does a good job as Checkov.
The plot revolves around the "prime"/older Spock (Leonard Nimoy) trying to save Romulus in the future, and failing. Somehow, the evil Romulan Nero comes through a time warp to the past to destroy Vulcan out of revenge---and to make the young Spock watch!
Don't get wrapped up in debating the "time continuum" stuff, just go with it. There is a glitch with this at the end (the same person cannot exist in two places at once, or two people from different times can't co-exist, or . . . ah, forget it).
Instead, just enjoy the origins of the comeraderie, the sexual tension between Spock and Kirk over Uhuru, the one-liners, and above all, the fantastic way the actors adapted the characters to their own personas while maintaining much of the original Kirck/Scott/Bones/Spock personalities. At times, you can almost see Shatner coming through Pine; unfortunately, at times, Urban tries a little too hard to "be" Bones, and of all the characters, his is the least developed in terms of motivations or past. But the friendship between Spock---at any age---and Kirk is wonderful, if rocky at first. When Spock prime says to Kirk, "I am, and always have been, your friend," it brought a tear to my eye as I recalled Spock dying to save the Enterprise in "Wrath of Khan."
If CGI had existed in 1966, instead of cardboard sets, this is what that Star Trek might have looked like. Enjoy. Live long and prosper, unless, of course, you are Spock prime speaking to Spock in which case, as he noted, "It would be self-serving."
>>> Hey “The City on the Edge of Forever” a pacifist movement destroy the world <<<
???
No, and actually Kirk got his ass handed to him in that bar fight, but since it was 4 to 1 he gets a pass. Also, Spock kicks his ass pretty handidly, but since Kirk was trying to get him to do that, he gets another pass.
ping
Yes, Nurse Chapel was the one who had the hots for Spock...
I agree. They should shut up and act.
I saw it at it’s first showing today. Abosolutely a pleasure to watch. A+++
???
Yes, it's true.
http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/The_City_on_the_Edge_of_Forever_(episode)
>>> Yes, it’s true. <<<
I remember the episode.
My ??? was in response to tophat9000’s answer to my question about what he dislikes about the new movie. As an answer, it makes little sense unless he is just expressing his dislike of time-travel stories.
Nurse Chapel was never seen in the film, although she was briefly mentioned by McCoy.
That reminds me of the one which Nimoy directed. It was the worst of all of them and that is saying something.
After watching it I realized I had paid to watch a very bad “save the whales” commercial. The entire premise was in a word, stupid.
Agree. It was pleasantly devoid of preaching. As I said, the last couple of lines in the fight against the Romulans were pretty anti-pc.
True. You see here on this thread that really the only bad reviews are from “oldies,” however, I’m an original fanatic, and I thought it was absolutely true to the original. “Next Generation” was mildly entertaining, but never had the same interplay as Kirk/Spock/Bones.
I think he was mentioning it as an example of a well-written episode of TOS.
Come now...Captain Kirk got himself a green Orion slave girl, too. Marta, from “Whom Gods Destroy,” played by none other than Batgirl herself...Yvonne Craig.
OMG, I really am a Geek.
Regards,
“Go for Marty”
I remember Yvonne Craig too. She was one of the hotter girls I have ever seen on TV.
My wife, my daughter and myself went to go see the first showing. This was pretty much my daughter’s first experience with the franchise and her biggest gripe was how often the audience burst into applause. She liked the movie otherwise.
We loved it. Perhaps the only complaint we had was it was a little short, as we wanted more. Good pace, a couple slow parts, but nicely done sets and a nice take on the storyline made it a continuation for fans and a new series for newcomers. A nice apology for the last few trash movies.
Well, I hate to be the lone wolf downer on this, but I left disappointed (about as much as the Phantom Menance).
When I realized that they basicly neutralized the entire Star Trek timeline (from Captain Pike to beyond), I felt betrayed.
All of that “classic Trek”...GONE
Next Gen timeline....GONE
DS9 timeline...GONE
Voyager timeline....GONE.
And for what? For a “new” alternate timeline series? A few more “new” alternate Trek movies?
Is this “Star Trek”, the alternate-timeline-schizm-series (AKA: Back to the Future 2).
Did the movie have its moments? Sure. There were good one-liners and passing jokes, but I felt it was all a lie.
My grade: C-
Yes. But we won’t talk about Joe and Curly Joe. Especially Joe.
Well, being a girl myself, I wasn’t too interested in Miss Craig. However, my husband has fond memories of his first heterosexual stirrings whilst watching poor Batgirl all tied up and squirming.
No accounting for taste, I guess. I preferred the good Captain in a ripped up uniform shirt...LOL
Regards,
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