Saturday, May 9, 2009

The new Star Trek movie


So, yes, I enjoyed it in all its glorious inconsistencies. It was all about meeting these Star Trek characters as youngsters, so in some ways it reminded me most closely of Muppet Babies. And there's nothing wrong with that. Everybody was well-cast so you could see the characters you already knew in the people on the screen. I love McCoy and Scotty especially, fresh-faced and spouting their signature lines.

I love that Star Fleet Academy is in San Francisco, the center of the Federation universe. I love that there's a redshirt moment. I love the new phasers (set to stun) and the beaming up. I love that women are so liberated that they still wear those micro-mini outfits, because they are so practical, you know.

I love the completely implausible nature of the set-up whereby Kirk goes from being a cadet, not yet completing the academy, to the captain of the Enterprise. I love the completely irrational nature of all the Star Trek franchise whereby only the bridge officers (and a redshirt) venture forth on dangerous missions ("Sulu, you have the bridge"). I love the completely unrealistic suggestion that if you land on a pod on an alien planet covered with ice, you just say, "Oh, for God's sake!" and open the hatch and walk on out. And happen to run into someone. Someone...important.

Oh, it was completely ridiculous. There was a plot of some kind, I suppose. I ended the movie saying to myself, "Wait! Wasn't there supposed to be a plot of some kind?" But it was fun.

2 comments:

K said...

As a new trekkie, I'd say they were just trying to appeal to a new audience, and they did!

LKT said...

Old ones, too. Well old-er. I don't think this movie would have worked if there were riots in the street from hard-core Trekkies.