Sunday, May 24, 2009

Star Trek--Upon Further Review (Spoilers)

We went to see Star Trek again Friday night at the drive-in. I really wanted to like this movie so I gave it a second look. I did like it better the second time, but this time I brought my Skywalker Ranch director's pen with me and took notes from my favorite lawn chair. Here are some thoughts:

  • The music during the Kirk birth/death scene was very reminiscent of Giacchino's work on LOST. I loved it.
  • Still don't get where the deep canyon in Iowa came from. I even made sure to pay attention to make sure that's where the scene was set. It was.
  • Sarek's scenes with Spock were great. I like this Sarek much better than the one in the Original Series.
  • Nice nod to Star Trek the Motion Picture with the reference to the Kohlinar ritual.
  • Vulcan bullies. Not logical.
  • Spock seems to be vulnerable to "your mama" jokes. I suggest Dave Chappelle be his nemesis in the next movie.
  • Someone get Zachary Quinto a better razor. Spock always seems to need a shave.
  • Starfleet cadets are not enlightened in this future. Uhura calls Kirk a hick and suggests that he has sex with farm animals and the guys with her call him a townie and start a fight. I doubt this is what Gene Roddenberry had in mind.
  • The broken Kelvin salt shaker Kirk absent-mindedly plays with in the bar is a nice touch.
  • "Space is disease and danger wrapped in darkness and silence." Good grief.
  • Kobayashi Maru test is a nod to Star Trek II, of course.
  • Spock: "You, of all people should know that a captain cannot cheat death." Kirk should have responded with, "Your mama."
  • Kirk bumping his head in the shuttle was like Scotty's similar move in Star Trek V. Still funny.
  • I really liked the effects of going to warp.
  • When the Enterprise enters the battle site with shields up, pieces of broken hull bounce off the hull, not the shields. With the shields up, that shouldn't happen.
  • "Hi, Christopher. I'm Nero." WTF was that? A meet-cute?
  • Spock's eyebrow raise was cool. But it was the wrong eyebrow. I myself can only raise my right eyebrow. Maybe Quinto can only raise his left.
  • When Kirk and Sulu are beamed aboard at terminal velocity, they should have made a big splat on the transporter pad.
  • Old Spock: "James T. Kirk, how did you find me?" Me: "Bad writing, Spock."
  • "Are you out of your Vulcan mind?" Classic Bones.
  • Reference to Admiral Archer's prize beagle was a nod to Enterprise.
  • Scotty's learning of something he hasn't discovered yet harkens to Star Trek IV's transparent aluminum paradox.
  • Kirk to Old Spock: "You're going with us, right?" = Luke to Obi-Wan: "I want to go with you." I get the parallel now. Luke is a farm boy, Kirk is a farm boy.
  • Loved the bridge sound effects but not the lighting.
  • Kirk slapping Spock on the shoulder was funny.
  • Pike's uniform at the promotion ceremony was similar to Admiral Kirk's uni in Star Trek the Motion Picture.
  • Kirk, in the final scene: "Bones." Holy Shat!

I'll give them a mulligan on this one. There was enough cool stuff to keep my interest.

3 comments:

KC Ryan said...

When the Enterprise enters the batte site with shields up, pieces of broken hull bounce off the ship. With the shields up, that shouldn't happen.

Um... what SHOULD happen?

Jim McClain said...

Sorry, I should have said that they scraped the hull. They should have bounced off the shields.

Michael O'Connell said...

http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1910892