If the box office receipts (just after Friday it already had nearly $32 million) are any indication Paramount has successfully revitalized their most successful franchise in the TV and filmmaking studio’s history. Could Star Trek continue to live long and prosper for another 40 years? Tell us what you thought about the new JJ Abrams vision of the Trek verse.
Mike Brazinski says
I was like seeing an old friend I never thought I’d have to chance to see again. The Star Trek franchise is in great hands with J.J. Abrams.
Lisa from Indiana says
It hit every note perfectly – I had a blast! I came out of there hoping for a sequel.
Bill from Albuquerque says
Have been trying to find a spot to park the truck so I can see it…was listening to the Reel Time show on Cinemagic (XM Channel 76) where Alex Kurtzman and Bob Orci talk about the making of the film and what they were saying about it was making me even more anxious to see it. And yes, Lisa, they are already in the early phases of the next movie…hopefully they won’t take forever to make it…………
Michel Daw says
Saw it twice already, both times in IMAX. Would gladly see it again.
Sam Sloan says
Good news….Abrams, Orci, Kurtzman and the entire cast have signed on to do at least TWO more sequels.
Shadoglare says
Fun movie, but I thought the actual story was pretty meh, especially compared to some of the better Trek movies and/or episodes.
Anachronite says
great movie, but definitely had some WTF? moments.
Hard to believe Starfleet would promote an inexperianced cadet to Captain and turn over a ship to him, no matter how much of a hero he was.
Kirk won they lotto when he landed on the ice planet, just a few kilometers from the only other stranded person and a star fleet base. a little too lucky if ya ask me.
couple of other things as well. but screw it, everything else was greatness. bring on the sequel!
I loved that they not only violated canon, they totally destroyed canon with the alternate timeline, and opened the trek universe to an entire new realm of possibilities with these characters and the now altered timeline. Everything we’ve known before is gone and won’t necessarily happen again, and every whiney trek fan crying about canon can now STFU about them violating it. Canon no longer exists! That was pure genius on the part of everyone involved in that part of the storyline.
Gebo says
I was completely blown away by it. This is undoubtably the best Star Trek in over 40 years. The best Star Trek ever. Thanks, J.J., you’ve done it. This film is everything I expected from it, and more. I’m proud to be a Trekkie…
I’ve seen the movie twice already, and I’m definitely going to see it again. Can’t wait for the dvd. And the sequels. 🙂
Michael Hickerson says
Like “Batman Begins,” it left me ready for the next installment in the rebooted series.
And if the next one follows the same path as the rebooted Batman, with the second building on the first , we could be in for a good future for the original (and still the best) crew of the Enterprise.
Valerie Butler says
I’m an old fan, I mean from the original show. I am struggling with the new movie. It was a good movie, but if they were going to stomp all over everything Star Trek, they could have just started over with a different ship and crew in the same universe, like Stargate does. Why keep re-doing? I’m not so desperate to keep my favorite fantasy alive, that I’ll take whatever they do to it. Let it die and start something new! Let’s move on, people.
Rob Cannon says
How about: “I haven’t seen it yet becuase it came out on Mother’s Day weekend !%$!@
Billy Uno says
This was the best Star Trek experience in like Forever. I agree there were a few WTF moments, but many of them were VERY well thought out, and blended nicely with the plot. Nero was the best villain since Kahn. A real tortured badass.
I’m blown away about… well, pretty much everything. I’d love to say more, but I don’t want to give any spoilers.
Ken says
It was GREAT!
My brother-in-law (who does not like Star Trek) went because this was a mother’s day outing, said he’d give it a B+; and thought it was good.
My wife (who gets bored watching a movie preview thought it was great, and is hoping for a new series on TV.
I really liked it, and liked that they took care of all the “That didn’t happen like that” or “That’s not how they did …” with the change in the timeline.
My mom and I did not like that Vulcan was destroyed, and Spock’s mom was killed; but everything else is soo good, that we’re looking forward to the next story (TV or movie) that we can over look “not liking” parts.
the lows says
Okay,
I am not a Star Trek fan by any means. Never liked the show, always found it corny and Kirk was more than I could take. The movies were hit and miss with me, some with the original crew I did like, the next generations crews I didn’t. But Darcy wanted to see the new film so Tim and I were dragged along with her.
I have to say, I was very impressed by the whole thing. The plot was a little confusing at first, but it all came together. The actors were all top notch, and the roles were not only well thought out, but very well acted. Although it was a CGI feast, it did not use that to compensate for a bad plot. It added to the tension and the excitement.
There was the plot hole mention above about Spock’s mom, I didn’t care for that as well. But I did like how his father was, and the interaction between he and Spock. Scotty was also a bright spot in this, and brought some much needed humor to a very heavy and emotional plot.
Well there be more and is this a rebooting of the franchise? Oh most certainly, I think they will make more. Will it result in a series? I don’t think it will, given that all of the actors in this has so many other projects going on. (Would be nice to have them all in a series, now wouldn’t it?)
So, speaking as a fairly new geek, and not a die hard Trek fan. I thought this was a great movie and would highly recommend it. To Trek fans or anyone.
Jenny
lindy rae says
I loved it! I thought the timeline/reboot was the total way to go….. but I kept *hoping* that it would revert back to the original timeline. but I’m secretly glad it didn’t. Sometimes having two personalities is a help 🙂
Gary from Jacksonville says
It was a great movie. I’m happy with the reboot/Alternate time line. The original still existed, and we’ve got a new toy to play with. In case of major problems, we can always go back to the Guardian of Forever.
Who says things won’t smooth back into the TNG we have come to know and love?
During one scene with all the admirals, I saw a sign for Admiral Komack. Nice touch for us geeks.
waltband says
Wow — and off go into an alternate timeline — I am sure the old trekkers like me(I’m 58) will find things to quibble — but wow — a new way to take us out there — the movie was bigger than life — the good doctor was a Hoot – it will be interesting to see how long this current Enterprise crew will do the double acting roles of the actual role and the persona of the original crew – this is a great start — enjoy the ride
K98148 says
I liked the movie alot.. and some may find my “problem” with it funny because it actually was something cosmetic…
What the hell did they do to the bridge??? … It looked like something out of a Jap-anim movie to me..
It was too cluttered and too bright in my opinion and ugly as hell.. should of at least dimmed it down a little so they could see tactical displays.. which is the purpose on any type of vessel.
Other then that though, I’ll be seeing it again.
fred says
I was wondering about Red Matter. If a tiny amount is used/needed and by it’s nature very dangerous stuff, why did Spock head out with a huge ball of the stuff?
And when I first saw it, I thought it was an Alias shout out.
Douglas from Chicago says
I loved the movie, the reboot worked for me. The ship was very cool, I liked the cluttered bridge, I served on a submarine for 5 years and I loved how they had the vertical plots. The engine room was very cool because they chose to show piping and the real feel of an engine.
reppoHssarg says
I watched Trek since the first episode aired. I was hoping to see more of the academy, but they only showed how the Vulcans taught their children. Blowing up Vulcan, not cool. I am sure Gene has turned over in his grave.
This movie was made by a group of very lazy people not caring to extend a mythology. The jarring entry of Original Star Trek music at the end of the film was nearly insulting and quite out of place.
Some scenes were more reminicent of Star Wars than Star Trek, especially that pet/friend of Scotty.
Acting was superb! Action sequences aplenty! Plot, predictable, given this is a time paradox/parallel universe movie without resolution.
The music in Star Trek kept sounding wrong. The background noises were wrong as well. Why would the phasers sound like colt 45’s being loaded? They should have borrowed from Alien or BSG and made the bridge more dark and battle ready like a modern tank.
I really liked BSG original & version 2.0, so I suppose I will eventually like this new version of trek, should they produce an interesting story arc.
VyseN1 says
Loved it so much, saw it twice already, and plan to see it again! I had two of my friends who never liked Star Trek come with me and they loved it. I am so happy with the alternate time line device, finally we are free of all that canon, and the writers are free to do what they want.
This movie is going to look awesome on Blu-Ray! Can’t wait till the next one!
Sihnon says
I loved it!
Not only did it pay homage to the old series, recognized the old cannon by honoring it and not pretending it didn’t happen, but showing that the characters we loved so much were still very simlar even if the circumstances were a bit different. Brilliant!
This re-boot isn’t so much a re-boot but a boost to the franchise. Bravo cast and crew! Great film, I can’t wait for more!
Trekscribbler says
Solid restart to the franchise. I’m more interested in seeing if JJ can follow it up; I personally don’t think ‘character’ is one of his strengths, and I thought this one could’ve used a few more character moments.
steve says
I love that the Enterprise is a kick butt ship again. They have made her to much of a wuss lately. I dont know if I like the complete change because everything we know about Star Trek is now null and void. They way it is now “The Cage” episode will never happen. It was arguably one of the greatest.
Sean from Edwards says
I guess I will be the dissenting voice here as I did not like it.
Some of my issues with the movie:
1) the cinematography was horrid, I hate shaky cam, it has a time and place, but it was all over the place here and that hurt the visuals, those stupid lense flares also killed it for me, I don’t want ot have to go into a movie and be constantly putting on and taking off my sunglasses. And to add to that the unnessarily harsh lighting, dang near every scene was either too dark or too bright.
2) lack of simpathetic characters. If you went in and were not a trek fan, casual or otherwise, there are few, if any, characters that the audience can immediately identify with and latch hold off. Everyone in the first sequence either dies or isn’t seen again, with the exception of the bad guys. The next time we see kirk he is a little punk brat who destroys a classic corvette, for no good reason, I about stopped watching at that point, because they never explained why he did it, or did I blink? Spock had at least some audience connection when he showed up, he was the kid getting picked on for being different and then wailed on the kid who made fun of his parents, that allowed the audience to relate. Next time we see him though he is a total prick, and pretty much is from then on. The next time we see Kirk he is this brash egotistical jerk off who picks a fight in a bar with, what, 4 other guys, and gets his butt handed to him, could have been written much better. Kirk then continues to basically be a jerk the whole rest of the movie with few, if any redeeming qualities, I especially hated the way they made the cheat work on the KM scenario, it just felt stupid.
The only two characters I really liked were Bones and Scotty, because they were the two most relatable characters, one takes a job in a place he hates because he basically has no other choice, I think most of us have had to do that, and the other is stuck in a crappy job somewhere because he made one little mistake.
3) horrible set design. I never cared for the bridge designs they introduce, but I could live with it. The corridors and teleporter room, those made sense and looked good IMHO. The engineering hull, WTFO? They cheaped out on what was possibly the most important part of the ship by filming it in a stupid water works that was this massive open chamber and none of it even looked liked any kind of powerplant, which was the point of that whole hull, other than the shuttle bay. If you want to cheap out like that at least go to a real ship, even a decommissioned one and use that, then at least the interiors would look somewhat plausible. While we are on that, how giant was that shuttle bay, maybe it was the angles, but it looked to take up half the engineering hull, I think that is where the majority of these scaling inconsistencies are coming from.
Moving onto Nero’s ship, again what is with these massive open spaces aboard a space ship, especially a mining ship? Mining ships would likely be pretty minimalistic, so why is that ship so open, and why is the exterior such a nightmarish mess? The whole design of that ship makes no sense whatsoever, the only thing that says mining ship about it is the drilling laser. And why does a mining ship need to be so heavily armed?
4) plot holes left and right. Do you really want me to go into this? How much red matter do you need Spock, planning to take over the galaxy?
5) a complete lack of understanding of military protocol. Again, do you want me to go into this, i.e. the promotion of a rank cadet to captain of a starship before he has even officially graduated? Sending cadets into harms way before they have graduated? Promoting a rank cadet over a slew of commissioned officers, etc… etc… etc…
6) bad, horrible, terrible science. I won’t go into the whole transit time issue, trekkies are harping on that enough. But what about changing the fundemental nature of a teleporter and its targetting system strictly by inputting a formula, no hardware or software changes? How about how a star going super nova would really only effect the planets in its own system, and maybe some adjoing systems due to the radiation? Or this one I love, a drop of “red matter” can create a black hole that will swallow up the supernova in an instant, yet the deploying ship carries something in excess of a few million or billion times that volume of it, good planning there starfleet, you just created a superweapon that could wipe out the galaxy. Dumping the warp cores (maybe the anti-matter stores?) in order to escape the black hole, WTF? And where did the black holes go, did they just disappear? There is even more then that, but I’ll digress.
7) Bad writing. Really all the points I summed up before could have been fixed by a better writer, or possibly a better editor. If the two main characters had been more symapthetic characters I could have enjoyed it more. But in the end, I will say take a pass on it, some impressive space visuals and ok action don’t make a good movie to me.
kpop says
all i have to say is im 19 and i absolutely LOVED the movie and i can see how the old school trekkies wouldn’t like it because they are use to the old version. This movie gets the attention of old trekkies but also bring in newer generation trekkies. anything original is always better to people who lived through the original. they dont like to see change, well some of them. personally i thought the old star trek was cheesy but once i saw this movie and started watching the old programs im in love with it. doesn’t make sense to me but i do. cant wait for the next movies. ive seen this one about 5 times already and i cannot get enough of it. I can proudly say i am a new trekkie and love everything about it
live long and prosper
Normandy says
I didn’t like the new Star Trek. Clearly the franchise needed a reboot if they were to continue. Enterprise wasn’t good. They could have left it for dead for all I cared, I’d be happy to just remember the good episodes of TNG and move on. But this is Hollywood and they snaz up old things that we used to like. Fine. What bothered me about the movie was the desire to re-invent the origin of this old idea while simultaneously leaning so hard on the old material for support. Other than “Kirk is a rebel (daddy issues)” and “Spock is logical unless you insult Winona Ryder.” They left it up to your memories to fill in the characterizations. The plot wasn’t much better: Kirk and the gang attempt to achieve the ranks and positions they held in the ’60s TV show, while Romulans try to stop them. There just didn’t seem to be much point to it all other than an excuse to do flashy things with CG in between setting up big applause moments (which again, relied entirely on the past). What ever happened to what Trek is about, exploring social contexts of today in future concepts, or exploring the human condition. There was no thinking in this movie at all, it was just a shallow re-write of Star Wars ( a new hope). http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1910892
It was well made. If pressed I’d even admit that on it’s own terms, it was sort of good. It looked pretty, and there was lots of action. That was enough for a lot of people to like it, but I just saw an opportunity to do so much more.
I wanted some original thinking, not just a new coat of glossy paint. THIS video sums it all up http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/the-escapist-presents/721-MovieBob-Reviews-Star-Trek
Other gripes, in no particular order:
– WHAT was up with the constant un-sourced lens flares?
– What was up with that water pipe scene, can anyone defend that? What was with the rest of the ship, filmed in a old oil factory, when the bridge was designed by Apple?
– Did I mention that bloody lens flare, all the time?
– Ditto the big hands scene.
– What was up with casting Winona Ryder as Spock’s Mom, seriously, did JJ owe someone a favor?
– I’m sick and tired of time travel. Sci-fi writers, please come up with something better.
– What was up with Chekov? It almost felt racist. Of all the things to be totally faithful on…
– Did JJ let Michael Bay direct all the action scenes? Visually incoherent at points. Hold the bloody Camera still!
Assorted really good things:
– The entire opening sequence.
– Those “no sounds in space” moments. Pretty cool.
– The jump to warp effect was absolutely awesome and perfect, and alone may have saved the 2nd half of the movie for me.
– McCoy
– The fact that it gave me a lot to think about, even if it was mostly complaining.
– Reminded me how good Serenity was.
Gazerbeam says
I don’t understand why people hate the water pipe bit. I think it’s awesome that they finally made the engine room look like there was a frikkin engine, and not just some plywood paneling and a big glowy thing
Sean From Edwards says
My biggest beef with the engine room is that it looked like just a jumble of pipes, like a water works or oil refinery, not an engine room. I’ve worked on ships and know what an engine room looks like, even the water works aboard ships I have worked on are no where near that insane. If they decided to cheap out on the engine room set and use whatever warehouse they did, why not use a real ship’s engine room instead, there are plenty of large decommed ships that would have worked nicely. Check halfway down this page, and just give me a wall like that in the engine room and I would have been much happier with it.
http://www.projectrho.com/rocket/rocket3ae.html
And the lens flare really is what killed it for me I realize after talking to many people. I’m very light sensitive and those lens flares kept me scambling to cover my eyes or find my sunglasses.
Sam Sloan says
If you ever served in the submarine corps then one can appreciate the look of Enterprise’s engine room. In the latest US subs the rest of the boat looks like something out of a Star Trek episode. Everything is ultra modern, high tech, sleek and awesome to look at……but, get into the engine room, even in the reactor core area and you soon realize, “yeah man, I’m in a friggin machine with pipes, steam, water drips and the whole shabang”. Kudos to Abrams for getting it right above and below decks.
Kurt says
Somebody made a new fanvid “modernizing” Space Seed:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAaX8Aq6smQ
JJ had a fever, and the only cure was MORE LENSFLARES! 😀
Actually, it really didn’t bother me on my first viewing, but it sure was noticeable upon the second viewing.
WildNelson says
We need more Red Matter, captain!
Almost a Trekkie says
Temporal violations galore, but this time Spock is fine with it … even though his mother is now dead along with the WHOLE planet Vulcan. And he has been left standing beside an early version of himself in classic Dr Who style! This is the Spock of old … the only remains of “the old canon”.
This will be less about a reboot and a lot more about remakes if the studio wants to drag out another of Wrath of Khan encounter.
I’ve already seen the best of the Star Trek movies in Khan. Not planning to see that again. Sorry.