What You Should Have Seen #7

Sometimes it can be tough to watch a movie with so much history behind it if you’re not immersed in that history. I went into this movie with a somewhat better-than-basic knowledge of Star Trek and the mythology.

I’ve never watched any episodes of the original series, but I have seen all of the movies. I think I’ve seen every episode of The Next Generation, and I’ve also seen all of those movies. I’ve seen almost all of Deep Space Nine except for the last season or two, and I’ve never seen an episode of Voyager. I attempted to watch Enterprise when it started, mainly because I really like Scott Bakula. I’ve read two Star Trek books. So those are my credentials. I know who the main/important characters are. I know a bit about the important relationships. So I’m not coming into this movie as a blank slate, but I am by no means a Trekkie.

First impressions? Kirk’s birth was incredible and heart-wrenching. I think I’m going to enjoy this movie.

Notes:

• I like Zachary Quinto as Spock.
• I liked that, rather than have a “future song” made up for Jim’s little Corvette joy ride, they used the Beastie Boys. Nice. Vintage (for the time) song in a vintage car.
• Tyler Perry is in this movie? And he’s not in drag?
• I like the casting choice for Bones.
• I like the fact that, while slightly different from the uniforms in The Original Series, they weren’t radically altered or updated.
• Yay for redshirts!!! Aw, poor redshirted Olsen.
• I never knew Sulu was such a badass. I’m impressed, and I like it.
• I’m not a fan of Winona Ryder and I couldn’t take her seriously as Spock’s mom.
• Although it made for a pretty awesome scene, I don’t buy it that the big red ice monster threw away a big meal in order to chase the tiny Kirk.
• I loves me some Simon Pegg.
• The device used to fuel this reboot of a decade-old franchise while still keeping this somewhat in continuity was extremely well done.
• Hey! Scottie reference Admiral Archer’s beagle! That’s the captain and his dog from Enterprise!
• Okay, how’s this for a bit of serendipity and coincidence? Nero’s second in command is played by Clifton Collins, Jr., who I mistakenly thought also played Richard “Boner” Stabone in the ‘80s sitcom “Growing Pains.” In fact, Boner was actually played by Andrew Koenig, son of Walter Koenig, who played Pavel Chekov in the original Star Trek series.
• I know William Shatner was pissed off about not being in the movie while Leonard Nimoy was, but I think the omission and inclusion work extremely well for the movie.

Okay, that movie was pretty damn awesome. I saw that as a fan of action movies with the already-stated cursory knowledge of the Trek universe. I don’t know what Trekkies thought of it, but I’m assuming the review would mean jack squat to them since they probably saw it on opening night. If you’re a fan of sci-fi movies and haven’t seen this yet, do it. It’s worth your time and your money.