It won’t be officially online until Monday, but this weekend many of you will see the trailer for Star Trek in front of Quantum of Solace. Others will follow this link to see a bootleg copy of it on the internet. So the question is: What do you think?
My two cents, given before seeing the film OR the twenty minutes of footage (which I see on Thursday): Ugh.
It seems that JJ Abrams doesn’t quite get Star Trek. In fact, what this reminds me of most of all is a big budget version of Enterprise (or at least the pilot of that show – look, sex in Star Trek! So edgy!). There’s one simple thing that Abrams doesn’t get that I can almost guarantee from watching these two minutes of footage:
Star Trek was a naval show. These are big, ponderous ships, doing big ponderous moves. One of the best episodes of the original series, Balance of Terror, was basically a submarine story. As a naval vessel, the USS Enterprise was staffed with a crew that worked together as a tight, order-taking unit.
JJ Abrams has recast the whole concept as an Air Force concept. It’s all flashy fighter pilots and crazy personalities and misfits who come together as a wacky, possibly hard partying group. I have a feeling we’re going to be amazed that this loud, zany group comes together as a cohesive unit, possibly at the last possible second. It’s Top Gun in space.
Look, Star Trek has been moribund for decades. As far as I’m concerned nothing past the original crew is even worth watching. But between this trailer, all flash/bang and stupidity (seriously, that opening with young Kirk is functionally retarded and cliche on such a painful level. How do you make a movie with a scene like that?), and the reports of the 20 minutes of footage, I’m feeling more and more like this is a franchise that isn’t getting restarted but noisily put down. I really hope I’m wrong, since I’d love to see a return to the fun adventures of the original crew, and I’ll be going into the final film with as open a mind as is humanly possible. Maybe my lowered expectations will help.
What do you think? Chime in below.