
Well, I’ve recently returned from JJ Abram’s new Star Trek flick and I enjoyed the movie. I want to say that first. It was fun and a good flick.
However, when I walked out of the movie with my wife, I didn’t have the same feeling I had walking out of First Contact with another lady many years ago…the feeling of “See?! THAT’S Why I love Star Trek!”
This movie was enjoyable and had lots of great Trek moments, but it didn’t feel like the Star Trek I loved. And I don’t mean that in a bad way like “They ruined it!” Not at all. It was just…different. If felt like a band I didn’t know doing a cover of one of my favorite songs…I recognized the tune, but it doesn’t have the same impact as the original.
As I feel myself geeking out and getting overly defensive of a film/tv franchise that really has nothing to do with me – I find myself asking, “Why do I like Star Trek so much?”
I’m not one of these people who is all gung ho about the “vision of the future where humanity has evolved beyond greed and hunger.” I mean that’s nice and all, but that’s not really what keeps me coming back for series after series and movie after movie. Obviously the outer space element appeals to the little kid in me, but there are tons of space related movies and television that I couldn’t give a crap about (I have yet to watch a single episode of Battlestar Galactica…old school or the new ones…deal with it, nerds!)
The characters are always great. I think they might just have been lucky to come up with the Kirk/Spock/McCoy dynamic and then again with Picard/Data/Worf.
But there is some x factor about trek That even has me watching Voyager and Enterprise. I even purchased “Star Trek: Nemesis” (Which I watch far more often than a sane man should)
There is a reason I spent 10 solid hours at Star Trek the Experience or plopped down $40 to see Star Trek: The Tour. These stories have a magic to them…a charm that transcends rockets and robots and is just engaging. This movie,, while technically good at every turn…somehow lost that x factor.
I guess because since everyone was determined t “do their own thing” with the characters…I felt like I wasn’t watching MY Jim Kirk…I was watching A Jim Kirk…so I wasn’t as attached to him.
But all in all, I can’t REALLY complain. I had a good time at the theater, several stations are running Star Trek: TNG to hop on board the hype machine. Trek is back in a big way…and so for that I am thankful.
(But would it have killed them to use the Alexander Courage music a little more? …ok..I’m done geek griping…for now)