New Star Trek VS Star Trek Classic

Rating: 3/10 (17 May 2009)

** Spoiler Alert ** I went to this movie wanting to enjoy it and trying to keep an open mind. I expected certain things and I felt cheated about 15 minutes into the movie. I kept waiting for the two things that would, I guess, comfort most Trekkies The musical theme and the simple soliloquy; Space, the final frontier You don't get it till the end of the movie, probably thrown in for safety's sake to "nod" to the Trekkies. I found that odd that a "reboot" would change something so basic, so familiar to the brand of "Star Trek". (The comparison came to mind of a popular soft-drink company wanting to reboot their 99 year-old drink recipe – and it didn't go well for them.) The musical theme is important to the brand. So is the history, for it to deserve the same label. I can't decide if this was a reboot, remake, or a new marketing campaign. Star Wars, Superman, Halloween, Mission Impossible, Pink Panther – all old movies, but you hear the music in your head. In Star Wars you knew in the opening title you would have the yellow text scrolling. In Superman that title score just grabs you But in the NEW Star Trek?? Prepare to embrace the fad of newness.
I heard great things about the musical score too – But it didn't happen for me. No familiar themes, not even a hint of a familiar dissonance associated with the scenes on planet Vulcan. The score was simply forgettable.
Cheated is the best description I can come up with. My sixteen year-old agreed that certain scenes were almost carbon copies of Star Wars. The giant bugs? – Starship Troopers. The ice planet Hoth?? Scotty's assistant was a Jar-Jar Binks/Oompa Loompa. My eleven year-old compared Nero to a Sith Lord. Why not just include light sabers while we're at it? Special effects the warp fx were rebooted, the transporter beam too – They both seemed comical to me. Nero at one point can jump 30 feet high Not to mention three heroes "space jump" complete with parachutes from orbit, instead of simply taking a shuttle craft..?? Time Travel? Really? Without including something to fix?? That's just lazy.
I'm sort of surprised that Leonard Nimoy appeared in it too. I'm sure it is just a funny old-geezer joke to some and a respectful nod to others, but I just see it as shrewd marketing move by the studio to appease a loyal fan-base they have (at times) seriously underestimated.
This was a good movie as compared to "Starship Troopers". It was probably better than "The Core" too. I went expecting to be engaged and drawn in to a drama, and I felt cheated. I expected the plot to have depth, I was disappointed. I expected that young Kirk would be a rebel, not a shallow juvenile plot device. I expected the same attention to detail that appears in the Lost series, but I guess it's just Star Trek Classic – We are just supposed to like it cause it's better.
I think that a lot of people really didn't understand Star Trek TOS at the time it came out. It was really cutting-edge social commentary hidden in a 1968 "new-age" sci fi. Times have changed and this movie will be accepted like as a fad for a new group to jump on the bandwagon. They don't have to understand sci-fi, the writers don't have to do social commentary. Just make something "old" NEW again, add special effects, some explosions and put it in a bright shiny package.
Time will tell. Who knows, maybe this will spark a "reboot" for Star Wars