J.J. Abrams “Star Trek” reboot had a surprise screening in Austin last night, so that means all the usual Texas film suspects were in the house. The film doesn’t come out until May 8, but apparently no embargo was put in place so reviews have already run wild. What we’re seeing so far, is what we’ve seen in the trailer — this looks more “Star Wars” prequels space action drama than the slow-moving and pensive science-fiction of yore.
Hollywood Elsewhere’s Moises Chiullan, a young buck admittedly born after “Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan” writes : “Star Trek has never been this visually dynamic. The camera work is full of lens flares, reflections, and focus effects that really sell the atmosphere. You also have a more nuts/bolts/gaskets/pipes styled Enterprise, where the ship feels like a labyrinthine submarine merged with an aircraft carrier. The mixture of practical and CG alien and creature effects are also fantastic, with all kinds of new stuff never seen before in the franchise. Star Trek is an unrelenting, slam-bang naval war movie that rarely catches its own breath, even to hold for laughs. Shades of swashbucklers and submarine thrillers alike are all over the storytelling and smash-bam-kaboom stuff going on throughout. It’s packed to the gills with plenty sure to thrill people looking for escapist heroism with a healthy dose of optimism.”
Ain’t It Cool’s Quint who says he’s “not a huge Trek nerd” is not totally sold and thinks Eric Bana “isn’t a fantastic villain.”
“I think the first 45 minutes of the movie is rock solid. The second act has a few problems, the biggest of which seemed to be a sequence of check-listing, making sure all the characters we know and love are on the bridge and the way they introduce Nimoy is a great hero moment, but seems very convenient. I forgive it because they pulled off the overall story, but I don’t think anybody can deny how convenient it is that Old Spock is exactly where he is when he pops back into the story.”
Film School Rejects members were there too. Neil Miller gives is an A-grade, and says it’s “dangerously accessible and entertaining,” but does point to some minor issues. “Like any big glossy blockbuster, Star Trek does come with a few minor problems. Anton Yelchin feels a little funny in his role as Chekov, though after a while he is easy to get used to. The accent felt a little goofy for me, but let’s not have any delusions of grandeur here, as Walter Koenig’s accent was never perfect either. It might sound a little funny at first, but it works in the end. As well, John Cho feels very forgettable as Sulu. In the end, his character is more a victim of under use than of poor casting. And when he is used, it is either part of the action or part of a comedic gag. And trust me when I say that there are plenty of comedic moments, the majority of which seem to work. What works best is when the humor is less gaggy, and more derivative of the banter between characters. There are moments of dialogue that will have you chuckling out loud, trust me.”
Another FSR writer calls it a “fantastic movie,” but gives it a B+ grade. “It’s pacing is rapid-fire, the action is larger-than-life and raises blood pressure with ease, and the characters come to life in a very cool way. Overall, it’s an exciting flick that is shot beautifully – featuring a cast that carries all the weight necessarily to create some enduring figures to root for. A near-perfect Summer tentpole blockbuster.”
A Chud reader thankfully gives us some perspective. “It doesn’t suck. Anyone who says it’s better than Wrath of Khan is talking out of their hyperbolic ass though. This one doesn’t nearly have as clear a thought out script as that one, easily one of the tightestly plotted films in any genre, and suffers from the same problem as that other Orci and Kurtzman collaboration, Transformers: it wants to be all things for all people at all times.”
/Film has a few more thoughts from others in attendance. While the Playlist generally doesn’t care for these films, I’m personally finding myself mildly intrigued while some other members of the team one would normally think are a bit more pre-disposed to the material seem to think it looks terrible. Who knows, but it sounds a least entertaining which is all we’d be asking for. May is not that far away.