stunt_muppet

Dear Messrs. Pine and Quinto,

Forgive me for doubting you, especially since my doubts were foolishly mostly founded on a) not liking Sylar all that much and b) you both not being Shatner and Nimoy.

Dear Mr. Abrams,

Well played, sir. Well played.

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So. Um. As you may have been able to tell, I rather enjoyed it. It was exciting and well-produced and deliciously meta and eeeeee.

1. Those first, slow, loving shots of the Enterprise. Oh yeah, this movie wasn't made by fans at all.

2. The wonderful, wonderfully metafictive plotline. The AU divergence started at the same time Kirk was born, which not only explains the different events but its own funny way explains the different actors as well, as emphasized by Nimoy (the original Spock) as Spock Prime. I mean yeah, that doesn't explain away McCoy since he's older, but shut up, it makes sense in my head. And thus, in-universe, an AU with new actors and new interpretations becomes possible without conflicting with extant events - same characters, but subtly different developments.

Plus, there's the fact that the first of Kirk's Girls of the Week is an actual Green Skinned Space Babe. I'm convinced Abrams reads TV Tropes.

2.a. Speaking of which, Spock Prime. Spock Priiime. Oh Leonard Nimoy, why still so awesome? And it makes me so unreasonably happy that he basically went to all this trouble to save his and Kirk's epic bromance. Well, and the Federation. But mostly the bromance.

Way to forget McCoy, though, Spock Prime. :(

3. The new crew. I really thought everyone did an excellent job with their roles, staying true to the characters (so far as I can tell, anyway) but still bringing something new to the table. I think McCoy might have been my favorite of the new cast, but for some reason even though they didn't get as much screentime I loved, loved, loved Sulu and Chekov. Especially wee enthusiastic Chekov. I suspect there will not be as much movieverse fic for them, so once I watch more TOS and thus am not a complete noob I'll have to snap to.

But Quinto made an excellent Spock - he had the tone of voice down just right - and made the emotional outbursts believable. And Pine works as a swaggering, angrier young Kirk but sill recognizably Kirk. And Pegg!Scotty! I know he was mostly comedic, but he was adorable.

3.a. Also, the Kobayashi Maru scene. Oh, Kirk, you jackass. :D

4. The opening. Way to make me all weepy for George Kirk when he's in there for ten minutes and I know he's doomed. Way, movie.

5. "SPOOOOCK!! SPOOOOOOOOOOCK!! " I choose to believe this was a reference to "KHAAAAAN!!" and thus it makes me happy.

5.a. Speaking of which, I quite liked Nero. He was subtly funny and a touch campy and actually kind of smart.

6. CAPTAIN PIKE YAY. Manages to take out two of Nero's guards right after he's been unstrapped from what's presumably a torture device. Awesome.

7. SPOCK/UHURA OMG. I didn't see that coming. Or, rather, I wouldn't have seen that coming if a zillion icons hadn't spoiled it for me. But still, I found it subtle and nicely-handled; it was sweet but didn't overtake the plot. Why can't more movies have romantic subplots like this?

8. The special effects! They were excellent! My tolerance for cheese and effects-fail is very high but I do love it so so much when shiny special effects actually WORK. The Nerada, in particular, was nicely done and sufficiently intimidating.

9. Unexpected sense of humor! I kind of expected this movie to be in the vein of the superhero-reboot movies and thus be darker and edgier and whatever, but even with all the intensity and death the movie had excellent comic writing and timing, enough to leaven the mood a bit without becoming a farce.

10. Leonard Nimoy reciting "Space...the final frontier..." over the end. I didn't even grow up with this show and I got all choked up, you guys. I have no idea why. It was one of the many times when I wish I'd been watching with a crowd of fanboys, because you just know they'd have been cheering.


So yes. I loved it. I would very much like to see it again. And I think I may just be pushed to Trek fannishness, though I must watch more of the old series before I feel comfortable enough for that. Can't decide if I'd rather write TOS fic or movieverse fic, though.

I'd forgotten how nice it is to see and enjoy a movie divorced from its fandom. I'm sure once I start reading reactions I'll start realizing things the movie did wrong or ways the new movie has Greivously Wronged Trek Fandom, but for now I'm riding the squee and I'm glad not to have to listen to anybody wanking themselves dry over the movie or baiting oldfen/noobs/shippers/nonshippers just to start a fight. Perhaps this is trying to tell me something about my own preferred level of fannish participation?

More points of fannishness to come later, plus real life, but I should go to bed. Night, flist.