I couldn't get this up on this blog right as I saw the film, but Blogger had somehow reset my language to Hindi....
I have only one nit to pick, so I’ll do that first….for 99% of the film none of the older musical scores were referenced or used in their entirety.
Reasons I love this:
The writing got almost everyone nailed (McCoy occasionally skated perilously close to parody, and even that was lovable…. and when he wasn’t doing that he was amazing.)
Favorite McCoy line: "I'm a doctor, not a physicist!"
I completely bought into: Chris Pine’s Kirk, (Kirk in particular was marvelous…stripped away of the parody that he got made into, he resonated with such original series episodes as “Where No Man Has Gone Before,” and “Balance of Terror.”), Bruce Greenwood’s Pike, Sulu and Uhura.
Favorite Kirk setup and line (I'm regretfully paraphrasing)
Security Dweeb confronts Kirk wanting to beat him up: "Look, cupcake, there are four guys here..."
Kirk: "Bring a fifth guy and it'll be a fair fight."
Zachary Quinto’s Spock took a bit longer, because from the trailers he was clearly “outside” the level of emotional control we’d seen from Nimoy’s Spock in the original, except under alien influence or, well once every seven years.
But the movie has a reason for a less controlled Spock, and a compelling one, which I bought wholeheartedly.
Favorite Spock setup and line:
(The Vulcan Science Academy has obviously been studying "How to make a mind blowingly stupid remark in polite company," in the Human Emotions Dictionary)
They praise young Spock for his outstanding work that merited him a place at Vulcan Science Academy, but wonder what possessed him to apply for Starfleet as well...)
Admissions Chairperson: "But you've done so *well* despite your disadvantage!"
Spock: "To what disadvantage are you referring?"
Admissions Chairperson: "Your human mother!"
Spock then politely with perfect diction and a quiet tone of voice, tells them that he has made a decision to enroll in Starfleet. The room erupts. No one has ever turned down a post to the Vulcan Science Academy!!!
"What emotion are you trying to convey?" Accusing Spock of the ultimate Vulcan faux pas.
"The only emotion I wish to convey is gratitude."
That's Vulcan for "Kiss my ***!"
There was plenty of homage to the original, and many Trekker’s might say too much.
(It was fine for me. I’ll take beloved lines and attitudes and riffs whenever they come.)
Unlike “The Motionless Picture,” (the first ever Trek Film) you didn’t waste 15 minutes of film staring up at the FX of the movie sized Enterprise…
But she was a brilliant piece of starship, as I’ve noted prior (and that was the first time I teared up a bit.)
One liners referenced both the original series, and, indirectly the animated series of the seventies, with an elementary school age Spock being tormented by his classmates. as well as the last primetime spinoff “Enterprise.” The villain felt like “Nemesis,” the last film before this, in the design and colors of his ship.
Nimoy as elder Spock…a graceful turn firmly in continuity with the nuanced character he’s given us before… as per usual for him. (Yeah I cried.)
There have been some changes though, that I can’t recount without spoiling things.
Non-fans and fans alike: Tempus Fugit. Quick. Go see this film.
The word is given. Warp speed.
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