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Star Trek Premiere Gets Standing Ovation, Surprise Showing In Austin
MrKaos writes "Proving that science fiction can still be great entertainment, J.J. Abrams appears to have impressed Star Trek fans at the official world premiere of Star Trek, who gave the film a five-minute standing ovation at the Sydney Opera House in Australia today. Meanwhile, mere hours beforehand, flummoxed fans at the Alamo Drafthouse theater in Austin, TX, deceived into thinking they were seeing a special, extended version of Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan, were pleasantly surprised when a disguised Leonard Nimoy greeted them and announced they would be seeing the new film in its entirety. ILM's influence on the film is reported as visually stunning, and lucky Australian fans are scheduled to see the movie first, as it opens a day before the American release."
"Proving that science fiction can still be great entertainment"
When was this something that needed to be proven? I've found plenty of entertaining science fiction around. Did I miss the elitist newsletter that told us all we had to say science fiction was crap now?
Jeez, miss one meeting...
I suspect there were some Star Trek fans like myself at this screening. I do not worship all things Trek. As the fan that I am, I would not hesitate to criticize the film if they screwed it up and screwed with Star Trek too much. With that in mind, it's a safe bet the reaction of the audience is genuine, albeit emotional (Leonard Nimoy as a surprise guest [would that be an oxymoron (was he dressed in Vulcan prostitute garb?)?]?) because of the whole spectacle presented to them. Purple monkey dishwasher.
Still, the general release and the reviews thereof I expect will be manly positive and full of delectable man-sex.
-Dan East
Personally as long as something is done well it don't have to be new. If the new incarnation of Star Trek is well made and entertaining, then I nothing is better than that. It is far easier for "established" licenses to get the budget movies like this get. Of course I wouldn't mind seeing something darker and more gritty than Star Trek within the realm of science fiction. But at least a well made movie constructed on an old concept is better than a crap movie based upon a new concept.
The Long Now Foundation
FTFA:
Anton Yelchin's Russian accent in his portrayal of Chekov does get a bit annoying.
What do you expect Yelchin to do with that part, now that Koenig completely immortalized bad accents for Chekov?
I am officially gone from
write your state representative and senator and get them to support Representative Dawnna Duke's economic incentive bill.
Or you could just let them succeed or fail on their own merits like every other industr...
Never mind. Apparently, that's not how we do things anymore in America (or Texas). So yeah, give 'em a handout. Just make sure it's tied to some venue tax in Austin, so I don't have to pay for it.
Today's Sesame Street was brought to you by the number e.
Am I the only one to see the irony in someone claiming that the solution to the lack of original ideas is to copy ideas from books?
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Pike would. Or is this yet another one of the billion plot holes?
If, by plot holes, you mean elements they changed as part of the *reset that this movie represents*.
Honestly, what part of "not following cannon" do you people not understand?
The guy from Spaced (I think his name was Simon Pegg) always used to say that odd-numbered Trek's ALWAYS sucked. He was a wise man, that one.
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
Let's not fool ourselves here-- if you think Hollywood has an idea shortage because they're recycling old ideas, stories, and characters, then all of humanity has had an idea shortage for a few thousand years, at least. And I say "at least" because the writers then may have been stealing ideas, but we just don't have records of the ideas they stole.
This era of reboots is fantastic in my opinion. It's what cultures do when they have a rich culture to draw from, which is that they take the old ideas and stories, and reinvent and reimagine them in a way that makes them relevant and poignant for the time. The original series was great for its time, but yeah, it's becoming increasingly dated as a relic of the 60s. The general setup of a band of explorers and the characters themselves, however, still have relevance.
You mean like how Star Wars fans went easy on Lucas for Episodes I-III?
This post is a better movie than Nemesis.
When the axe came to the forest, the trees said, "Look out - the handle was once one of us."
"gave the film a five-minute standing ovation at the Sydney Opera House in Australia today."
The Star Trek fans did exactly the same at the end of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, and that is one of the worst movies of the franchise. I suspect the applause had more to do with seeing Star Trek *return* than any relation to artistic merit.
On the other hand:
Maybe I'm just being cynical. Abrahms produces a lot of crap. Lost sucks (boring - slow as molasses), and Alias was also lousy except for the brilliant first season. I am not expecting anything from him.
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
If they were pissed, they are morons. They've seen Khan a hundred times already in every format imaginable. Chances are good that the real event will happen again.
I mean, if this is actually a good film, who wouldn't want to be able to tell their friends that they got to see if first? With Nimoy, no less?
Why would they have had the entire film print there, just in case? It doesn't make sense...
FAIL.
I don't get this sentiment. If the Internet has shown us anything, it is the fans are the most critical audience. If the movie had been bad, there would have been a riot.
Of course, the article could have exaggerated or outright lied.
Space Shuttle was a program that strapped humans to an explosion and tried to stab through the sky with fire and math
You know there was ONE huge trekkie there that was actually mad he wasn't seeing the special extended version of wrath of khan and was forced to watch the new movie.
Reviews from a clearly biased crowd -- they were there to see a 27 year old movie with an advertised 10 extra minutes of footage.
I'm not pissing on the parade, just making the point that I would not have expected a negative review, given the circumstances.
Star Trek fans have a different mind set the Star Trek fans.
Star Wars: "You better be better then our memories of the first time we saw Star Wars bitch!"
Star Trek fans: "Alright, another Star Trek! Let's be excited for the privileged!"
Oddly enough, even people who are a fan of both have those attitudes toward the respective franchises.
I suspect it has to do with the roots of the franchise. ST was hard fought by the fans SW came out of the gates blowing people away.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
This is how they get non-trekkies into a Trek film.
"I can't imagine (though I guess it's possible) even Spock himself would dare show the full movie without authorization. So that may have been planned. The destruction of a print of Wrath... probably wasn't."
Oh, come on. What are the statistical chances of Nimoy being present when any film, let alone a Star Trek film, let alone on the day before release of a new Star Trek film, bursts into flames in the projector and they happen to have the whole new film ready to go rather than only 10 minutes of it? The odds against must be astronomical. (We'll call it the "Nimoy paradox")
It was a dramatic setup. I like it, actually. It's funny (reminds me of a trick Monty Python used to use). But the whole thing was almost certainly staged.
First screening impressions sometimes don't mean anything.
I would like to piggy-back on your comment suggesting early reviews were coloured by the excitement (which is probably bang-on) and point out that in the theatre where I watched the first screening of Star Wars: Episode I, there was a standing ovation after the movie was over.
Later I realized there was a standing ovation BECAUSE the movie was over.
Or for newer space opera, any of Alistair Reynolds or Peter K Hamilton stuff would work well. I don't think general audiences are ready yet for Iaian Banks or The Culture.
I think Consider Phlebas would make a good movie. There's enough action and special effects to appeal to a wide audience.
Lensman movies, done right, could be great.
It's not possible to do any good novel justice in a movie. A two hour movie can do justice to a short story. A miniseries can do justice to a novella. A good novel requires a series, and probably two or three seasons. It's not a question of whether a movie is going to bastardize the book it's based on, the question is just, how badly?
"Convictions are more dangerous enemies of truth than lies."
"shields down to whatever percent"
Out of curiosity, what is wrong with that?
I've always viewed it as a measurement of intensity that is rebuilt over time. Since we aren't dealing with something as simple as magnetic fields (which would be amazing if projected to something the size of the enterprise).
I don't know exactly as I'm not really that into ST. But what's wrong with the % measurement?
Out of modpoints but really liked a post? 1BDkF6TtmmeZ3yqXbz9yhdYVqRYnwFoXDj
Yes. That was a good one.
There is a difference between an actor doing a good job delivering their lines and selling those lines to you. Good writers are required too of course.
Sort of a 1984 reference too.
She was like chocolate when she drank... semi-sweet at first and then increasingly bitter.
Data: In case of a water landing, I am designed to be used as a flotation device.
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
Or how about:
Sulu: (low voice) Phasers locked.
Khan: Time's up, Admiral!
Kirk: Here it comes. Now, Mr. Spock.
That "here it comes" was just priceless. I know everyone makes fun of the obligatory "KHAN!" scream, but ST:II was full of excellent dialogue. Of course, having Ricardo Montalban did wonders for the movie every time he uttered a line. Probably the best ST villain ever. All the "take over the world" or "destroy the world" plots are pretty hollow, but revenge is indeed a dish best served...cold.
What happened to all the good writers who gave us ST:II, ST:VI, and ST:FC? Were they fired for an excess of talent and replaced with worthless hacks from the Batman-and-Robin school of screenwriting?
In the end they will lay their freedom at our feet and say to us, Make us your slaves, but feed us. - Fyodor Dostoyevsky