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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."

26 of 437 comments (clear)

  1. I hope it's better than Nemesis..... by Shakrai · · Score: 5, Funny

    .... I'd hate to see this guy have to do another plot synopsis ;)

    --
    I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
    We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
    1. Re:I hope it's better than Nemesis..... by rpillala · · Score: 5, Insightful

      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."
    2. Re:I hope it's better than Nemesis..... by OakDragon · · Score: 5, Funny

      What other Trek cliches have run their course?

      "If your shirt be red, soon ye'll be dead."

    3. Re:I hope it's better than Nemesis..... by Shakrai · · Score: 5, Funny

      Kirk: The away team will consist of Spock, Bones, myself and Ensign Smith.
      Ensign Smith: Fuck

      --
      I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
      We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
  2. Wait...what? by gnarlyhotep · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "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...

    1. Re:Wait...what? by enilnomi · · Score: 5, Funny

      Did I miss the elitist newsletter that told us all we had to say science fiction was crap now?

      No, you just didn't see Transformers.

      --
      education is no substitute for intelligence
    2. Re:Wait...what? by Em+Emalb · · Score: 5, Funny

      No, you just didn't see Transformers.

      What? Are you mad? Two words: Morgan Fox.

      +5 insightful.

      --
      Sent from your iPad.
    3. Re:Wait...what? by dietdew7 · · Score: 5, Informative

      Megan Fox

    4. Re:Wait...what? by Em+Emalb · · Score: 5, Funny

      Oh God, now I'm confused, I just imagined this Megan Fox/Morgan Freeman hybrid narrating The Shawshank Transformers:

      "I wish I could tell you that Optimus Prime fought the good fight, and the Decepticons let him be. I wish I could tell you that - but earth is no fairy-tale world. He never said who did it, but we all knew. Things went on like that for awhile - earth life consists of routine, and then more routine. Every so often, Optimus Prime would show up with fresh bruises. The Decepticons kept at him - sometimes he was able to fight 'em off, sometimes not. And that's how it went for Optimus - that was his routine. I do believe those first two years were the worst for him, and I also believe that if things had gone on that way, this place would have got the best of him."

      --
      Sent from your iPad.
    5. Re:Wait...what? by MozeeToby · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I think what he meant was "Proving that science fiction can still be great pop-culture entertainment".

      There's a big difference between what a sci-fi fan finds entertaining (speculation about future technology and society, viewing the problems of today through the lens of fantasy) and what the average guy on the street finds entertaining (I'm going to resist the temptation to lampoon the average guy's tastes).

      Don't believe me? Look at the most popular 'sci-fi' movies in history (truly popular, not just cult classics) and think about whether or not they are really science-fiction the way you think about it. Pop-culture sci-fi uses the futuristic/technology aspects as plot devices to make a fantasy story work. What makes the new Star Trek movie interesting is that it seems to be both science-fiction as well as pop-culture science-fiction at the same time.

    6. Re:Wait...what? by Nyeerrmm · · Score: 5, Interesting

      While I agree with the analysis of Star Trek v. Star Wars, I'd argue BSG touches a lot of 'true sci-fi' topics, particularly the lines between machine and sentience, and the dangers associated with creating more and more intelligent machines.

      Also I'd say its more than just a space opera because it explores the practical implications of multi-world society, and seems much more realistic than Star Wars in terms of social commentary and realism... although I realize that doesn't necessarily push it more into sci-fi rather than just being generally more substantial.

  3. refunds by gEvil+(beta) · · Score: 5, Funny

    Those guys in Austin should demand a refund! They paid for a ticket for The Wrath of Khan, but that's not what they got. If it were me I'd be raising hell.

    --
    This guy's the limit!
    1. Re:refunds by bickle · · Score: 5, Funny

      Me too. I'd be yelling "CON!!!!!!!!!!"

  4. Leonard Nimoy in disguise? by 14erCleaner · · Score: 5, Funny

    I guess he didn't wear his ears.

    --
    Have you read my blog lately?
  5. All trekkies by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The audience consisted of trekkies, but I'm wondering; does that make the 5min. standing ovation more, or less impressive?

    1. Re:All trekkies by BobNET · · Score: 5, Funny

      Just as there are no sequels to the Matrix, Insurrection is the most recent Trek movie made. That makes this the tenth, so the odd-even rule still stands...

  6. Slashdot Freudian Slip Of The Day by Dystopian+Rebel · · Score: 5, Funny

    Two words: Morgan Fox

    Every time he thinks about Megan Fox, he thinks about his organ.

    --
    Rich And Stupid is not so bad as Working For Rich And Stupid.
  7. Re:Idea shortage in LA by TheRaven64 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    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?

    --
    I am TheRaven on Soylent News
  8. Re:Idea shortage in LA by nine-times · · Score: 5, Insightful

    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.

  9. Better than a refund, and maybe not planned by Chris+Burke · · Score: 5, Informative

    Those guys in Austin should demand a refund! They paid for a ticket for The Wrath of Khan, but that's not what they got. If it were me I'd be raising hell.

    The story I heard via word of mouth was that they were actually going to play Wrath of Khan, with ten minutes of sneak-preview footage from the movie that hadn't been seen before as a bonus. However shortly after Wrath started playing, the old and damaged film caught fire and was destroyed. Then Nimoy revealed himself, and instead of showing the 10 minute teaser, they showed the whole film.

    linky I found on a Drafthouse blog, btw.

    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.

    The last time I had a film burn up (actually it was the projector bulb that exploded, side effect was the print was destroyed) all I got was a lousy refund. Getting to watch a world premiere of a movie I'd probably be interested in, rather than having my night out ruined, is way way better than a refund.

    I seriously fucking wish I had been there and I may have been but I didn't even know they were running Wrath. Why do I not check the Drafthouse web page more often?!

    --

    The enemies of Democracy are
    1. Re:Better than a refund, and maybe not planned by iluvcapra · · Score: 5, Informative

      A lamp burning the film would only destroy about five feet of it. The damaged print can be prepared and the show completed (trust me, I've done it). You can't "destroy a print" in a projector, unless it's silver nitrate, and you need a special projection booth with fire suppression in order to run those legally (and the Austin Drafthouse doesn't have that kind of booth. Trust me, I've run films there).

      --
      Don't blame me, I voted for Baltar.
    2. Re:Better than a refund, and maybe not planned by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      "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.

  10. Re:Review? by Chyeld · · Score: 5, Interesting

    It was a screening to people who would actually take time out of their lives to go see a remastered version of Wrath of Khan. Which isn't anything against those folk, that was a good movie. But in terms of objective "this was a good movie on it's own merits" reviews, do you honestly expect to see any?

    This was a binary choice: either they all loved it because it was the next Star Trek movie. Meaning it didn't stink as bad as Nemesis. Or they burnt down the theater because it was the next Star Trek movie and it stunk as bad as Nemesis.

  11. Superficial? by hdon · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Quote from one of the reviewers:

    This 11th film is easily the best looking, most expensive, best produced iteration in the franchise. This film is going to be absolutely massive. It's epic in scale, and it's easy to see where the $150 million went.

    Is anyone else actually excited by this kind of thing? Who here can say they enjoyed Reloaded or Revolutions more than The Matrix? I was really hoping for reviews to tell me how compelling the acting and story were, but it really seems to be all about the expense. Am I missing something?

  12. Re:Christopher Pike? by Chris+Burke · · Score: 5, Funny

    Honestly, what part of "not following cannon" do you people not understand?

    The part where you don't join us in frothing at the mouth and taking up pitch forks and torches in outcry against this heinous heresy!

    --

    The enemies of Democracy are
  13. Re:Nuclear wessels by geminidomino · · Score: 5, Funny

    It's sad... Walter Koenig's name doesn't make me think of Chekov anymore...

    "Anatomically impossible, Mr. Garibaldi. But you're welcome to try."