Star Trek is cool again!

<-- In my opinion, this is still the best poster. I just can't wrap my head around the gray abstract swooshiness in the official one they decided to go with. Too hard to tell what it is.

Okay, I'm sick and supposed to be doing homework but finding myself unable to really think. Voila, I'm turning to blogging. Maybe this will get my brain warmed up and allow me to study next. But let me get to the point. This past weekend, I went to see the new Star Trek as planned... and I really only have one word:

AWESOME.

But one lonesome word would make a boring blog, wouldn't it? Hmm... Let me see if I can scrounge up a few more words about this fantastic revival/sequel/origin flick.

I knew nothing going into this movie. Well, not nothing - but pretty darn close to it. I had heard of Spock and Kirk... I knew that Kling'ons, well, existed (though I couldn't have told you what/who they were), and I had probably heard of the USS Enterprise somewhere along the line. But, SERIOUSLY, my Star Trek knowledge was limited to a few jokes about the redshirts (who always get killed), my crazy history teacher from 10th grade who was certifiably obsessed with it, and a few moments of flipping on the TV on Saturday nights and noticing the original series was on, before switching over to watching Legend of the Seeker.

So, then there were a few more bits and pieces of info... Like the fact that Zachary Quinto, who has managed to make a psychotic serial killer vaguely likable on Heroes for several years, was in the film - not to mention a few other names I knew... Eric Bana, Karl Urban. Oh, and JJ Abrams, who made Lost sane (and AMAZING) for its first season, was directing. After this came the pre-relase buzz... the fact that, about a week before release, when early critical reviews came in, Star Trek had 100% on rotten tomatoes. (It still has a 95%). Then there was the growing buzz that Star Trek could possibly have a better first weekend than Wolverine (it didn't, fyi). Overall, it was slowly shaping up to be something SPECIAL.

Thus... [Yup, those IB Papers are still on my mind]... I went into Saturday's movie with a very optimistic mind. I was sick and mad about being sick, I had been studying all day, and I was ready to have some FUN. I was excited by the people who had already seen it on Thursday and Friday, and who had come out raving. I was ready for a great film. And that's what I got! Star Trek is an all around EXCELLENT film. Sure, the time traveling plot is a bit confusing (Damon Lindelof, one of the chief writers on Lost had something to do with the script, so what do you expect?)... but I think this film will perform MIRACLES for the franchise. As Matt Lewis (Harry Potter's Neville Longbottom) said excitedly on Twitter today, Star Trek is cool again. :)

One point I want to emphasize and paraphrase comes from a recent Entertainment Weekly that had a big Star Trek spread. It's clearly been necessary to kick-start a few old franchises lately. As shown by Casino Royale for Bond and Batman Begins for Bruce Wayne, studios are finding origin stories particularly useful for this... Going back to the beginning seems to be a successful way of getting a NEW audience involved in an OLD story. With the two examples I've already cited, darker and ediger seemed to be just what the audience ordered, but this wasn't an option for Star Trek. After all, isn't one of the pillars this franchise was formed on OPTIMISM? So, the true beauty of Star Trek 11 (though it's not being called that) is that it DID go back to the beginning, it DID renew the story for a new generation (while keeping old trekkies involved), and it DID utilize state-of-the-art CGI and new younger actors to make it accessable... but it didn't HAVE to be dark and full of deep investigations into human psychology.

Of course, people are already comparing the time Star Trek when was founded - under Kennedy - and our current time - under Obama. This is interesting, and there are a lot of points to be made here, but it's important to remember that this film was started 3 years ago, when there was very little HOPE or CHANGE to be found in our country. In many ways, doesn't this speak to Star Trek's strength? The ability to apply to over 40 years of contemporary issues! The ability to resonate with audiences from my age to younger viewers and up to people who can remember the show's beginning!

Now, I'm headed off into the land of tangents and generalized statements, but I just want to say clearly once and for all... THIS IS A MUST-SEE MOVIE. If you're an old fan, I'm pretty darn sure you'll appreciate a bit more screen-time with your favorite characters, and if you're new to the series, like me, you'll have a heck of a ride. This movie was solid and leaves me begging for more. I hope to see it again, hope they make more movies with this cast/director, and am currently considering going back to watch some of the older episodes just to get a bit more into it all.

Truthfuly... What else could filmmakers want than $72 million worth of fans with similar sentiments? Bravo!

Cheers. <3