EXCHANGE INTERFACE

Because I loves me discussion.

My general review on the new Star Trek movie is in this post here. There are no specific spoilers for the plot of the movie in that post, and no character spoilers other than those which have been shown in the trailers.

So, I enjoyed it - all of it.

Then again, I am a major sucker for time-travel stories - stories where the characters have to loop around the complicated merry-go-round of deja vu and the grandfather paradox, and the use of Leonard Nimoy as the 'original' Spock was awesome - as was the way that he addressed Kirk and the way that the young Kirk now saw the things in the older Spock that he hadn't in the younger.

The idea that this is really a spin-off from the series continuity was awesome; a way to satisfy both the old-time fans and bring in the new. It really is Star Trek, but it really is going boldly where Star Trek hasn't gone before.

Favourite moments? Any scene involving Chris Pine. I mean, I still remember him as the Duke's nephew in The Princess Diaries 2 (it was the worst angst-ridden evil uncle plot I've ever seen, but it was Disney) romancing Anne Hathaway's Princess Mia, but the boy has grown up and manages to carry off Kirk's charm and womanising, even while portraying the reckless edge in the fatherless boy from Iowa.

Spock and his family - I haven't seen Winona Ryder in years; probably not since...oh, gosh, Little Women. It was a shock to see that she's aged since I still have her in mind as an unlined thirty-something. But I loved her as Spock's mother, and the dynamics between her and her son, her and her husband, between Spock and his father - between Quinto!Spock and Nimoy!Spock were all well-done. I don't know if the dynamic was quite so angst-ridden in the series, but they played it pretty strongly here.

The redshirt scene? Hilarious. Karl Urban as Bones? Wonderful. John Cho as Sulu? Awesome. I'm glad they limited Simon Pegg's part in the screenplay - Pegg's a brilliant actor, but the story's not about Scotty and it would become that way, simply because Pegg's one of those actors who pours his heart and soul into it all. The man would otherwise take up way too much screen.

I loved that Kirk and Spock weren't friends from the start - that they came first to grudging respect and only later to friendship. I'm sure the original slashers will love that, too. And, possibly, my favourite scene in the movie is the bit where Kirk offers bad-guy Nero the opportunity to come in and face up to his crimes, and Spock and Kirk have this little 'aside' discussion about who's on board with this idea.

Although it took me a moment to get over the idea that it wasn't going to be Kirk/Uhura, I rather like the Spock/Uhura angle. Although I'd have been way happier if Uhura had gotten to be seriously kickass at least once in the movie. There were hints of it, but no actual being kickass.

The only part that I'm not 100% sure I bought was the bad guy, Nero. I know nothing of the Romulans, or if this kind of storyline is usual for Star Trek; but Nero felt very much like an afterthought - a plot device. The story was less about the conflict with him and more about how the Enterprise came to be under Kirk, and the conflict that led up to that, one of which happens to be Nero messing with the timeline. He is the major antagonist, but he's not the major conflict, if you get my drift.

Still, I consider Star Trek good enough to go see again with a couple of friends in Gold Class on Tuesday. And I want to soak in some of the ideas that might have hop-skipped past me last time.

Do other people have thoughts on this? I've seen the short responses, but what I really want to see is discussion and people weighing in - particularly the old-skool fans.