OH YES!!! IT was amazing!!!!  Spock was very cool, and I'd like to see a discussion about the logic vs emotion... (maybe Spockis53 has something to say??)

I've never counted ST as my favourite thing, but over the years I've seen all the shows and watched all the movies.  I guess its familiar, so yeah, I'm a fan.

I didn't expect the movie to be so good, but it was one of my favourites.

Amazing!!!

I'm a huge Trek fan and loved every second of it!!!

Kind of cute - my grandsons went - 17, 20, 22. Liked the movie but they said there were a lot of wierd people there. My daughter asked if they were in costume. they said "No, just flabby and 40 or 50."

I really liked the movie but I note, from a feminist perspective, that the slant around women has changed with this movie. I think the death Majel Barrett-Roddenberry (Lwaxana Troi and numerous other characters, including computer voices) has had an effect in a negative way. One of the things that I have always liked about Star Trek is that it has pushed the boundaries around equality in many aspects and this movie is regressive on that score, in my opinion.

Crazyheart -- I was expecting that kind of audience, too.  But this movie seemed to attract mostly younger people in the late teens to mid-thirties -- at least in the showings I went to.  And most of them were not the flabby, pimply, living-in-moms-basement type of trek fan I was expecting.  I was quite suprised.

I have always loved it.

here is a great clip of shatner

Mo5 - I hear you.  It made a lot of sense related to Kirk's 'ladiesman' persona, and Spock's logic/non-emotional persona, and gave Uhura a strong, but very sexually-oriented role. 

It was definately made as a teen movie (I think) but it wasn't a step forward for women at all.  Even Spock's mom wasn't particularly strong as a character.  There was certainly opportunity for it. (i'm foggy since we watched 2 other ST movies for our kid's sake this weekend too)

Lots of fun though. 

I saw it with my wife and nine year old daughter. She obviously doesn't know Star Trek because she was disappointed when we told her R2-D2 wasn't in it (no joke). I was disappointed that they rewrote the history of Star Trek. I expected that by the end of the film something would happen and things would return to canon and they didn't. I'd love to see that happen in the next film (assuming there will be another) but I'm doubtful. I don't really see it as a step backwards for feminism though. It didn't step forward, but I think that's just because so much of it was devoted to action. Uhuru was positive and the sexiness is o.k. After all that's a reflection of how times have changed since the T.V. series and for men as well. William Shatner's Kirk was a bit of a "playa" and that's been enboldened in this movie as well. I see the Goose and Gander moving together. One question though, what's the deal with Uhuru's name. I read something about it before I saw the film that said something to the effect "you don't hear it until late in the movie, but it's worth the wait". I don't get it. I don't recognize the name at all. If it's an in joke it must be a terrible obscure one. Could somebody clue me in to that one? Thanks.

Hmm... re: Uhura's first name...

I'm not sure if it was intended to be a bit of a joke.  My suspicion is that the comment was made by one of the hard-core fans.  My understanding is that Uhura's first name was never mentioned during the entire run of the series or any of the previous movies.

Her first name was created in fan-fiction and that name stuck and has long been assumed to be her first name.  Abrams and crew used the fan-fic name and made it canon by including it in the movie.  So for those hard-core fans, this is a huge deal.  I'm assuming the "it's worth the wait" comment is mostly to show that fandom has won in regards to her first name.

(It's happened once before, too.  Sulu's first name, Hikaru, was created in fan-fiction and later canonized on film.)

PS: There are talks of the next movie being made for 2011.  I don't think it'll return to canon, though -- but I have heard absolutely no comments about this.  I think that in creating the story and universe how they did (and I'm being vague for people who haven't seen it yet), this allows them to do what they want without truly damaging canon.

Thanks for letting us know. That makes sense.

I am not reading any of the thread until I watch the movie this afternoon.

I am so excited.  I love Star Trek and have been missing Captain Kirk and the rest of the gang and now I get to see them again!!!!!

Anytime the cultural milieu makes women invisible or there to serve the needs of men, I see it as a step backwards. Movies, TV shows and the new media, are influenced by and influence the culture around it. Is the miniscule, narrow role for one main women character reflective of our culture's move away from women's equality or does it, with entertainment elsewhere, subtley move women's equality off the radar and thus, play a role in the losses sustained by women in our efforts for equality?

Uhura was positive and sexiness is OK -- those are both true but she was marginalized to a handful of lines, and merely played a role that supported the men's sexuality. That's unfortunate, give the equality that was developed in the rest of the series in TNG, DS9 and Voyager. It's one of the reason I have enjoyed ST. I think it has a lot to do with the loss of Majel Barrett-Roddenbury and I hope the creators of future movies or series fix it. Otherwise, to me, it's just like any other action film, fun perhaps, but without the substance that was developed over many years.

I see what you're saying. I just really think what happened was that so much of the film was devoted to action there wasn't much of anything else and what little there was ended up being establishing the Kirk/Spock friendship. Look at this. Most of Sulu's scenes were sword fighting bad guys and a touch of comic relief. Chekov had a small role in advancing one bit of action. Scotty didn't come in until late and mostly had comic relief after that. Almost all the development was on Kirk and Spock with just a sliver going to Bones. This didn't meet the beautiful progress of S.T.:T.N.G., D.S.9 or Voyager, you're right but I don't think it moved backwards, it just idled for the sake of action. That's not great but I get why it was done. Anyway we can both hope for better in the next installment (assuming of course).

I was dissapointed that Uhura's sexiness was the most important part of her too and I do not think that is okay.  I think that brains should be more important and sexiness should not be part of it.  Interestingly, I think this was more sexualized than the orignal series when mini everything was in and the woman were quite scantily dressed.

I do like how Kirk explored his dark side and he was actually nearly lost with the death of father and the anger of it.  That was well done.  In this alternate Universe that is what is now and there is no going back.  That is reality now.  I also liked Kirk and Spock exploring their friendship.  That friendship in this reality may never have happened.  I was at first dissapointed in the old Spock who did not come back with Kirk.  But Kirk had to find his own way back to himself and become friends with Spock or that would destroy all the good that "team" would do because that team of Kirk and Spock would never be formed.

I  haven't seen it yet, but if they don't have tribbles, I won't tribble myself to see it.  I LOVE those furry little things! 

I hope you are right about a next installment, with some improvements in this area, jon71. Serena, good points around the story line -- it seems there are all sorts of potentially interesting places to go after this.

I totally loved the film! It ended too soon. It did seem short, but still it was fullfilling to see yet I'm excited now to see the next one. I'll need to watch it again a few times to pick up on everything. It was very fast paced.

I thought the actors all did an excellent job representing the original characters, sometimes uncannily so! I loved SPock and Jim, they were great, as was Karl Urban as Bones. Really funny at times! "Damn it Jim, I'm a doctor not a physisist!" : ) Fantastic!

I thought Uhura was great. Good to see her in her youth, having a bit of a love interest, and a very suitable one I feel. I was waiting for her hair to go up into it's 60's updo, but that didn't happen. I thought she was bold, brassy, brainy and cool headed, just as she should be. I don't think it's a problem that everybody's hormores were a bit lively, that's what youth is like, besides it carries Star Trek into the future, appealing to the younger generation, and I want to see Star Trek continue.

The only thing I didn't like really was the casting of Winona Ryder as Spock's mother. She is so not Spock's mother! To her credit though she did as good a job as could be expected from her to conceal her Winona-ness and appear mature, stoic, compassionate, loving, wise and weathered. Still just about any other tall, mature, motherly actress would have done better I think. Winonna is so small and slight. I don't know why they picked her.

Overall though, two thumbs way up for me!! Lots of fun!

 I just came back from seeing the movie a second time, only in IMAX. I was never much of a trekkie. I would watch TNG and TOS whenever I saw it on. I religously watched Enterprise for the first season, but it got weird in the second. DS9 and Voyager never really interested me.

Suffice to say, I loved this movie. It was so great. The visuals were overwealming, the acting was great, and the story is as Star Trek as you could get, as far as I can remeber (It's been a while) It was so much fun, especially in IMAX when all you can see is the screen and you can actually feel the sound. My only complaint is the villian. Interesting backstory, but he spent most of the movie in warp, away from the action and he never really seemed like a persitant threat to me.

Yes, I saw it, and I gotta say... it didn't really work for me. There was too much action, and not enough character-driven storyline. To me, it was always the wonderful character interaction on Star Trek which made it such a unique show. That's one of the reasons why the incarnation of Trek I like best is Next Generation.

I also found some of the actor's portrayals to be off. Chekov and Scotty were the worst. Sulu and Uhura just seemed vacant, not at all like the originals. Bones and Kirk were the best. Spock, he was okay. Also, Spock and Uhura kissing on the transporter... anyone remember a thing called Pon Farr???

The story and situations were nothing new. Most of them just copies of stuff that had been done before (just how many times has Kirk hung from a cliff anyway?). It's not a film I'll pay to go see again. I'll watch it on TV when it's on.

Hi Motheroffive,

Star Trek was a take it or leave it experience.  Having seen it I now know that it wouldn't have been horrible to have missed seeing it.

I get the alternate universe and the way that accounts for discrepancies in the characters as they are known.

So that was an easy sell.  The rest of the movie?  Ho hum.

Did enjoy Karl Urban as McKoy though he seems to be less congenial than the original.

Simon Pegg did an admirable job as Scotty although the script played Scotty for cheap laughs.

Spock (Leonard Nimoy) insisting that in this alternate universe Kirk had to become what Kirk had been in the previous universe seemed to be operating more out of nostalgia than logic.

And hey, to become the captain I as first officer am going to goad my captain into taking a swing at me.  Yeah?  And everybody will just watch that go down and say nothing right? Why?  Well, because that is what bad plot writing allows to happen.

This Trek movie reminded me of Star Trek the motion Picture.

Lamest of plots, coolest of visuals.

After waiting forever to watch Kirk in the Kobayashi Maru simulation this film manages to make it a non-event.  There is no subtlety to it at all.  I can understand why there would have been a tribunal.  I suspect it was probably not because of rewriting the program and "cheating" so much as it was for not even bothering to make it look like there was any effort involved.

Cheating is serious enough.  To blatantly cheat and ham it up while doing so.  I wouldn't be setting that phaser for stun more like the writer was stunned.

This one isn't worth a rental.  Unless everything else on TV is insipid I wouldn't be watching it there either.

Grace and peace to you.

John

Ouch, Rev John!  Well, for my two cents worth, I just saw it (in my trek uniform from Next Gen but I'm not a diehard, honest!), and enjoyed it, especially when Kirk did so not get the girl at the end, Spock did, hee hee!  I was relieved that the usual time travel did not have everything going back to normal at the end as usually happened in most time continuum dilemmas on Star Trek, and thought the best moments were when the name Tiberias was being debated as Kirk's dad was driving his ship into the enemy, and when Kirk asked if he had known his dad in the other time line, sigh.  So there could be another 5 year mission without any worries.  Bones was the best by far, and there is considerable debate in my household as to whether the new Spock can raise one eyebrow or not.  As for the gender issues, good point, but at least they didn't tart Uhuru up in the typical miniskirts that every Star Trek bombshell got stuck with (remember Deanna Troy's first uniform, gag!).  I thought it was lovely to have the old Spock and new Spock meet up at the end, despite the illogic of doing so.  Leonard's portrayal seemed way too mellow for me (too human?) and I was glad they finally got Scotty in there, the suspense was killing me.  Didn't expect Spock's appearance at all.

Also, I loved that Uhuru was assertive in getting on the Enterprise, she asked for that position, challenged Spock's assumption that if he put her there it would smack of favoritism, and when they needed a translator, she wasn't shy in saying she was the best at it.  She didn't sleep her way to the top, and she Chose!!! who she wanted to be with and was extremely professional to the idiotic Kirk.  I liked that.

For those of you who have not seen it here is a link to the trailer:

http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/movie/index.html

and go see it....it is only the most popular movie of the summer!!!!

I loved the movie - been to see it twice!  I thought that Uhura was wonderful.  Spock and her was a complete surprise to me but I thought that they did it very well.  I thought that the actor who played Spock was incredible there were scenes where he looked exactly like Nimoy (who was my fav charactor in the original series) it was weird.  I also liked the new Kirk better than the old Kirk probably because this new Kirk didn't get the girl all of the time and seemed more vunerable than the old.  I agree with the postings that the writers went for action vrs charactor development and that was why there was little in the way of female charactorization.  But I also agree that there needs to be more women charactors in the next movie.  Where is nurse Chapel for example.  I do not agree though that Uhura was just there as a sex symbol.  I thought that she was bold, smart, and assertive.  She is allowed to be beautiful and smart at the same time.

All in all an excellent movie IMHO LOL  E   

It would be great if they could develop Nurse Chapel's character in this grouping of ST movies -- she was played by Majel Barret-Roddenbury in the original series and, if done carefully, could be a real tribute to her memory and contribution.

Yes I would like Nurse Chapel back.  I think that in one of the movies she was Dr. Chapel.  Maybe in this Alt universe she could just leap fwd and be Dr. Chapel.  I mean Dr. McCoy could sure use some help given that most of the crew is under 30 LOL.  I loved the look on Dr. McCoy's face when Chekov announced that he was 17!  Good suggestion Motheroffive.  Do you think that Nurse Chapel would be jealous of Spock's relationship with Uhura? 

I totally loved Uhura too.  I agree with MonAsksIt, I thought that the writers did a good job with balancing the power relationship between Spock and Uhura in as much as I thought that she had as much power in that relationship as he did.  I thought that was very clever given that he would have started off as her instructor.  She also very clearly dealt with Kirk's advances and put him in his place.  The trick is going to be in the future films though now that Kirk is the Captain and holds so much more power over her.  How is he going to maintain his "lad" image without falling into sexual harassment.  This is not the 60s anymore.