Star Trek: The Review, Finally
May. 25th, 2009 10:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
eumeliaI went to see the movie again last night.
I am still full of squee, though now I am finally capable of writing a critical review of a movie that was both very awesome and very problematic.
I'm putting the whole thing behind a cut, because I'm going to intertwining scenes from the movie and history of TOS and some of the other Star Trek shows.
Enjoy the spoilers.
I apologize in advance if this seems a bot mish mashed. It all makes perfect sense in my head.
The techno and medical babble are my favourite things that remained very hokey and utter gibberish which makes the Star Trek Universe so lovable(1).
Plot and other structural points that I think are worthy of noting are also in this spoilerific critique.
The whole movie, of course, was one big cool reference mania!
That was an Orion girl in a bikini!
In TOS the Orions were regularly regaled to scantily clad status and it was nice to that again in the movie and it was particularly funny to have major galactic play boy ask he just how many guys she'd had in her room - easily the Stud/Slut double standard - which peeved me coming from Kirk(2).
However, one could view it as his ego not really enabling him to see his sex interests as wanting anybody other than him (hence his continuous flirt with Uhura who continues to reject him - smart woman!).
Sulu's fencing scene was freakin' awesome! A folding Katana. Very exciting.
Peeve, martial artsy Asian guy. *Sigh*, yes I know, it is in the original show... but still... not the 60's anymore.
I loved Checkov, what a lovely interpretation to the character, he was so cute and so much responsibility... I was particularly enamored with his exasperated "ay ya yai" which is something I say myself (as do many others 'round these parts).
Peeve, the Russian Wiz-Kid... I nearly expected him to crack open the 3D chess, luckily we only got he mad Gaming skills.
Scotty was absolutely brilliant, he didn't have many lines, but every line was a gem! He was very charming and talking about the ship in the female pronoun is something I always loved about Scotty.
AND
"She's givin' me all she's got"
Yeah!
Peeve
The red shirt died... keeping with tradition is always good.
Bones... okay, I have an issue with Bones. He was very good. Hilarious interplay between him and Kirk when they get aboard the "Enterprise".
"You call this a favour?!".
But his accent was a bit eh (where is that lovely Georgian drawl?) as were his lines, I thought they were a bit forced.
"Bones" is a common nickname given to doctors, it really shouldn't have anything to do with his divorce.
Just a bit of a pet peeve.
Uhura... god she rocked. She absolutely rocked my socks! Not only do they actually establish her job as Important, but she herself is scary smart, talented, gorgeous and she Gets The Hot Guy... who isn't Kirk!
Oh Kirk and Spock... how much do we love them. Specifically the movie was much more of a double act than the Troika we see in TOS. I hope we get to see more of than interaction in the next movie (or New Show?).
I'll admit, despite my Slash Goggles I could never see them as anything other than best-friends-cum-brothers-in-arms which at times can be just as intimate without the erotica.
I'll admit though, there was tension in this movie and none of that Bromance bullshit - there was definitely something Rom-Com(3) in their interaction.
Talking about romance.
Spock and Uhura.
Talk about coming out of the left field, but I lapped up every minute.
Let me explain.
In TOS, Uhura was a pioneer of black characters. As such, the network didn't want to push her too much into the foreground (that and they didn't want to pay her for more lines/screen time), as such she didn't get that much character development in the series itself.
In TOS Spock gets a hell of a lot of development. He even gets to have his own love affairs on the ship most of them utterly disastrous!
I always wanted Spock to be with someone and not have it utterly fail.
Kirk, by default, could never establish a proper relationship, despite his great capacity for love, the man does have a wondering eye(4).
Having Spock and Uhura together creates a new and very interesting dynamic in the movie and for the characters to develop into.
Not to mention that on the political front, it's always great to see interracial relationships on screen (which are still rare and remarked upon, dude!), with this one being even more special due to Spock's (white) dual heritage and the genocide of Vulcan - I'm very interested to see where it goes.
Also, it was totally an established before the events on the "Enterprise", what with the preferential treatment comment, the natural way they hugged in the turbo lift and the public kiss in front of Kirk (which was very funny and nicely done... could have been skeezy, but wasn't).
I liked the interplay between those three characters.
The story, beyond it being an action adventure with beautiful people and shiny toys, it is a story of becoming. Specifically for Spock and Kirk.
We do not see the past of Uhura or Bones or Scotty.
Which is fine.
Obviously, this is the alternate story of the relationship between Spock and Jim.
More on that at a later date though as there really too much to write about in this little post.
But in short:
Kirk is shown to be a self-destructive geek without a cause - Sabotage!.
Spock is shown to be a geek seeking meaning - Feeling as though you belong nowhere and being a Mama's boy can't be easy on a world which both constructs and confirms you identity as anomaly.
Obviously, they get along just fine.
And now, the very big peeves:
Why are all mothers gone?!
It really irked me that Winona Kirk was there to give birth to him and then disappeared!
Amanda Grayson didn't have to die in order for us to glean her importance. Seriously, we got it when those obnoxious Vulcan kids called her a whore and Spock went berserk, not to mention the fact that Spock is a huge Mama's boy, as I've mentioned.
The loss of an entire planet wouldn't have been enough of a trauma for the poor boy, he had to lose his mother too?!
In short, the mothers are there to give birth to the Kings, nothing more.
And other than Kirk's conquests and flirts, the only woman of any worth is Uhura - now, she rocks, I love what she's become - as I said, still, being a strong black woman who isn't completely objectified is rare, and it was good to see.
In addition she didn't need to be saved at any point! Talk about novelty! She wasn't a princess trapped with the scary bad guys that needed to be saved by the Heroes.
Yes, there is a rivalry between Jim and Spock, but she isn't the prize and they end up co-operating, which is again refreshing.
Still, she doesn't do much other than talk and again, the mothers... all I can say to that is: BAH!
One of the things I love about Captain Jack Harkness is the fact that he is so obviously based on Captain James T. Kirk. Intergalactic playboys the both of them. Both are cocky, great leaders, have special relationships with their austere Right Hand Men... *ahem*.
The big difference?
Jack is the ultimate Queer.
Jim is very much not.
Putting the Slash Goggles aside, textually, there is no same-sex attraction to speak of.
Friends, it is the 23rd century... why is Jim not banging the alien boys?! Would his manhood somehow be put into question? I remind you, again, of Captain Jack, the manly man who likes other men (and women, and other assorted genders and aliens!).
I know it seems a bit blasphemous to compare these two sci-fi universes, different sides of the pond, different commercial structure, all that.
Still, within Geekdom, there are many, many queers who want to see some bloody open-mindedness that the future is bright and beautiful.
I didn't really expect them to make Jim be overt in his attractions, but he's a major flirt... would he not be flirty with boys as well? As usual, all the men spoke with their fists before being able to actually communicate beyond competition and crap like that.
To conclude, I'd like to refer you to this lovely post by![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
liviapenn.
Maybe one day, soon, we'll see stuff like this on teevee and the movies and it won't be "special", simply "variety".
IDIC as the pointy eared green blooded devils say... sorta.
Notes:
(1) One of the things I love about Doctor Who and Torchwood as well, just by the way.
(2) Interestingly there was no moral judgement per say about the sexual promiscuity of Gaila the Orion Girl, only Kirk's bruised ego, which was refreshing. Uhura was more irritated with having her dormitory taken over by Gaila's sexcapades than the sexcapades themselves.
(3)Romantic Comedy - beginning with dislike, turning to affection.
(4)And dick.
I am still full of squee, though now I am finally capable of writing a critical review of a movie that was both very awesome and very problematic.
I'm putting the whole thing behind a cut, because I'm going to intertwining scenes from the movie and history of TOS and some of the other Star Trek shows.
Enjoy the spoilers.
I apologize in advance if this seems a bot mish mashed. It all makes perfect sense in my head.
The techno and medical babble are my favourite things that remained very hokey and utter gibberish which makes the Star Trek Universe so lovable(1).
Plot and other structural points that I think are worthy of noting are also in this spoilerific critique.
The whole movie, of course, was one big cool reference mania!
That was an Orion girl in a bikini!
In TOS the Orions were regularly regaled to scantily clad status and it was nice to that again in the movie and it was particularly funny to have major galactic play boy ask he just how many guys she'd had in her room - easily the Stud/Slut double standard - which peeved me coming from Kirk(2).
However, one could view it as his ego not really enabling him to see his sex interests as wanting anybody other than him (hence his continuous flirt with Uhura who continues to reject him - smart woman!).
Sulu's fencing scene was freakin' awesome! A folding Katana. Very exciting.
Peeve, martial artsy Asian guy. *Sigh*, yes I know, it is in the original show... but still... not the 60's anymore.
I loved Checkov, what a lovely interpretation to the character, he was so cute and so much responsibility... I was particularly enamored with his exasperated "ay ya yai" which is something I say myself (as do many others 'round these parts).
Peeve, the Russian Wiz-Kid... I nearly expected him to crack open the 3D chess, luckily we only got he mad Gaming skills.
Scotty was absolutely brilliant, he didn't have many lines, but every line was a gem! He was very charming and talking about the ship in the female pronoun is something I always loved about Scotty.
AND
"She's givin' me all she's got"
Yeah!
Peeve
The red shirt died... keeping with tradition is always good.
Bones... okay, I have an issue with Bones. He was very good. Hilarious interplay between him and Kirk when they get aboard the "Enterprise".
"You call this a favour?!".
But his accent was a bit eh (where is that lovely Georgian drawl?) as were his lines, I thought they were a bit forced.
"Bones" is a common nickname given to doctors, it really shouldn't have anything to do with his divorce.
Just a bit of a pet peeve.
Uhura... god she rocked. She absolutely rocked my socks! Not only do they actually establish her job as Important, but she herself is scary smart, talented, gorgeous and she Gets The Hot Guy... who isn't Kirk!
Oh Kirk and Spock... how much do we love them. Specifically the movie was much more of a double act than the Troika we see in TOS. I hope we get to see more of than interaction in the next movie (or New Show?).
I'll admit, despite my Slash Goggles I could never see them as anything other than best-friends-cum-brothers-in-arms which at times can be just as intimate without the erotica.
I'll admit though, there was tension in this movie and none of that Bromance bullshit - there was definitely something Rom-Com(3) in their interaction.
Talking about romance.
Spock and Uhura.
Talk about coming out of the left field, but I lapped up every minute.
Let me explain.
In TOS, Uhura was a pioneer of black characters. As such, the network didn't want to push her too much into the foreground (that and they didn't want to pay her for more lines/screen time), as such she didn't get that much character development in the series itself.
In TOS Spock gets a hell of a lot of development. He even gets to have his own love affairs on the ship most of them utterly disastrous!
I always wanted Spock to be with someone and not have it utterly fail.
Kirk, by default, could never establish a proper relationship, despite his great capacity for love, the man does have a wondering eye(4).
Having Spock and Uhura together creates a new and very interesting dynamic in the movie and for the characters to develop into.
Not to mention that on the political front, it's always great to see interracial relationships on screen (which are still rare and remarked upon, dude!), with this one being even more special due to Spock's (white) dual heritage and the genocide of Vulcan - I'm very interested to see where it goes.
Also, it was totally an established before the events on the "Enterprise", what with the preferential treatment comment, the natural way they hugged in the turbo lift and the public kiss in front of Kirk (which was very funny and nicely done... could have been skeezy, but wasn't).
I liked the interplay between those three characters.
The story, beyond it being an action adventure with beautiful people and shiny toys, it is a story of becoming. Specifically for Spock and Kirk.
We do not see the past of Uhura or Bones or Scotty.
Which is fine.
Obviously, this is the alternate story of the relationship between Spock and Jim.
More on that at a later date though as there really too much to write about in this little post.
But in short:
Kirk is shown to be a self-destructive geek without a cause - Sabotage!.
Spock is shown to be a geek seeking meaning - Feeling as though you belong nowhere and being a Mama's boy can't be easy on a world which both constructs and confirms you identity as anomaly.
Obviously, they get along just fine.
And now, the very big peeves:
Why are all mothers gone?!
It really irked me that Winona Kirk was there to give birth to him and then disappeared!
Amanda Grayson didn't have to die in order for us to glean her importance. Seriously, we got it when those obnoxious Vulcan kids called her a whore and Spock went berserk, not to mention the fact that Spock is a huge Mama's boy, as I've mentioned.
The loss of an entire planet wouldn't have been enough of a trauma for the poor boy, he had to lose his mother too?!
In short, the mothers are there to give birth to the Kings, nothing more.
And other than Kirk's conquests and flirts, the only woman of any worth is Uhura - now, she rocks, I love what she's become - as I said, still, being a strong black woman who isn't completely objectified is rare, and it was good to see.
In addition she didn't need to be saved at any point! Talk about novelty! She wasn't a princess trapped with the scary bad guys that needed to be saved by the Heroes.
Yes, there is a rivalry between Jim and Spock, but she isn't the prize and they end up co-operating, which is again refreshing.
Still, she doesn't do much other than talk and again, the mothers... all I can say to that is: BAH!
One of the things I love about Captain Jack Harkness is the fact that he is so obviously based on Captain James T. Kirk. Intergalactic playboys the both of them. Both are cocky, great leaders, have special relationships with their austere Right Hand Men... *ahem*.
The big difference?
Jack is the ultimate Queer.
Jim is very much not.
Putting the Slash Goggles aside, textually, there is no same-sex attraction to speak of.
Friends, it is the 23rd century... why is Jim not banging the alien boys?! Would his manhood somehow be put into question? I remind you, again, of Captain Jack, the manly man who likes other men (and women, and other assorted genders and aliens!).
I know it seems a bit blasphemous to compare these two sci-fi universes, different sides of the pond, different commercial structure, all that.
Still, within Geekdom, there are many, many queers who want to see some bloody open-mindedness that the future is bright and beautiful.
I didn't really expect them to make Jim be overt in his attractions, but he's a major flirt... would he not be flirty with boys as well? As usual, all the men spoke with their fists before being able to actually communicate beyond competition and crap like that.
To conclude, I'd like to refer you to this lovely post by
liviapenn.Maybe one day, soon, we'll see stuff like this on teevee and the movies and it won't be "special", simply "variety".
IDIC as the pointy eared green blooded devils say... sorta.
Notes:
(1) One of the things I love about Doctor Who and Torchwood as well, just by the way.
(2) Interestingly there was no moral judgement per say about the sexual promiscuity of Gaila the Orion Girl, only Kirk's bruised ego, which was refreshing. Uhura was more irritated with having her dormitory taken over by Gaila's sexcapades than the sexcapades themselves.
(3)Romantic Comedy - beginning with dislike, turning to affection.
(4)And dick.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2009-05-26 09:24 am (UTC)I've always found that aspect so disappointing. Once I read a really disturbing but well written fanfiction story which posits that the reason there is no gay characters in that universe is because they have developed a way to correct the 'disability' through eugenics, it was very creepy. But in the Trek shiny vision of the future, where everything sometimes seems a bit perfect, I've never been able to get that story out of my head. *cue twilight zone music*
no subject
Date: 2009-05-26 09:33 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-05-26 10:15 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-05-26 12:44 pm (UTC)Holocaust survivors, Mother-Son relationship...
no subject
Date: 2009-05-26 04:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-05-26 04:17 pm (UTC)Uhura will say to Spock "Your ways are my way", they'll get married and their grandson will be the King/Messiah of the Vulcans.
(Book of Ruth for whomever doesn't get the reference)
no subject
Date: 2009-05-26 04:31 pm (UTC)Or that JJ Abrams doesn't decide to screw up what looks to be a very well established romance (yay for Kirk as mediator!)
no subject
Date: 2009-05-26 10:48 pm (UTC)Does it work like that? I remember, I think it was with the Klingons, that it took a lot of genetic manipulation to create a child between the two species, it didn't happen naturally at all, or very, very rarely.
I think it would be socially responsible for Spock to donate his DNA for the future of the Vulcan race, but that doesn't mean he has to dump Uhura.
no subject
Date: 2009-05-27 07:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-06-01 11:11 pm (UTC)Anyway, I talk about the Vulcans = Space Jews thing on my LJ that go deeper than what happens to them but about how Vulcans themselves have some interesting parallels with Jews. Let's just say that there are some intriguing possibilities there.
no subject
Date: 2009-05-26 09:40 am (UTC)If you take TNG, for example:
4 Characters are paired off (Riker/Troy,Picard/Crusher)
1 Character is neuter (Data)
Worf's character is straight, and there is plot revolving around his romance with Klingon/Human hybrid & their son - which gives a reason for him to be straight.
The sexuality of the remaining characters (LaForge, Wesley Crusher) is not dealt with in canon at all.
IIRC - LaForge's sole "romance" is with a holographic recreation of a female engineer (who is superior in skill to him, which is why he recreated her).
Wesley is an adolescent, but we see no romance with others at all. Nor does his mother ever say "Why don't you go out with girls".
Both Geordi and Wesley may be non-straight, but no story says aye or nay.
IMO, Romance/Sex/Sexuality is not a central part of the story ST has to tell, which is why you don't see it.
*All of this is recollection, of course - no research has been done*
no subject
Date: 2009-05-26 09:53 am (UTC)It's funny you say that, because I remember when TNG and DS9 was popular there were complaints about it becoming a soap opera, because suddenly all these relationships were popping up. We had the the Deanna/Riker will they won't they, then Deanna/Worf, then it was Worf/Dax, and there was obvious UST between Crusher and Picard. Obviously Crusher had a relationship with a man at one point, as the father of Wesley was her former husband. Sisko had his wife who had died. In the background we had O'Brien and Kieko?? (I forget if that name is right) burgeoning from a relationship to marriage.
On DS9 we had Odo/Kira, we had the relationship between Quark's brother and that girl...? Righ. And then there were all kinds of romantic shenanigans in Voyager etc. Strangely, ALL OF THEM STRAIGHT. The only queering we sortave, maybe had, was with Garak (the simple tailer, hahahah) and his interest in Dr Bashir. Both actors were playing that up, but went away soon enough. And we Dax...at one stage, what with the host, complication thingy and a previous flame.
So, I think it's safe to say, we have a very different look at the entire series. For a show that always prided itself on diversity, it really didn't have much of it when it came to a person's sexual orientation.
no subject
Date: 2009-05-26 01:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-05-26 10:14 am (UTC)And yet everything we do see ON SCREEN is hetero.
Romance/Sex/Sexuality have always been big on the TOS, brother, Kirk the playboy (and great capacity for love), Spock's serial monogomy, need I remind you of the dancing Orion girls and episode Plato's Stepchildren (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plato%27s_Stepchildren)... it's a part of the world there as it is in ours - represntation is lacking.
Maybe focusing on Kirk is has irked so many people here, but Kirk, to me, because of his appetite would seem the best candidate, to me.
It really could be anyone of the mains... I'd just like to see it!
no subject
Date: 2009-05-26 01:13 pm (UTC)Personally, if they're going to make someone gay, I'd prefer it be a very average relationship or an unremarkable fling like Kirk had every week, and have it be no more relevant to the plot than any of the other original series relationships, of which there was only the unrequited one between Spock and Chapel.
no subject
Date: 2009-05-26 03:54 pm (UTC)I love it when we work out in the end :D