I should probably say I'm not an Abrahms fan at all. I think he's a great producer but I've never really liked him as a director so my expectations for the movie I think were much different from a lot of people.
I feel somewhat similarly with you on the film but I think we wildly differ on the main reason even though we see similar problems with the film. I will always have mix feelings about TOS, because issues aside and taking it in the context of the 1960s---it was progressive---not as much as it should be but it tried.
So the Khan remake. I'm still kind of trying to figure out why they went and did that. Like the writers go on Trek Movie all the effing time and a vast majority of the people were like 1)No white!Khan please b/c racism 2) The crew doesn't know each other that well to do a death scene 3) why, why would you decide to remake the best film out of the original series without a solid backstory? I mean as soon as the casting rumors of BC appeared, everyone was betting against Khan because we didn't think they would go there.
There have been some interesting discussions on the various relationships in the film. And here I think we'll have to agree to disagree. TOS hinged heavily on the K/S friendship. TWoK hinged heavily on the fact that Spock was Kirk's Kobayashi Maru and their friendship. I agree the reboot doesn't need to include those elements (and I kind of feel certain moments of those scenes in the film felt contrived) but well they did choose to go that way which to be honest I was surprised about since I was not expecting it at all. But McCoy was also very important to Kirk and he was so underutilized here. I kind of agree with the sentiment that I've read in reaction posts....it kind of feels weird that Scotty called Spock and not McCoy. For me as someone who is familiar with TOS, the death scene really didn't emotionally gripped me as the original one did---other than I was kind of impressed with Chris Pine. Like Kirk really was emotionally invested in Spock and if I wasn't a K/S person before, Chris Pine kind of sold me on it---I want all the unrequited!mind-meld gave me feelings fics in the world. I'm still not sold on the K/S in this canon quite yet and most of it for me comes through the influence of TOS (and now potentially reboot!Kirk) I don't know...and is K/S an ism? Not sure how I feel about it.
Also Pike's death? I'm kind of angry about it. And also super irritated with how Chapel is introduced into this timeline. WTF?! Do all the women in this reboot!verse have to be a romantic interest or a potential one? I actually like S/U but I still find the reboot in general to be more sexist than Thor...which I don't know what it says about the reboot.
And as much as I love Leonard Nimoy....the cameo was so redundant and just blah...I kind of wiped it from my mind.
But there were things I liked: 1)Noel Clarke 2) the line: If I were there and you were here, what would you have done...3) Scotty and Keenser (who doesn't like them?) 4)The chasing scene in Mbhiru 5) Kirk and Uhura 6) Pike and Kirk--damn Chris Pine some awesome acting there 7)the line "this is what you would have done"
....I'm sure there are more things I liked...but I need to rewatch the film. And I was utterly long-winded---I should just write my own reaction post...
But yes, I kind of agree with you on the whole, I liked it but it has quite a bit of issues.
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I feel somewhat similarly with you on the film but I think we wildly differ on the main reason even though we see similar problems with the film. I will always have mix feelings about TOS, because issues aside and taking it in the context of the 1960s---it was progressive---not as much as it should be but it tried.
So the Khan remake. I'm still kind of trying to figure out why they went and did that. Like the writers go on Trek Movie all the effing time and a vast majority of the people were like 1)No white!Khan please b/c racism 2) The crew doesn't know each other that well to do a death scene 3) why, why would you decide to remake the best film out of the original series without a solid backstory? I mean as soon as the casting rumors of BC appeared, everyone was betting against Khan because we didn't think they would go there.
There have been some interesting discussions on the various relationships in the film. And here I think we'll have to agree to disagree. TOS hinged heavily on the K/S friendship. TWoK hinged heavily on the fact that Spock was Kirk's Kobayashi Maru and their friendship. I agree the reboot doesn't need to include those elements (and I kind of feel certain moments of those scenes in the film felt contrived) but well they did choose to go that way which to be honest I was surprised about since I was not expecting it at all. But McCoy was also very important to Kirk and he was so underutilized here. I kind of agree with the sentiment that I've read in reaction posts....it kind of feels weird that Scotty called Spock and not McCoy. For me as someone who is familiar with TOS, the death scene really didn't emotionally gripped me as the original one did---other than I was kind of impressed with Chris Pine. Like Kirk really was emotionally invested in Spock and if I wasn't a K/S person before, Chris Pine kind of sold me on it---I want all the unrequited!mind-meld gave me feelings fics in the world. I'm still not sold on the K/S in this canon quite yet and most of it for me comes through the influence of TOS (and now potentially reboot!Kirk) I don't know...and is K/S an ism? Not sure how I feel about it.
Also Pike's death? I'm kind of angry about it. And also super irritated with how Chapel is introduced into this timeline. WTF?! Do all the women in this reboot!verse have to be a romantic interest or a potential one? I actually like S/U but I still find the reboot in general to be more sexist than Thor...which I don't know what it says about the reboot.
And as much as I love Leonard Nimoy....the cameo was so redundant and just blah...I kind of wiped it from my mind.
But there were things I liked: 1)Noel Clarke 2) the line: If I were there and you were here, what would you have done...3) Scotty and Keenser (who doesn't like them?) 4)The chasing scene in Mbhiru 5) Kirk and Uhura 6) Pike and Kirk--damn Chris Pine some awesome acting there 7)the line "this is what you would have done"
....I'm sure there are more things I liked...but I need to rewatch the film. And I was utterly long-winded---I should just write my own reaction post...
But yes, I kind of agree with you on the whole, I liked it but it has quite a bit of issues.