Wowie, today I got to boldly go where I have not gone in quite a few moons. As a reward to myself for being so single-mindedly focused on stories and deadlines, I decided it was time to climb aboard a galaxy-class ship and venture out into the Star Trek Universe. It’s the middle of Memorial Day weekend, and my inertial dampeners needed some realignment. My bud, Lori, and I ventured some 26 miles in a gas-guzzling, octane-eating machine that is anything but futuristic to see what all the hubbub was about as regards the new Trek film.
Personally, I wasn’t sure if there was if there was going to be any hub to be bubbed about. I went into the adventure with a little skeptic sitting on my shoulder, whispering sarcastic nothings in my ear. But I left the theater feeling all warm and fuzzy and with a giant smirk plastered on my face. I got to let my inner Tribble out because it’s been smushed in the cargo hold a tad too long.
But you heard it here first, friends and neighbors: I give “Star Trek” five plasma inducers up and encourage you to fasten your seat belt before the warp drive engages.
When I first saw the promos on TV, I have to admit I planned to wait for the DVD to come out. The whole notion of prequels is a bit weird right out of the gate, and particularly so because many of them have been done…well…badly. I also worried that Trek would just capitalize on too much computer generated graphics and high tech glitz to fill in the blackholes left by a shallow storyline. Some of us are post-pubescent and need some meat with our figurative potatoes.
And part of my concern came from a review that said the movie could be characterized as “Fast Times at Star Fleet High.” Well, that comment made me giggle uncontrollably. But that’s OK, because the movie actually has a lot of belly-laugh humor it, at least for those of us who are old enough to remember the original ill-fated, three-seasoned series which was deemed a television flop.
Yeah, flop that one all the way to the bank. The Star Trek franchise has managed to survive many a skeptic, and is probably the greatest source of household terminology known to man- and woman-kind. Gene Roddenberry fashioned such a hopeful and optimistic world for us, and his vision is just as valid and compelling today as it was in the 1970s. I have often thought how wonderful it would be to live in a world driven by a personal excellence and not by the money machine.
Fascinating, to use Spock’s oft-uttered phrase. Fascinating because the movie will undoubtedly be a money-maker for the studio.
The latest offering was directed by J.J. Abrams of “Lost” fame. He’s been brilliant with the series, but I worried that maybe his cinematic stature and reputation would make Trek boldly go where it shouldn’t. J.J. also loves to time trip. I was immensely pleased to see the movie was about the concepts and work, and not about directorial personalities.
Oddly enough, I didn’t think the special effects – which were explosive on the order of magnitude of a mind meld -- got in the way of anything. Those funky effects of yesteryear, primarily the psychedelic color palette and Piccadilly Circus costuming, would definitely have made the contemporary audience lob confectionary missiles at the big screen.
So, if like me, a little escapism doesn’t bother you from time to time, explore this strange new (old) world.
