Confessions of an Internet Addict

Episode 25 Star Trek: The Wrath of the Review

2 Responses

1. 

   nel, on May 21, 2009 at 3:57 am Said:

   hi never heard ur show before. enjoyed it very much. will be checking out ur archives

   Reply
2. 

   Trevor McFur, on May 24, 2009 at 8:47 pm Said:

   Steph, I’m listening.

   But I have to tell you that you’re completely wrong about Star Trek. The thing you have to understand is that Star Trek the movies is different from Star Trek the TV show. I came of age when TNG was in it’s prime, and I still think it’s one of the best shows in the history of TV. Star Trek as a series (specifically TOS and TNG, at least; I can’t really speak for the later series) were, at their best, intelligent dramas driven by their characters and by the writing, and used the action and sci-fi as means to tell their stories, not as the driving elements of the show (with a few exceptions).

   But the movies, on the other hand … yes, you still have the characters and their interactions, but they’re pretty much purely sci-fi actioners otherwise. ST:The Motion Picture is probably the one that’s most like the original series, and it was an abysmal failure. Sometimes they get it right, like in Wrath of Khan, where pretty much everything went right: good sci-fi action and good writing that anyone could enjoy, fan or not, with that extra element of Star Trek mythology to keep the Trekkers happy. Other times, they get it very very wrong — like in the Final Frontier, where the sci-fi element was terrible, the characters became joke (like Kirk, Spock, and McCoy singing ‘Row Your Boat’, or Scotty knocking himself out on the bulkhead), and not to mention the crap they took all over the mythology by introducing Spock’s brother. And don’t even get me started on the last two abominable Next Gen movies.

   But this new one, they really get it right. Every character gets his moment to shine, and the action is top notch. Is it predictable? Of course. Is it ridiculous? Absolutely. Is there any basis whatsoever in reality? None at all, but that’s what the Star Trek movies are. Does it get a little too cutesy with the comedic elements? Yeah, it does, but it never gets over the top, and let’s be honest, how can you not love it when Kirk, Sulu, and Lieutenant Whothehellareyou go on a mission and the guy you’ve never heard of puts on a gigantic red spacesuit … and is marked on the computer screen by a giant red dot? Is the villain completely forgettable? Almost instantaneously, but outside of Khan, can you really remember any villain from a Star Trek film?

   So this is a long ass way of saying, take it as it is: dopey and ludicrous, but incredibly entertaining and fun from start to finish. A damn good Star Trek movie.

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