To boldly go...to see Star Trek 11!

Yesterday, i was invited to a very special first screening of some scenes from the new Star Trek movie (Star Trek 11). In attendance (and introducing the scenes) was the one and only J.J.Abrams, who it has to be said is the man of the moment in Hollywood, and for that matter TV, having either produced or directed a long list of hugeley successful shows and movies including Lost, Alias, Fringe, Cloverfield, Mission Impossible 3, and many others. Watching him speak, you can really imagine him pitching a movie to studio bosses. He certainly has the gift of the gab, and was quite funny too. Like me, he's never been the number one Star Trek fan, but has a certain fondness for some elements of the show and movies. Simon Pegg, who plays Scotty in the new movie, was also there and said a few words too.

Star Trek 11 is a fresh take on the Star Trek franchise, and will tell the story of how the crew of the enterprise came together, and of it's maiden voyage. It looks fantastic, and i would say it will not only please long-time fans of the franchise, but will almost certainly attract plenty of new ones as well, in the way that Christopher Nolan's take on Batman has reinvigorated that franchise with Batman Begins and The Dark knight.

LOOK AWAY NOW!!! - SPOILER ALERT - LOOK AWAY NOW!!!

We were shown four scenes from the movie, totalling around half an hour. In those scenes we met several characters, including Kirk (Chris Pine Smoking Aces), Spock (Zachary Quinto Heroes), Uhura (Zoe Saldana Vantage Point), Scotty (Simon Pegg), Chekov (Anton Yelchin Charlie Bartlett), Bones (Karl Urban Lord Of The Rings' Eomer) and Sulu (John Cho Harold & Kumar...). We also meet Nero, the baddie, played by Eric Bana. He looks fantastic, and i'm fairly sure he'll be hot property once the film is released. Fans will also be delighted that Leonard Nimoy is also in the movie.

The first scene showed Kirk getting into a fight in the academy bar, whilst chatting up Uhura (nice to see the start of the sexual tension between those two). Immediately, we see Kirk's intelligence and reckless side. He is beaten badly and next we see him speaking to Commander Christopher Pike, who tries to get him to enlist and become a starship captain like his father. It seems that Abrams' method of creating a 'back story' (as utilised heavily in Lost) is in full effect here.

In the next scene, we see Kirk, who is ill, having been smuggled onto the Enterprise by his friend, Bones. There is something unusual going on on the Vulcan planet, and Kirk deduces that they are under attack from Romulans (with Nero at the helm).

The third scene introduced Scotty, and 'old' Spock (Nimoy) and the concept of beaming people and objects from one place in the universe to another. I'm fairly certain at some point in the film we will hear the immortal words "beam me up Scotty". If it doesn't happen, come and complain to me, not the filmmakers, because it looks like they've done an absolutely brilliant job on the film.

The last scene was a fast paced action scene, presumably from late on in the movie, featuring Kirk and Sulu and some Romulans. The special effects in this scene were phenominally good and got me really excited to see the finished cut.

All in all, i'm confident that this new movie is going to breathe life into Star Trek, which has perhaps been lacking in the last few years. I wonder if my local cinema will let me book my seat now for May's release date...Live long and prosper!

Comments

[by: Steve Bates]

I haven't been this jazzed about a Star Trek movie since Star Trek: The Motion Picture (hopefully, this one will be a little more action-oriented).

One suggestion to the filmakers -- the Trek movies are usually better if they're even-numbered (2: wrath of Khan, 4: Voyage Home, 6: Undiscovered Country, etc.). I suggest that this movie be called Star Trek 0 (zero), making it an "even-numbered" entry in the series AND sending the signal to fans new and old that this ain't your daddy's "Wagon Train to the Stars," but a whole new beast.

Wishing Abrams, Pine, Quinto & crew nothing but the best!

[by: jonny hmv]

That sounds like a good idea, it really does seem like a new beast. If it's action you're after i reckon you be pleased with it. That 4th scene i saw was top quality action. Abrams is a bit of a master of action sequences in my opinion, so i reckon there'll be plenty more like the scene i saw.

Did i mention in the blog post that it also seemed quite funny?

[by: Steve Bates]

The best Trek was a combination of action, humor and thought-provoking science fiction. The balance often shifted (for heavier subjects, humor might take a back seat in the Galileo 7).

A good example is Harlan Ellison's City on the Edge of Forever. It dealt with very heavy subject matter (Nazis taking over the world, the peace movement), time travel & altering history and Kirk's perpetual need to replace his mother (I think). But there was still humor. When Kirk explains to the beat cop that Spock was obviously Chinese, but that his ears were caught in an automatic rice picker... Well, its classic Trek.

[by: Jonny hmv]

I guess the humour element is why they drafted in Simon Pegg, who by the way said he was "pant wettingly excited" at being in the new Star Trek film!

It all definitely has a new feel, but the elements you speak of were all present in what i saw. There seems to be a bit of a back story about Kirk's father as well.

[by: duncan hmv]

jonny, you show-off. as if it wasn't enough to say you'd seen some of Star Trek 6 months before it gets released, you also had to brag about the scenes being introduced by JJ himself! Ah, the perks of the job, eh?