So now that Star Wars has no more movies....

Its time for Star Trek to move in. Yea, I am still a Star Wars fan but lets be honest, the Scifi genre has a black eye with such HORRIFIC films as "The Core", "The Day The Earth Stood Still", and others. Its not that the genre hasn't had some decent ones, like "Knowing" its just most of these films deal in contemporary times. I mean, have people felt uncomfortable about fortelling the future? Yea, we know you're going to be wrong, but we also know you're going to have a person jump 300 yards from moving platforms with a massive 10 megaton explosion with just a small cut in his brow. As Hollywood viewers, we've NEVER cared about realism (although sometimes you do go a bit far). What we need are good cyberpunk movies such as Bladerunner and even Star Wars to some extent, but without going the extra campy route that is Judge Dredd or Fifth Element. Don't get me wrong, Fifth Element was a good movie, but it was kinda pedestrian if you will. Additionally the Fifth element, although it seemed realistic, the characters were flat and the dramatic sequences generally lacked any emotion. I want a scifi movie with GOOD plot AND great actors. Is that hard to ask!?!

But FINALLY, Star Trek looks like it can be the movie that changes this Scifi drought. The garden variety thunderstorm after a drought thing. Welcome rain in what is otherwise a dry, earth-cracked cinematic landscape. And before I talk about the trailer, I'm just gonna say that the original Star Trek films were okay. A few were gems, but the last half of the series seems more like an homage to the IDEA of Star Trek with terrible writing. What this series needed was a re-hash. Often times themes from one generation of movies don't translate well or connect with the audience of the subsequent generation. Especially now that technology has made scenes once thought impossible quite the opposite. The series NEEDED a restart. Although none of the Star Trek movies were ever flops, few could ever argue that the last two Star Trek movies were trophies of cinematics and story telling. Yes, does the new Star Trek movie screw with canon... YES... and thats okay. Reimagings have been something my generation has always loved. 

But alas, the new movie will be coming out in a few weeks and I am thrilled. I mean, the actors are actually showing... EMOTION!!! And yes, the Enterprise bridge was redesigned, but I think for the better. The original TV series had a very limited budget and technological capabilities and for being several centuries in the future, I think its ridiculous to still have boring knobs and and switches :p. This was probably one of the disconnects that my generation had with the old series of Star Trek.  Its the future yet the displays were archaic. Now that the bridge is redesigned, I think we can sink into the mythology a bit better. The action shots are indeed incredible, and yes, even "Fast and Furious" over the top. I'll have to wait to see how over done these scenes are.  

Probably the one thing I get out of the trailer that was never apparent in the original movies was desperation. Something about the human will collapsing yet enduring is something I personally enjoy in movies. The plots and characters of the old movies always seemed to be sure of themselves cause they've done some manuever at some point in the past in the extended mythology that only Star Trek nerds would ever know. But the new trailer suggests doubt and uncertainty... I love doubt in humanity! Its been around forever and I don't see why it can't be reflected in cinema. The characters just seem far more multifacted. Sorry, but Pickard was pretty much perfect save for his Borgphobia. 

Besides... with a restart in the series... anyone can die :p

And yes, I'm glad they gave Shatner NO role in this movie. He had turned into a LONG running joke and putting him in for even a cameo would have only continued this joke and brought the ST movie down with it.

Here's the trailer... Go see it May 8th in the US!!!