We finally sat down and watched the “new” Star Trek movie this evening - months after it’s theatrical release.
Before volunteering any opinions at all, perhaps some back story would be prudent. My Dad was a huge Star Trek fan. Friday evenings throughout my childhood are punctuated with my Dad finishing work for the week, buying take-out chinese food (or pizza), and us watching whichever sci-fi series was being repeated that night. Invariably it was Star Trek, although sometimes “The Invaders”, or “Land of the Giants”.
I remember going to see “Star Trek the Motion Picture” with my Dad and brother when I was very young indeed - perhaps only six years old. I also remember leaving the cinema in the dark, and the drive home, and a sense of magic in the air.
The expectation approaching the new Star Trek movie was HUGE. Given the media reaction to it, the hype, and the fact that I had not managed to see it at the cinema due to the arrival of children in our lives, I felt quite hard done by that I had not seen it as intended.
So what did I think of it, having now seen it on the small screen?
Excellent. Wonderful. Maybe even brilliant.
During the opening act, when Bones tells Kirk that he likes Spock, we both burst out laughing (W is a far bigger sci-fi fan than me, so appreciated the nuances far more than me). We laughed again when he later shouted “damnit Jim!”.
The surprise of the movie - for me - was the appearance of Leonard Nimoy, and his fleeting theft of the entire show. Perhaps it’s something to do with 30 years of combined social memory - but the moment he appeared and opened his mouth elevated the entire movie to a new level.
Such a clever, entertaining movie is a rare thing indeed.