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STAR TREK
0bsessions:
--- Quote from: no one special on 11 May 2009, 02:50 ---
--- Quote from: 0bsessions on 09 May 2009, 21:42 ---This was clearly tailor made for me, the non-Trek fan.
--- End quote ---
Hmmm - that is an interesting statement. Being a Trekker myself (but luckily not a crazy one), I actually thought I would gotten less out of it if I didn't already know Star Trek. There wasn't much in they way of explaining much about the characters before they are introduced into the movie - I didn't mind because I already knew who they were and I was just excited just to see them, but if I didn't already know I wouldn't have understood what all the hubbub was about. I thought it was fabulous, because there was less to weigh the movie down. For a reboot, I would have expected more exposition for the non-Trekkers.
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It seems to me that you underestimate the non Trek movie-going audience. The movie was clearly about Spock and Kirk, both of whom got plenty of explanation. While I am familiar with names and certain things, Star Trek Generations is the only Star Trek related media I have ever sat down and watched all the way through (Not even an entire single episode of any of the shows). Maybe I got less than others (I could tell I missed some inside jokes), but Abrams made it clear early on that his goal was to make it accessible, and he did. There wasn't a single point in the movie where I found myself wondering "what the fuck just happened?" or "who was that and why should I give a shit?" It's not that I just don't ask these questions, as I spent the entirety of Prince Caspian turning to my girlfriend and asking her what the fuck was going on.
I really believe it followed the mold of Iron Man and Dark Knight pretty much flawlessly: it was pleasing to the fans, without being two hours of fan service that alienates the casual movie-goer. Unlike Dark Knight and Iron Man, however, this time I was the casual movie goer and was able to really appreciate what they did.
Ozymandias:
Yeah, Star Trek is part of American culture. You don't really have to explain who Spock is, just like you don't have to explain who Superman is. I mean, sure, the average American won't know all the specifics of SUperman, nor will they Spock, but if you show them a dude with pointy ears and a V hand gesture, they're gonna say "Oh, hey Spock."
That said, I did get way more from the movie as a Star Trek fan than I expected. Lots of great, great little references, like the running gag of Uhura's first name, the slug thing Nero used on Pike, putting Pike in a wheelchair at the end, etc. etc.
Alex C:
Besides, let's face it: exposition is basically the absolute worst thing you can use when dealing with non-fans. As Obsessions put it, they made the movie about Spock and Kirk first and foremost; it didn't really matter much if the non-fans got a bit mixed up on some of the details of Federation history because there was an easily relatable story right there in front of them to enjoy. One of the problems with fandom in general is that they have loved their favorite settings and trivial details for so long that they don't remember a time when they didn't care about that stuff yet. This often causes people to lose sight of the fact that nine times out of ten it's the characters and relationships that got them interested in the first place. This is why Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings worked and David Lynch's Dune didn't. You didn't need to know anything about the Rohirrim to understand their place in LotR; they were a people at risk of losing their lives and legacy. Nor do you even really need to know much about Vulcans to appreciate that Kirk and Spock are friends despite being very different. By contrast, David Lynch tried to show the whole Dune iceberg in one film and that's just not going to work because people don't give a damn about history lessons describing a universe filled with people they don't care about. The trick is to draw people in with the story and to then let them develop affection for the setting itself at their own pace.
LTK:
--- Quote from: Ozymandias on 11 May 2009, 08:31 ---Yeah, Star Trek is part of American culture. You don't really have to explain who Spock is, just like you don't have to explain who Superman is. I mean, sure, the average American won't know all the specifics of SUperman, nor will they Spock, but if you show them a dude with pointy ears and a V hand gesture, they're gonna say "Oh, hey Spock."
That said, I did get way more from the movie as a Star Trek fan than I expected. Lots of great, great little references, like the running gag of Uhura's first name, the slug thing Nero used on Pike, putting Pike in a wheelchair at the end, etc. etc.
--- End quote ---
Now you did get me interested about those things. :P I was wondering what happened to that slug after they saved him. What was it about the wheelchair, then?
jimbunny:
Damn. Now my expectations are really high.
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