Of the 11 Star Trek cinema films made so far, what 2 or 3 films,
are your current favorite ones and please separately say why,
for each fave Trek cinema film named (as in for the film's
better script, the acting, direction, FX, or a combo of all of
these or any other factors).
I'm really not a fan of Star Trek, but I do genuinely enjoy some of the films. My choice for the best two would be a toss-up between The Undiscovered Country and First Contact. I like the former because it's actually quite dark at times with the conspiracy angle, it has some great humour and chemistry between the cast and Christopher Plummer is clearly having an awesome time playing Chang. And I like the latter because I'm a big Patrick Stewart fan, the action scenes are really quite good and the Borg are awesome (it's the first Star Trek film I ever remember seeing too).
shareI'm old enough to remember when I was a kid watching the tv show IN MY BLACK AND WHITE TV and oddly I prefer the Final Frontier , ST V from them all because the mysticism involved. Many people forget that movie had to compete in that very year with several blockbuster films so that's why the box office was low compared with the other ones. The God concept was Rodenberry's idea which he wanted to do himself and couldn't and Shatner borrowed that idea and changed it with some of his own. There was enough part for other members of the crew, Chekov replacing Kirk as a captain trying to cheat Sybok, Scotty providing a escape within the ship, Spock convincing Klingon leader to surrender the Klingon rebel, the inner pain of both Mc Coy and Spock, the blue unicorn horses, the climbing of mountains... I agree there was an excess of Shatner's humour laughing at the characters rather than laughing with them. I enjoyed the special FXs of the blue Sha-ka-ree planet , the moons behind Uhura while she was dancing in the desert and the metamorphosis of the godly creature caught in a sort of Stonhenge scenario... pretty much like old tv shows depicting ancient Roman-Greek-Egyptian landscapes. I enjoy the philosophical implications of an angry Old Testament God and perhaps audience wished for more action.
The second I want more is this one, Undiscovered Country because of Shakespeare political intrigue and superb dialogue in Christopher Plummer's utterances. Also I think Shatner worked pretty well with his country fellow man and was not overacting shouting KHAAAAAAAN.
Shatner's performance was very subtle and accurate in Undiscovered Country. It was interesting the participation of all the members of the crew.
Watching Shatner fighting with himself also reminded me some episodes of the tv show. The bad Kirk fighting the good one.
Montalban was excellent in his role but I prefer this one using the same red colors and camera movements Myer also used in The Wrath of Khan. The cold landscape in Alaska was breathtaking as I remember watching this at Toronto's movie theater with the big screen.
There's a thin gap between skepticism and cynicism
1. The Voyage Home - Possibly the first Trek movie I ever saw, definitely the one I watched the most as a kid. I love the humor in the movie, and I think the chemistry among the cast is at its best here. I'm not sure if I consider it the best movie, but it is definitely my favorite and the one I enjoy watching the most.
2. The Wrath of Khan - While not my favorite, I feel in many ways this was the best movie. The performances, writing and tension in the movie were stellar. It really showed how well Star Trek could work on the big screen.
Honorable mention goes to First Contact. Sometimes when I do these lists I rank it as my 2nd favorite, though today I'm preferring TWOK just a little more. But FC was easily the best of the TNG films and is another favorite of mine.
And for the record, since we're on the The Undiscovered County board, I usually rank it at #4. I love the political intrigue and feel like it was a good send-off for the original crew.
Haven't seen Insurrection or Nemesis yet - and I'll see them once I finish Next Generation in its entirety - but, my two favorites of the films I've seen are:
Wrath of Khan - Has the best villain of the series, some of the series's best moments and outdoes the boring original film anyday. Not just a good TREK film, but a good film in general.
Undiscovered Country - Just a fun political-thriller and I liked how they incorporated the then-current collapse of the Soviet Union into the story. Christopher Plummer's a good villain as well. A good send-off for the original crew.
This one and Khan
shareWhen I was younger, it used to be IV. The idea of Kirk and his crew in the present, that was hilarious. And like many people back then, I wanted to save the whales. The whales, and the rainforest, of course. And I loved how Spock nerve-pinched the punk on the bus. One of these harrassed me once when I was visiting Grandma in the big city…it was the first and last punk I saw in my life. (These post-punks don't count.) Plus: I had an Apple computer.
However, I have changed a bit over the years, and the 80s are long gone. It just doesn't feel the same.
The Wrath of Khan
The Undiscovered Country
I love the Wrath of Khan. I know a lot about hatred, and I love Moby Dick. And I loved to see a more "naval" Starfleet, with realistic-looking uniforms, a Boswain's whistle…Kirk even inspects a console with a handkerchief. (My German grandfather once told that in his days, white gloves were used for that, and if the glove turned even a bit black, you were fuxxed.) Khan was a great opponent to Kirk. Both have big egos, both are capable of love and hatred, they are both fond of the classics and although both are very intelligent, they are over-confident, too. Kirk didn't give the command to raise the shields until it was too late, and Khan didn't change the Reliant's command code. Spock's death was heroic and sad…but it served a purpose. I like the TWOK treated all characters with respect, even Chekov. He's truly brave in the presence of Khan. He is not afraid to call him a criminal, and he does not beg Khan for his life. When Khan puts the helmet with a Ceti eel on him, he just expresses loyalty towards his former captain.
Now, for TUC…many dislike it, I don't. I like the idea of a dark future. We are living in a pretty dark present, why should the future be completely void of such things as bigotry and conspiration? The Klingons are often criticized for being a military race. However, Starfleet and the Federation seem to be closely linked, too. "Let them die!" Kirk has been revealed to be capable of hatred earlier. And I think Shatner did a good job when Kirk is looking into the eyes of Gorkon and Chang. Very subtle, by his standards. (In other scenes, like the aforementioned "Let them die!"-scene, I think one should apply some glue onto his face so he cannot grimace that much.
TUC had demeaning moments for both Uhura and Chekov. Chekov seems to forget the "phaser alarm" thing (to his credit, it was never mentioned before) and is the last one to see realize Dax couldn't have worn the boots. And Uhura doesn't know Klingon. I don't like it at all, but I think it's not unrealistic, either. It shows how dependable people can become on technology. Today, many adults no longer know how to do long division, they just use the calculator function of their phone. And I wonder if during the Cold War, everyone in the military knew Russian. Probably not. And I liked it that Uhura and Scotty were the only ones who showed compassion when Spock was mind-raping Valeris.
Now, for TUC…many dislike it, I don't. I like the idea of a dark future.
For the record, I don't dislike TUC because it's "dark." I dislike it because so many parts of it are mind-bendingly stupid. It's a half-assed, cobbled-together film full of ad-hockery and nonsense. On the whole it's not a bad sendoff for the TOS cast, but they deserved better.
I know I can count on bjlevine to have my back here -- and you do not want to mess with bjlevine.
And Uhura doesn't know Klingon. I don't like it at all, but I think it's not unrealistic, either. . . . I wonder if during the Cold War, everyone in the military knew Russian. Probably not.
The problem isn't just that Uhura didn't know Klingon (although that's part of it). It's also that, even if she didn't speak Klingon fluently herself, she should have been able to use the universal translator to generate replies that she could repeat. And the idea that there are ancient English-to-Klingon books -- at all, never mind on the ship -- is just silly.
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Lazy + smart = efficient.
For the record: I wasn't referring to you. I wasn't even referring to posters on this board. I've discussed Star Trek movies on other boards and in real life, too. The movie's dark mood has been named by many as a reason why they don't like this one that much. One I discussed it with claimed that everybody in that movie is out of character, that's why it's not his favorite. Many were disturbed by the presence of presumably obsolete things. Food being prepared manually in the galley, printed books, torpedos that have to be assembled manually…yes, this is all a bit off. Nobody I talked to mentioned it yet, but the IKEA "put me together" sniper phaser strikes odd, too, even to me. I acknowledge many points other Star Trek fans have named, they just don't matter that much to me.
A different thing: I don't know you, Spifflock, I've only read a couple of your posts. In two of them, you have quoted me, and in both cases, warped the meaning of my posts. You come over as a mean, arrogant person. And a mean, arrogant person who actually needs a second poster to trash a well-meaning newbie on a board…is despicable and pathetic. Decide for yourself who you want to be.
I don't know you, Spifflock . . .
That's obvious from the rest of your post. What a shame that you didn't stop at that point. "Well-meaning newbie," indeed. (You've been on these boards since 2005 -- in fact, a couple of weeks longer than I have. So what the hell makes you a "newbie"? Did you take over the IMDb account of your dead grandfather or something?)
I didn't "trash" you, and if I wanted to, I wouldn't need help. I merely disagreed with you civilly -- and if you can't handle that, you are oh boy on the wrong board. My criticisms were very obviously directed at the movie, not at you personally. If I ever trash you, you'll know it.
But I haven't done that, so if you want to make nice and be friends, all you have to do is stop fantasizing that I'm being hostile to you. I don't think I've done anything to foster the impression that I was being so, but if I have, I'm happy to apologize.
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Lazy + smart = efficient.
Star Trek (2009)
First Contact
Better to regret something you did, than something you didn't do!
[deleted]
the wrath of kahn, the search for spock and the undiscovered country
shareII - best story. emotional climax
IV - fun. hilarious.
Before Abrams' reboot, I would have gone for The Undiscovered Country, for its high quality writing, plotting, and themes, and then probably First Contact. A close third would be The Voyage Home, because of its humorous tone and ridiculous situations (e.g. Chekov being captured by the US military and claiming he's from outer space - genius.)
The Films of Stanley Kubrick: www.fosk.weebly.com
I love Chekov's, "Can I go now?" in Star Trek IV.
shareYes! On paper, the film shouldn't work. And yet the final result is arguably the best in the series. Go figure.
The Films of Stanley Kubrick: www.fosk.weebly.com
Hmm... on second thoughts. I just re-watched First Contact and it's not as good as I remember, sadly. The comparisons with James Cameron's Aliens drag it down, and the planetside stuff is all a bit dull.
So Star Trek IV and VI for me.
The Films of Stanley Kubrick: www.fosk.weebly.com