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J.J. Abrams, Zachary Quinto and Bruce Greenwood Talk Trek Movie at LA Screening

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By GustavoLeao / 22:01, 19 November 2008 / Star Trek: Nemesis

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Wired posted a report on the Los Angeles screening of the four scenes from the upcoming Star Trek movie, which took place today at the Paramount lot. The screening, again presented by J.J. Abrams, was attended by actors Zachary Quinto, Chris Pine, John Cho, Bruce Greenwood, Ben Cross and Chris Hemsworth. Here are few excerpts of the article.

"I didn't jump at directing this movie like a true Trekkie -- I was obsessed with Twilight Zone," Abrams told the crowd. "But then I got the script from Bob Orci and Alex Kurtzman, which was adventure and funny and romantic and sexy and epic yet intimate -- everything you'd want."

"Part of the goal here was to legitimize this idea of space travel. Star Wars, which I love, takes place 'a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.' But Star Trek is us. We needed it to feel earthbound as well."

"I wouldn't actually say that I felt intimidated by Spock partly because I felt so supported by J.J. Abrams," Quinto told Wired. "I also got to know Leonard Nimoy, who was really gracious."

Describing his take on the part of Captain Pike, Greenwood said: "I'm reprising Jeffrey Hunter's role, so I looked at what he'd done. Someone told me his son was trying to get a hold of me. I don't know if he had any concerns -- but I never heard from him."

More from Abrams, Quinto and Greenwood can be found here.

UPDATE : Wired posted a review of the footage. Here is an excerpt of their review :

"The verdict? While four five-minute clips do not a movie make, it's safe to say that Abrams' Trek will be younger, brighter, busier and more frenetically paced than any previous incarnation." the reviewer wrote "The performances are edgier and louder, but not better. The effects are spectacular and executed on a scale never attempted by any Trek film. And, while connected to Gene Roddenberry's creation, this film is deliberately and unquestionably built in its own universe -- constructing its story on the idea that the original Star Trek time line has been destroyed and must be reconstructed as closely as possible."


More can be found here (beware of spoilers)

UPDATE : Sci Fi Wire also posted a report on the Los Angeles screening, with another detailed review of the four scenes. Here is their review of scene 2 (beware of major spoilers) :

Footage: Cadet Kirk is smuggled aboard the Enterprise by his doctor friend, Leonard "Bones" McCoy (Karl Urban), who has injected him with something to simulate disease symptoms. It's an end-run around a Starfleet regulation so that Kirk--who was banned from the ship for getting into too much trouble--can be aboard as the Enterprise, on her maiden voyage, takes part in a rescue mission to Vulcan. We see much of the ship and the young crew and get a sense of the new dynamics among them. Ultimately, the rescue mission sparks something in Kirk's memory, and he rushes to the bridge to inform Capt. Pike that they are entering a trap set by the Romulans.

Our verdict: The scene showcases Abrams' new approach to Star Trek's main setting, the Enterprise. Much has been written about the ways in which the crew and Enterprise differ from those of previous TV and film incarnations, so I won't go over them. But I will say that Abrams takes seriously the idea that the Enterprise is vast, and we see many scenes filled with people in spaces that are very industrial (below decks, as it were) and immense. The bridge, by contrast, is sleek, white and filled with electronic screens, and the peppy crew looks the part in their red, blue and gold tunics.

There are some differences with classic Trek. Abrams' choice is to direct with an emphasis on energy and movement, and the camera seems never to stop moving. There's a lot of running and yelling and overlapping dialogue, which adds urgency but may be jarring to diehard Trek fans used to previous Trek films' more deliberate pace. This not necessarily a bad thing. (And continuity check: The first-season original episode "Balance of Terror" asserts that Romulans have never been seen, yet in this scene Kirk and Sulu plainly battle Romulans.)
The other issue is the humor. The original Trek had a gentle, dry sense of humor, exemplified in Spock's arid delivery and McCoy's country-doctor aphorisms. The humor in this scene, by contrast, is very broad and almost slapstick, particularly concerning Kirk's various symptoms (hands that balloon like mittens, a tongue that swells and lolls in his mouth) and in Urban's delivery of McCoy's lines, which exaggerate DeForest Kelly's cadences. Similarly, Anton Yelchin--an actual Russian by birth--delivers Chekov's lines in a stagy Russki patois that milks his mispronunciation of such words as "Victor" ("Wiktor"). Whether the rest of Trek's humor is as broad remains to be seen.

For Sci Fi Wire reviews of scenes 1,3 and 4, go here.



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the new footage | Report this post to moderator
By: arat totem (Odo's file, contact) @ 10:52:14 on Nov 20, 2008

having seen the 25 minutes of footage, my feeling is the movie will do great the first week due to curiosity and then tank as Terminator and that Potter kid dominate the rest of the month. pine is excellent as kirk, but the "american pie" slapstick humor (in a fight, kirk gets punched and reels, hands outstretched, onto Uhura's breasts; chekov can't get the computer to work because it can't understand his OVER THE TOP accent) quinto's fey and lifeless spock will turn off trek fans AND the mainstream audience. or maybe middle america wants a sissy spock (i don't and i am a big 'mo!)


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  • RE: the new footage | Report this post to moderator
    By: critch (Odo's file, contact) @ 18:50:13 on Nov 20, 2008

    Potter doesn't come out until July. Terminator comes out two weeks afterward, and by then Trek will have made most of it's money, as usually happens with EVERY SUMMER MOVIE EVER.


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  • RE: the new footage | Report this post to moderator
    By: c.p. (Odo's file, contact) @ 16:37:37 on Nov 20, 2008 | Edit History (1)

    Thanks for the wet blanket, but the party doesn't start until May. It's a high privilege indeed to be in the position to pass judgement today ("based on 25 minutes of footage") and then stand unchallenged for 5 months.

    This will be the problem facing movie marketing in the future when any fey 'mo can jump through The Guardian of Forever and see the movie before it's even debuted. "Don't bother folks. They took a lemon and made 'American Pie.'"


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Erm...? | Report this post to moderator
By: Captain's Blog (Odo's file, contact) @ 09:30:16 on Nov 20, 2008

Wasn't the humour in Treks 4 and 5 also "broad"?

--------

"I would be happy for Star Trek to come along decades later with a new group of minds. I'd love someone to say, 'Besides this one, Gene Roddenberry's was nothing!'" - Gene Roddenberry

"...I think it would be wonderful years from now to see Star Trek come back with an equally talented new cast playing Spock and Kirk and Bones and Scotty and all the rest, as they say tomorrow's things to tomorrow's generations..." - Gene Roddenberry


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RE: The Future | Report this post to moderator
By: JagMan (Odo's file, contact, web site) @ 06:54:21 on Nov 20, 2008

That was a brilliant response. Nicely said!


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Here we go again... | Report this post to moderator
By: Kamen Rider Blade (Odo's file, contact) @ 23:02:45 on Nov 19, 2008

*prepares for the onslaught of fanboy whining...round 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,068*

Please, God. Make it stop. I can't take their pointless whining about trivial bullshit anymore.

--------

"Oh relax, Cupcake. It was a joke."- James T. Kirk


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The Future | Report this post to moderator
By: shats (Odo's file, contact) @ 22:44:49 on Nov 19, 2008

While most agree that this film is shaping up to be next year's Speed Racer, Quinto's Landmark and star making performance has the new openly gay Spock has already secured the film's place in cinematic and cultural history.


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  • RE: The Future | Report this post to moderator
    By: CrazyDrummer (Odo's file, contact) @ 09:11:30 on Nov 20, 2008

    Is there any way to stop this 'shats' pillock from continuing to post about Spock being gay? The joke wore thin weeks ago.

    --------

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    "This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill - the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe.
    You take the red pill - you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes.." - Morpheus
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


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  • OK Guys | Report this post to moderator
    By: Jean-Luc (Odo's file, contact) @ 08:52:31 on Nov 20, 2008

    You should know by now that every single post Shats makes mentions gay Spock, and that he never responds to the responses to his posts. He just sits back, reads the responses and chuckles.

    I highly recommend that no one ever reply to any of his posts, as he became an annoying troll some time ago.

    --------

    "Outer Space: The Last Frontier.
    These are the trips of the Star Trek Enterprise. Its five year plan calls for us to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly fly where no man has gone in space. Live long, and be happy."


    Patrick Stewart--SNL, Stardate 9402.05


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    • RE: OK Guys | Report this post to moderator
      By: GustavoLeao (Odo's file, contact, web site) @ 09:05:29 on Nov 20, 2008

      I second that. Just ignore Shats, people. Lets talk about the movie - there is a lot to talk about.

      You know, I have a job, a girl and a family and here I am, updating TrekWeb four, five times a day, hard job, and you guys spend a lot of time discussing bullshits like Shats posts ? Geeeee.

      Gustavo

      --------

      TrekWeb.com Supervising Editor

      gl2000@uol.com.br


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  • RE: The Future | Report this post to moderator
    By: rassmguy (Odo's file, contact) @ 04:50:55 on Nov 20, 2008

    Quote:
    While most agree that this film is shaping up to be next year's Speed Racer,

    Actually, most agree that this isn't remotely true.

    --------

    Rich Handley
    Author, Timeline of the Planet of the Apes: The Definitive Chronology
    Available now from Hasslein Books
    www.hassleinbooks.com


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  • RE: The Future | Report this post to moderator
    By: Gothampunk (Odo's file, contact) @ 03:37:15 on Nov 20, 2008 | Edit History (1)

    Hi Shats,

    Again, I want to congratulate you in kicking the closet door open and coming out. It's so brave! But be warned: in the euphoria of finally coming to grips with one's sexuality, some gay guys tend to see "gay" everywhere. As a gay man, I can tell you, there's plenty of "gay" in the world; no need to see what's not there.

    In the world of Star Trek, stereotypical gay men are not gay, they are villains. Stereotypical gay women are Tasha Yar. Disappointing to us, maybe, but that's the way it is. And by the way, it's over 25 years too late for ST to make any "cinematic and cultural history" on the gay front; the entire world has been there, done that. At this point, Trek is a charming anachronism on that topic.

    Oh, and btw, now that you are out, you are entitled to a copy of "Gaydar, Shmaydar: The Guide to Everything and Everyone Fabulous!" Until you get your copy, it's best to stop trying to judge all this for yourself.

    Anyway, take it down just a notch, and enjoy your rainbow journey!


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  • RE: The Future | Report this post to moderator
    By: Bean (Odo's file, contact, web site) @ 23:36:52 on Nov 19, 2008

    Quote:
    While most agree that this film is shaping up to be next year's Speed Racer

    I would LOVE to know what you base this completely factless statement on?

    --------

    "The idea of doing an impression of William Shatner… it would have no shot at succeeding. The character is Jim Kirk, not William Shatner." - Chris Pine


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