dahlia_moon (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
dahlia_moon) wrote2012-02-16 01:24 am
dahlia_moon) wrote2012-02-16 01:24 am
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I keep your photograph beside my bed
Star Trek (2009)
I really loved this film. I did. It was awesome and had A LOT of awesome people I had seen in previous movies/just loved in public generally. And it was just AWESOME. No, really. I CAN'T STRESS ENOUGH HOW VERY FUN THIS MOVIE IS.
But it also made me very uncomfortable.
I can't explain it very well except to say a) I did not like Kirk manipulating Spock so Kirk could essentially take his captaincy away. (Talking about not loving his mother, way to hit below the belt, Kirk.How 'bout we talk about your father issues.) I get it's complicated and that they're living in an alternative reality because of Nero and Nero's decision to come back to the past for his revenge and effectively altering all of their lives especially the correct timeline where Kirk should've been the golden boy properly from the start. And I get that Kirk is a better captain in the sense that he takes chances in certain situations wherein Spock would not necessarily take those chances. I dunno. Maybe I'm trying to dump reality into a sci-fi movie? Where reality as we know it to be does not exist? It just seems like maybe Spock should've realized that Kirk was just goading him. He was not being a very good Vulcan.
And b) the whole implication of Uhura's and Spock's relationship. I know they're about the same age and so it's not really that skeevy if you think about it(they're two totally hot and consenting adults). But he was her teacher at the academy. Right? Or in like a TA position? It just felt so very wrong to me. Not that I don't love Uhura (and Zoe Saldana) and Spock as characters but...I have no idea. (I can think of a few instances in fandom wherein I *do* ship characters that were in teacher/student relationships and that didn't squick me out [in Cardcaptor Sakura, for example, it's very heavily implied that a female student and her *fourth grade teacher* are in a relationship and I have no problem with *that* but that could be because they aren't really in a relationship, they mostly talk about their feelings being mutual and WANTING to be in a relationship with each other but, more importantly, NEVER acting on those feelings so it's all very INNOCENT], but here it somehow does make me uncomfortable and I can't exactly articulate it in an intelligent way but to say NOOO DNW.) No, Spock, I'm totally supposed to be on the Enterprise! / Why, yes, yes, you are, Nyota. What's the big deal about the Enterprise? It's the only ship in the entire Federation that gets in all the death situations. If I was a smart character in this movie, I'd totally stay away from it.
Also, way too many men being awesome and not too many women being awesome (which could relate back to point B somehow but then again, I am not very smart when it comes to this subject, it just so happens that spending time on Tumblr and following feminist type blogs kinda awakens your eyes to things you would've happily ignored otherwise. Like two very important women hardly have lines/scenes. Amanda is shown only speaking with Spock, and we only see Wiona Kirk at the very beginning and that was it. Amanda's death plays a big part of course but only in relation to Spock and how it makes *him* feel and lose control. Of course one can say that this is really a movie about Spock and Kirk's destiny so their mothers shouldn't play that big a role anyway. But in a big movie like this where the majority of the characters are male from the get-go, a little variety would be nice).
And I'm really just totally in love with Scotty. (Stupid Simon Pegg. Stop being awesome.) So that's all that needs to be said about that.
I really did love this movie. It was fantastic, just you know - not the above.
I really loved this film. I did. It was awesome and had A LOT of awesome people I had seen in previous movies/just loved in public generally. And it was just AWESOME. No, really. I CAN'T STRESS ENOUGH HOW VERY FUN THIS MOVIE IS.
But it also made me very uncomfortable.
I can't explain it very well except to say a) I did not like Kirk manipulating Spock so Kirk could essentially take his captaincy away. (Talking about not loving his mother, way to hit below the belt, Kirk.
And b) the whole implication of Uhura's and Spock's relationship. I know they're about the same age and so it's not really that skeevy if you think about it
Also, way too many men being awesome and not too many women being awesome (which could relate back to point B somehow but then again, I am not very smart when it comes to this subject, it just so happens that spending time on Tumblr and following feminist type blogs kinda awakens your eyes to things you would've happily ignored otherwise. Like two very important women hardly have lines/scenes. Amanda is shown only speaking with Spock, and we only see Wiona Kirk at the very beginning and that was it. Amanda's death plays a big part of course but only in relation to Spock and how it makes *him* feel and lose control. Of course one can say that this is really a movie about Spock and Kirk's destiny so their mothers shouldn't play that big a role anyway. But in a big movie like this where the majority of the characters are male from the get-go, a little variety would be nice).
And I'm really just totally in love with Scotty. (Stupid Simon Pegg. Stop being awesome.) So that's all that needs to be said about that.
I really did love this movie. It was fantastic, just you know - not the above.
no subject
The Star Trek figures (collectables for example don't to my knowledge have the Orion girl, the green one Kirk was engaging with during the early part of the film and there were also others absent so yes, it is a blidspot in Hollywood me thinks.
The remake of Clash of the Titans also suffered a lack of female characters and representations of the Goddesses, I didn't see it and prefered the original version. Hoping that the sequel, Wrath of the Titans, after all the criticism of the previous will change this, the film also lost the enchantment of the original IMO. ^_^
Back to Star Trek:
Spock, was portrayed in the film as far more human than in the original series, although he struggles to be the 'typical Vulcan' he has great difficulty coming to terms with his humanity and that of his mother, this makes him try too hard.
His father surprises Spock by mentioning the 'Love' word in reference to Spock's mother. I think the goal for Spock was to prove himself worthy of being a true Vulcan and the struggle with his human side sets up the antagonism between Kirk and himself.
Kirk did push it a littel hard, but Spock was provoking him to the point of frenzy, a fine line there, and I think they should have perhaps modified Kirk's lines a bit.
I am looking forward to the new one, and there are just so many wonderful paradoxes and possibilities! :D
no subject
Clash of the Titans (either version) is one of those films that I do have on my to watch list but never get around to it.
I totally agree with you - Spock felt more like he was leaning towards his human side and less toward the Vulcan in this movie even though I haven't seen any of the original.
I can't wait for the sequel either! But it's too far away. Like, I think I read they only started filming in January so who knows when it'll be out.
no subject
I am unsure of the Orion girl but I feel it would be great if they include her and her people as a decent sub-plot, and or a complex depth to her relationship with Kirk. I know you'd not seen the original series, but Kirk was a bit of a lover' type, but to make him more settled and realistic, and have his life reflect relationships, and children later on, as in Star Trek 3 his son David is murdered by the Klingongs on the Genesis Planet, but we never see his wife, nor any interaction with her in dialogue or exposition, I can see why back then why given the 60s' world view, but there is no excuse for it nowadays, so I guess we'll see what they have for us, and also, they may make a new Star Trek TV series with high production values, they were going to do one, a few years beack but the writers were all burnt out and they scrapped it, I hope they do bring it back and make it really good.
Offf to the engine room now with my cats to check the warp core :DDD <33333 Oh and happy belated Valentine's Day and a bunch of pink roses to you, I made a general V-Day post on facebook, not sure if you caught that, but this is a more personal one XXXX *hugs ya* <333
no subject
I don't check Facebook a lot, sorry for not seeing it sooner. :D But this past week when it was Valentine's Day has been kinda hectic so I just let the whole week slide away.
they may make a new Star Trek TV series with high production values, they were going to do one, a few years beack but the writers were all burnt out and they scrapped it, I hope they do bring it back and make it really good.
Oh, I'd totally be up for a rebooted ST tv series now too. I guess it would make sense for the writers to be burned out because didn't they also make a lot of movies after the series ended? Or something like that.
no subject
Yes, that week was busy, I didn't get any cards, but then again, I've been a bit of a home body lately - so I still had a good week though.
Take care and I hope you have a magicall week! <3333 *huggles*
no subject
It just seems like maybe Spock should've realized that Kirk was just goading him. He was not being a very good Vulcan.
I think the fact that Spock didn't realize (or didn't realize in time, at least) kind of proves the necessity in removing him from the captaincy. He was overwhelmed with feelings, grief and anger and a desire for vengeance, and so was Kirk! The difference between him and Kirk is that Spock doesn't know how to deal with that. Vulcans repress repress repress, and detach themselves from emotions, and when Spock couldn't do that he kind of fell apart, with the rage and choking and whatnot. Kirk's used to grief and rage, and he was able to channel those feelings into useful action.
Uhura/Spock can be really awkward for people? But the beauty of the unspoken nature of their relationship is that you can interpret the kiss scene as being one of many or the first. I've got similar issues with teacher/student relationships, so I like to see it as the first kiss, after a looot of UST.
It's the only ship in the entire Federation that gets in all the death situations. If I was a smart character in this movie, I'd totally stay away from it.Countering with this: the Enterprise may have been in a life-or-death situation with the Romulans, but at least they lived. The half dozen other ships that headed out with them for Vulcan didn't. If Uhura hadn't insisted on the transfer, she'd've gotten blown up with the rest of their classmates.
On the lack of female roles: I absolutely agree with you there. The problem is that the writers tried to preserve as much of the original TOS cast as possible, for nostalgia purposes I presume, which left them with only Uhura to work with
well, and Rand, who didn't appear, and Chapel, who only got name-dropped. I mean, props to the writers for the awesome ladies in the background, but even interesting new characters like Gaila (Uhura's Orion roommate) are going to play second fiddle to the TOS cast. In this kind of movie there's not enough room for anybody to shine but the classic characters, and they weren't willing to genderbend some of the cast like BSG did in their reboot.And yes, Simon Pegg is awesome. It's a damn shame Scotty didn't appear in more of the movie, he was fantastic.
no subject
Kirk's used to grief and rage, and he was able to channel those feelings into useful action.
Huh. I didn't think about it quite like that, but now that you've said it, it makes perfect sense.
If Uhura hadn't insisted on the transfer, she'd've gotten blown up with the rest of their classmates.
Lol, I had assumed that the other ships would've escaped unscathed if the Romulans were focusing on the Enterprise that they didn't pay any attention to any other ships not having either Spock or Kirk on board. Not that Enterprise didn't have its own deaths, but maybe I should've assumed the worst re: the other ships that headed out with them for Vulcan as well.
Yeah, I guess with any reboot, you either can pay homage to the classic (even if it has some undesirable subtexts of sexism and gender inequality) or you can go toward the other extreme and make it wholly your own but then risk alienating the original fans. I'm not necessarily bemoaning the fact that the writers did choose to go the route of nostalgia, but I guess I can't have both (kickass women and the original tone of the '60s series).
no subject
Lol, I had assumed that the other ships would've escaped unscathed if the Romulans were focusing on the Enterprise that they didn't pay any attention to any other ships not having either Spock or Kirk on board.
Oh man, no! The Enterprise got there late because of Sulu forgetting to turn off inertial dampeners or something like that, remember? And when they arrived, they had to maneuver around the debris of all the other ships. The Enterprise was almost destroyed along with the rest, except Nero noticed the ship's name.
I'm not necessarily bemoaning the fact that the writers did choose to go the route of nostalgia, but I guess I can't have both (kickass women and the original tone of the '60s series).
I really wish that wasn't to be the case! I'm hoping the sequel allows Uhura to be especially awesome, and maybe introduces some new female characters? Or at least reestablishes some of the handful of old ones, if they're gonna keep on the nostalgia route. I mean, since the first movie was spent establishing the classic cast, I think they could risk expanding the team in the sequel.