Trekkies 2

I believe Trekkies 2 is defiantly worth watching if you enjoyed the first Trekkies film. Some of the Trekkies interviewed in the first Trekkies film appear in Trekkies 2 so it is interesting to see how they have grown and how they have continued using Star Trek as part of their lives. But what I think is most interesting is seeing Star Trek fans and conventions in other countries. The first Trekkies film only had American fans, but Trekkies 2 takes you to Star Trek fans and conventions in France, England, Germany, Italy, Brazil, Serbia and of course my country: Australia.

I've attended three Star Trek Conventions in Sydney so far. Including the one in June of 2003. Denise Crosby was a guest at this convention, she was here in Sydney to film Trekkies 2, I even briefly chatted with one of Denise's cameramen. Some of the Trekkies attending this convention were interviewed for Trekkies 2 but I wasn't one of them. I've met several of the Australian people interviewed for this documentary. One of them is Peter the host for the Sydney Star Trek Conventions. He claims that he's been attending conventions for twelve years. I also know Tammy who you see briefly dressed as a Romulan. I've also seen the huge teddy bear which is dressed in a Starfleet uniform. I've also met this "Admiral". I've forgotten her name but she is wearing a red Admiral's uniform and has these two white tentacles on her head. She calls herself a Human/Andorian (She appears during the end credits).

So it was nice to see some of the people I've met in this documentary and I am surprised that I'm the first Star Trek Convention attendee who has commented about this film.

I am a big fan of the original star trek and the next generation, and I'm also a fan of the first film about trekkies but, this one was just beyond tedious, and slow. it wasn't as good as the first one. the first had funny, interesting, moments, and they always had great interviews with the trekkies. this one was more of a "hey, look at all the stuff i have", it was like watching antiques roadshow, except it was the fans themselves guessing how much everything was worth. it was interesting to see some of the people doing their own fan films and plays based on star trek but, aside from that the best part was the recaps on who we saw in the first film. it was interesting to see how they were now, and how they were effected by being featured in the film, widely regarded as one of the best documentaries ever made. this film is forgettable at best, and i wish they tried harder to make things a little more about the fans and not about how much money they have spent on star trek.

I was very fortunate to catch an early viewing of this film at Fanzillacon in Worcester Massachusetts and was very happy to get the opportunity. Trekkies 2, though a documentary, uses has all the keys to any good sequel: The film stands well without seeing the previous, though rewarding if you have, old elements are revisited without overshadowing new ones and everything is made bigger and bolder. The movie itself is a sort of reply to the first, addressing the effect that Trekkies had on many of its interviewees and the fanbase as a whole. The documentary strives for a fair balance of 'normal' fans with the amusing 'over-the-top' fans that were plentiful in the first film. I think this balance is achieved, though not everyone will agree for whatever reasons they might. Aside from being the obvious way of expanding the first movie, seeing Trekkies from around the globe was just a fascinating addition.

The major difference between this movie and the first is this one is more is concentrated solely on the lives and activities of the fans and does not include much discussion and history on the Star Trek phenomena on its own. Which makes prefect sense since that subject was covered well enough in the first, making this more what the first would have been if that background information hadn't been necessary.

My only problem was no inclusion of major Star Trek cast members like the previous film had. But director Roger Nygard answered a Q&A after the screening and explained that getting them was simple for the first film when the filmmakers had no limelight on their production and didn't have to pay the cast members for their interviews.

Altogether the film is a strong followup to the first. I look forward to seeing it again, along with the supplementary material, when it is released in August.

I watched this just after watching the original Trekkies, and to be fair, if I hadn't just seen the other movie I might not be as critical as this one, but it is very weak in comparison.

Trekkies 2 feels like it was made out of left over material from the first movie. Not literally, since they did go out and film new stuff, but thematically, since they covered the topic quite thoroughly in the first movie and simply had little left to work with. The movie feels less focused and more random than the original; a bunch of disparate elements poorly tied together by an international theme. It also has rather cheesy narrative dialog introducing each section that sounds like the sort of artificial patter you get when people introduce an award at the Emmys.

It does have some interesting things in it, and if you haven't seen the first one you might think this was decent, but for fans of the original movie the most interesting part of this one will probably be the end in which Trekkies discuss their reaction to the original movie.

Trekkies 2, like the first movie, is an endearing portrayal of the Star Trek fanbase. This time the producers go on the road and travel around the world to meet Star Trek fans from Australia, Brazil, Italy, France, Germany and even Serbia, documenting their experiences with Star Trek and going into the lives of several fans.

In between each segment of the travelogue are pieces that can be described simply as an open forum for fans to discuss issues relating to fandom, such as what makes a "Normal Fan", should you wear your uniform in public, etc. This helps give the fans more a of voice, which many found lacking in the first film.

One thing to note about the DVD is that it in fact features 2 documentaries, as the deleted scenes are cut together in a coherent way to complement the main film, raising issues that may not have fit well with the main film.

Of course, the film also features 'characters' from the first movie, like Gabe Koerner, Brian Dellis, Barbara Adams and Daryl Frazetti, making the movie feel like one of several other documentaries that have followed its subjects over the years, like 7-up.

Moments that stood out for me were the interview with Robert Burnett and the Sacramento segment that feature five Star Trek tribute bands. The Serbia segment was also quite effective because it felt more 'important', going a bit into the recent war and how some fans looked to Star Trek as a way of coping with the war. In fact, the film documents the first ever convention held in Serbia.

As a casual Star Trek fan, it was interesting to see that there was still a fanbase that existed given the current nature of Trek. Given that Star Trek: Nemesis pretty much flopped and Enterprise is on the verge of cancellation, it's kind of nice to see that there are still fans out there who are enthusiastic about Star Trek. It was also nice to see fans that were self-deprecating and could joke about the fact that they're fans. There are also poignant, philosophical moments that get to the heart of the film, such as when one of the fans says, "When reality stops being so lame, we'll stop doing this."

The film not only works because of its content, but also because of its style - irregardless of it's content, the film is just a great documentary. Given this, and the fact that you actually get two films on the DVD, I think everyone should pick this up.

8/10