Jalea

Unintentionally satirical? That's what I thought when I saw this movie. Let me explain: it's the year 3000 and a motley salvage crew believes they have hit pay dirt with this mother lode. Then they find out about their unwanted visitor. A huge space craft that the estimate is worth a lot of money. The dialogue was at times painfully crude. The acting is often cringe worthily funny. There is a plot twist or two, but, uh.but even that does not help thicken the pap thin plot. Their is eye candy for the guys and comic relief for all. The actor chosen to play Dracula was hilarious (as was his outfit, which looked like a Halloween costume). My first time seeing an almost slap stick version of Dracula with gore. Three stars

I cannot say I LOVED it, but I did LIKE it, very much. It is a 21st Century reboot of a beloved series. Let me first say that there is no way the any director or group of actors can recapture the magic of the original Star Trek series of the 1960s. Mr. Spock's subtly sarcastic and thinly veiled elitist tone played by Mr. Nimoy is untouchable. The egotistical yet fiercely caring and loyal, calculatingly yet impulsive, Captain Kirk played William Shatner was done brilliantly with a figurative *wink* at the audience. Therefore, it would be utterly ridiculous to even attempt to duplicate the magic of William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy. And, the story lines were also fantastic, considering the limited time and budget the writers/producers had to work with. I think that is why they keep rehashing them, because they were so well written and thought out in the first place. If you check all of the Star Trek series, many of the stories of the 1960s were redone in some shape or form in each of the series of the 1980s on, including the movies.

However, JJ Abrams and the actors have managed to capture the essence of Star Trek; good acting, action with some humor thrown in. I do like the new Spock and Captain Kirk. I like the fact that they are still the major players, because that is true to the series. I like the fact that the key to their teamwork is their friendship and eventually mutual respect. Zachary Quinto has managed to emote some of the sarcastic tone of the original Mr. Spock as well as his inner struggle. Mr. Quinto does have a hard act to follow, as does Chris Pine as Captain Kirk. But, he does have the charm, good looks, wicked humor to pull it off. And yes, Kirk for the most part gets every girl, except Lt. Uhura. Benedict Cumberbach looks nothing like Richardo Montalban who played Khan in the series and movie. Yet, he managed to make the role his own; the commanding, fierce ruthlessness and physical presence. Lithe, lean yet muscular enough to convince us of his physicality. Eloquent, elitist, dismissive of others, his body language and facial expressions appropriately communicate his attitude of superiority.

The special effects were fantastic. I saw it in 3D and I must say the visual effects people had a field day. But, there was still enough focus on the story so that you did not feel like the whole movie an orgy of explosions and CGI. There was some creative license taken with the story line, so if you are a purist, it will upset you. However, if you listen carefully, there are hints and allusions (details) in the story that only hardcore trekkies would recognize, which I won't give away (the movie has just been released less than two weeks ago after all). I do not think that Star Trek has lost its way, the essence of Star Trek is still there -- if you look closely enough. I could not give this movie a ten because of the changes to the original story line surrounding some of the characters.

I found myself confused about what the film maker was trying to convey. It is true that there are graphic sex scenes that caused me to press the forward button. I felt the movie was about a woman's toxic obsession and the man's willing to do whatever it took to fulfill her insatiable desires. I must say that the director and actors were daring to be willing to take part telling this true story, which I Googled after watching the movie. I would say to watch the movie for yourself and decide what you think. I found it interesting that the story seemed to be told without judgment of the characters. It was just a frank narrative of a tragic story of a twisted love affair. This movie is not for the faint at heart.