Cinematic Trek

Well…I suppose it is my duty to report my feelings on the latest Star Trek film, appropriately titled Star Trek. Both my father and I (Daddy’s little Trekkie princess) were eagerly anticipating the film.
The franchise needed a success. Something new and fresh. The once-proud line of movies had gone severely stagnant.
Some people blame the loss of the original cast. It’s true—they are irreplaceable characters. But really, the overall quality of the films was gradually degrading. The Powers That Be were having a tough time keeping that special balance: a little bit of philosophy (not too much—that’s for the TV show), a lot of action, decent plot, and some fun character antics/studies. The films may have been becoming too mediocre, too formulaic, and the movies were less-than-blockbuster quality and more worthy of a 2-part episode.
So Trek needed a reboot.
And it sure as hell got one.
This one gave us comedy, drama (just to show you how sentimental I am, that opening almost drew a tear from my eye), and an overall fun ride. This is largely due to the fact that it took us way back to the origin of the characters, as we threw all the young crewman together and tried to make all their quirks fuse together into the functional group we know and love. The cast was absolutely fantastic. I’d have to say that Bones (Karl Urban) and Scotty (Simon Pegg) were my favorites in the film.

I loved it. I really did. But then, something hit me.

There really wasn’t much of a plot. It was a very simple story. In that sense, it wasn’t terribly groundbreaking or thought-provoking science fiction.
It struck me that the entire movie was just about the characters. And that’s when I realized that the whole thing was fan service, beginning to end.
Of course I loved it. I couldn’t help loving it. Classic Trek cocaine had just been pumped into my bloodstream—it was, in almost every sense, irresistible.
But how do I feel now that it has worn off a little? Disturbed, maybe? Fan service is typically commonplace in bits and pieces, but this was an entire film.

I feel a little like I went to dinner at a friend's place, and instead of getting a tasty slice of turkey and some mashed potatoes with gravy, I got a big bowl of mint chocolate chip ice cream. Sure, the ice cream tastes fantastic. But it’s not quite as wholesome.
I don’t know if that metaphor makes sense. It made me a little hungry, actually. What I’m trying to say is…yes, I enjoyed the movie. Great fun all around. But that’s because the movie was specifically catering to people like me, who just miss the old characters. Really. That’s it. I suppose somebody in the back of my mind believes that the film is somehow cheapened by this strategy.
But I still respect what was done with the film, and that everybody has the right to do whatever kind of movie they damn well please. Just because I didn’t get my turkey and mashed potatoes doesn’t mean somebody else doesn’t get to have a little fun with some ice cream. Especially tasty ice cream.
I’m going to end this post before I raid the refrigerator.