spaf@gatech.UUCP (06/02/84)
In short, awesome. Many times better than the only other major offering
this summer: "Indiana Jones et.al."
In more detail: Uncle Spaf decided that he didn't want to go to the
movie all by himself. Especially when there was work he was supposed
to be doing. How to solve the problem? Easy -- invite along the rest
of the department, and all the people on the Usenet in Atlanta. So,
Uncle Spaf and 43 of his closest friends and associates went to search
for Spock at their neighborhood 70mm film emporium. To our surprise,
the show before ours (@5:15) had about 120 unsold seats out of 450, and
there were almost 100 unsold at our show. What's wrong, campers?
Anyhow, we trooped in, sat down (in that order), and watched the film.
Once we recovered, we trooped out and 32 of us went on to dinner
together. (Ever walk into a Mexican restaurant and ask for a table for
32? And the crowd behind you convinces the guy that you're serious?
FUN!)
Speaking of fun, we all enjoyed the movie. The effects were great, the
acting was great, the story was almost great, and the whole thing went
together well. The general opinion was that this ST movie was the best
of the lot, although it could have been longer and a bit more
detailed.
The majority felt that the movie lost some steam after the loss of the
Enterprise. Some of us almost (or did) cry at that point. It didn't
strike me as much as the "I have been and always will be, your friend."
scene in ST:TWoK, but it was traumatic nonetheless. And they don't
have any kind of Genesis effect to bring it back. Still, there is the
Excelsior....
Ah yes, the Excelsior. A few people felt that it was a good idea to go
with a new ship. It allows for more development because new stories
don't have to worry about being consistent with all the "mythos" built
up around the old Enterprise. Besides, with a big, new, experimental
ship, it is easier to explain why'd you'd have an Admiral on board
directing things, right? Still, it may take some getting used to.
Spock. Spock lives. Sort of. He has back some of his old memories.
No telling about his personality or interests, but he's back. The
method they used to bring him back is at least as reasonable as other
things that have happened in the TV shows, so why not? In fact, because
he isn't quite what he used to be, the whole thing went over better.
But why did he remember lines he spoke to Kirk AFTER he had "core
dumped" into McCoy's brain? And what will he do now?
Savik. Robin Curtis makes a good Savik, but I think she plays it just
a mite too reserved. Still, she was fairly beliveable. And does she
bear Spock's child? That could be an interesting twist, no?
Other things people commented on were the way McCoy was played as two
people in one, and some of Scotty's lines. ("Up your shaft." will be
long remembered.) A number of people commented on how well Uhura has
aged in relation to the others. Will we ever hear of her getting a
command of her own? All in all, it appears as if the whole cast had a
lot of fun doing the movie.
The ending left most of us wondering what happens next. There are a
lot of loose ends. I mean, 5 senior, decorated officers have stolen
(and destroyed) the Enterprise, broken untold number of rules,
including sabotage, assault, and going to a forbidden planet (isn't
that alone a capital offense?). The science survey ship is destroyed,
the planet is gone, and Kirk's son is gone. However, they have managed
to capture an enemy ship and they have Spock back (sort of). The next
movie should be interesting. We have little doubt that there
will be a next movie.
We all saw the movie for $2.25, but I think we would have paid at
least $5 each to see it. I'm willing to pay that to see it a
second time. All in all, excellent.
Anybody out there not like it? Any suggestions as to what happens
next?
--
Off the Wall of Gene Spafford
The Clouds Project, School of ICS, Georgia Tech, Atlanta GA 30332
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