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pslasherI just got back from the theater, and I loved it! Majorly spoilery discussion:
Also spoilery for The Wrath of Khan - but if you're reading this I assume you already know that? Wow, what a lot of action!! That was flipping non-stop the whole time. I came out feeling quite excited about it all with my head spinning, but I do think they could have lingered a bit more on the crazy emotional parts.
Speaking of: holy shit, that scene in the engine room. I cried, y'all, not even gonna lie.
It's interesting that they tackled this story so early on in the Reboot franchise. By the time they got around to killing Spock in The Wrath of Khan they had three seasons of the tv show and one previous movie. It fucking meant something that he sacrificed himself. Not that Kirk's sacrifice here didn't mean something! It's just that we haven't lived with these characters for as long (not really; we've all been in the fandom for these four years patiently waiting on this movie, but that's not quite the same as having weekly shows for three years and then living with the rebirth of the franchise in movie form over even more years), so we (and the characters themselves) haven't developed quite the same relationship. There was more of a sense of... still working things out between all the characters at the beginning of STiD than at the beginning of TWoK - at least, to me. There is a lot of love and friendship, of course, but there is still friction between them all, and not quite the same well-oiled friction of the TOS movies. It just still feels... early for AOS, which changed the tone of the death scene to me.
In TOS, Kirk looses his t'hy'la. Kirk looses something that is fully realized: a friendship* that is closer than brothers and deeper than any he has with anyone else; probably even with Bones (the Bones & Spock relationship is a whole 'nother story). In AOS, Spock looses the potential for that friendship, looses something that is fragile and growing and beautiful, but not close to being fully realized yet. I feel they will get there eventually, this event will have pushed them closer, but they aren't there yet. But it is (we think) destroyed before it has a chance to develop, and that is as much the tragedy as Kirk's sacrifice.
But upon reflection, that is actually perfectly consistent with AOS modus operandi. It's a different 'verse, and that's what I think makes this Reboot possible, what allows it to thrive. If it was the exact same stories with different actors there would be no way it could work. It would be a pretty thing, but would not have the substance needed to sustain itself. The comparisons alone would make it impossible. I personally am enjoying exploring the differences.
(*yes, I'm sticking to cannon and friendship here, even though I ship them forever and ever amen)
I also loved the Kirk, Spock, and Uhura interactions. I loved that Kirk and Uhura seem to have bonded enough to talk, that just tickled me. As a K/S/U shipper I was just imagining the possibilities. Though my first reaction was "Really? They are going to have Uhura come over all 'unhappy girlfriend' while they are in the middle of a mission?" Not professional, also totally stereotypically girly, but I sort of see that they refused to slow the pace for anything, so... Also, I was very pleased by the result of the discussion, so I'm willing to give it a pass. And again, they put Kirk in between Spock and Uhura, which tickled me also.
Speaking of slowing the pace, they could have lingered more on Bones reacting to Jim dying, holy cow Karl, A+ performance! I didn't get as many Kirk/McCoy vibes as I did from XI, but they were there, strongly. I still maintain that if I could figure a way to get all four realistically into bed I'd have died and gone to heaven. I can work out a threesome, but I have no idea how to add in a fourth and make it work long-term.
*Ahem* But I digress.
Carol Marcus! I really loved that twist! Somehow I wasn't expecting that at all, so great job JJ. I really wonder where they are going to go with the Jim/Carol relationship.... I'm... not sure I want them to have a relationship? I don't know, maybe I should have more faith, since I really love the Spock/Uhura relationship so I think they could do a good job with Carol and Jim. It's just that if feels fated to end badly (for some reason, I don't know why) and I don't know if I want that. Or, they could go the TOS rout and sort of have her as the girl-of-the-week, and I definitely don't want that! Then again, if they break up/she dies it would just give the other three a reason to love on him, so I should embrace it? :D
I can't wait for a rewatch. I feel that I need to see it again to even begin to pick apart the plot. But as of right now, I'm a happy camper. ♥
Also spoilery for The Wrath of Khan - but if you're reading this I assume you already know that? Wow, what a lot of action!! That was flipping non-stop the whole time. I came out feeling quite excited about it all with my head spinning, but I do think they could have lingered a bit more on the crazy emotional parts.
Speaking of: holy shit, that scene in the engine room. I cried, y'all, not even gonna lie.
It's interesting that they tackled this story so early on in the Reboot franchise. By the time they got around to killing Spock in The Wrath of Khan they had three seasons of the tv show and one previous movie. It fucking meant something that he sacrificed himself. Not that Kirk's sacrifice here didn't mean something! It's just that we haven't lived with these characters for as long (not really; we've all been in the fandom for these four years patiently waiting on this movie, but that's not quite the same as having weekly shows for three years and then living with the rebirth of the franchise in movie form over even more years), so we (and the characters themselves) haven't developed quite the same relationship. There was more of a sense of... still working things out between all the characters at the beginning of STiD than at the beginning of TWoK - at least, to me. There is a lot of love and friendship, of course, but there is still friction between them all, and not quite the same well-oiled friction of the TOS movies. It just still feels... early for AOS, which changed the tone of the death scene to me.
In TOS, Kirk looses his t'hy'la. Kirk looses something that is fully realized: a friendship* that is closer than brothers and deeper than any he has with anyone else; probably even with Bones (the Bones & Spock relationship is a whole 'nother story). In AOS, Spock looses the potential for that friendship, looses something that is fragile and growing and beautiful, but not close to being fully realized yet. I feel they will get there eventually, this event will have pushed them closer, but they aren't there yet. But it is (we think) destroyed before it has a chance to develop, and that is as much the tragedy as Kirk's sacrifice.
But upon reflection, that is actually perfectly consistent with AOS modus operandi. It's a different 'verse, and that's what I think makes this Reboot possible, what allows it to thrive. If it was the exact same stories with different actors there would be no way it could work. It would be a pretty thing, but would not have the substance needed to sustain itself. The comparisons alone would make it impossible. I personally am enjoying exploring the differences.
(*yes, I'm sticking to cannon and friendship here, even though I ship them forever and ever amen)
I also loved the Kirk, Spock, and Uhura interactions. I loved that Kirk and Uhura seem to have bonded enough to talk, that just tickled me. As a K/S/U shipper I was just imagining the possibilities. Though my first reaction was "Really? They are going to have Uhura come over all 'unhappy girlfriend' while they are in the middle of a mission?" Not professional, also totally stereotypically girly, but I sort of see that they refused to slow the pace for anything, so... Also, I was very pleased by the result of the discussion, so I'm willing to give it a pass. And again, they put Kirk in between Spock and Uhura, which tickled me also.
Speaking of slowing the pace, they could have lingered more on Bones reacting to Jim dying, holy cow Karl, A+ performance! I didn't get as many Kirk/McCoy vibes as I did from XI, but they were there, strongly. I still maintain that if I could figure a way to get all four realistically into bed I'd have died and gone to heaven. I can work out a threesome, but I have no idea how to add in a fourth and make it work long-term.
*Ahem* But I digress.
Carol Marcus! I really loved that twist! Somehow I wasn't expecting that at all, so great job JJ. I really wonder where they are going to go with the Jim/Carol relationship.... I'm... not sure I want them to have a relationship? I don't know, maybe I should have more faith, since I really love the Spock/Uhura relationship so I think they could do a good job with Carol and Jim. It's just that if feels fated to end badly (for some reason, I don't know why) and I don't know if I want that. Or, they could go the TOS rout and sort of have her as the girl-of-the-week, and I definitely don't want that! Then again, if they break up/she dies it would just give the other three a reason to love on him, so I should embrace it? :D
I can't wait for a rewatch. I feel that I need to see it again to even begin to pick apart the plot. But as of right now, I'm a happy camper. ♥