Star Trek Movie in IMAX

[Catshrink]

Is it worth the extra $$$ to see it in IMAX format? I still haven't seen it, ardent Trekkie (from the days of Trek Classic even) that I am. Slacker am I.

$11.75 for the IMAX screening, $2 for the second run movie house. For an extra 10 bucks, the IMAX had better good. That's a lot of popcorn!

[HopeHoops]

1. Weird - I am just getting ready to put the first Start Trek movie into the Laser Disc player.

My youngest was asking about The Enterprise yesterday. She's seen "Trouble With Tribbles", but I don't don't think she's seen anything else. I've got the first five or so on laser disc.

[Deja Q]

2. Well, IMAX is known for showing movies with great visuals and f/x...

So you won't be disappointed.

If you like proper storytelling, and not a two-bit campy runaround that mocks the entity it's rebooting, complete with PRODUCT PLACEMENTS (it's embarrassing to see what makes it into the 23rd century), then you might be disappointed.

***************** MILD SPOILERS FOLLOW **************





And for all the talk about how JJ DYN-O-MITE's reinvention is sooooooo great because it's no longer for sci-fi geeks and how normal audiences can appreciate it, when I come across a normal person and ask me to explain what it's about, I stifle more laughter than what a hyena could endure. Mass audiences just don't "get it". That's why when all these sappy uber-dramatic wankers come in and piss on sci-fi franchises (I'm pointing at you too, RTD) for their vapid little soap operas with the trademarked names stamped on them, I remind myself "what happened to genre television and why must EVERYTHING be marketed with the lowest common denominator? What happened to critical thought? Oh yes, that's not profitable..."

[GaYellowDawg]

9. That is exactly right.

This movie should have been made for those who "get it." Maybe a retelling of the episode where Spock's brain was stolen. Or the episode where Kirk has his mind temporarily erased on the Planet of the Galactically Displaced Native Americans. Or the episode with the space hippies. Or the episode with the faux Nazis. Or the episode with where it's just like Earth, but the Romans never lost. Or the episode where it's just like our earth, but the Commies dropped the bomb and won the war, but all the technology is gone. Or the episode where they stole the idea from the kooky Hal Lindsey book about the ancient gods being aliens. Or the episode where Kirk and Spock become 30's gangsters.

You know, all that brilliant writing with society-shaking insight into the human condition - when the truth is that you'd have to go to Scientology and L. Ron Hubbard to find mediocre science fiction "storytelling" glorified to a greater extent than Roddenberry is by some. TOS was hit and miss, with a very considerable percentage of miss.

The movie was GREAT.

And I think this video is a great lampooning of snooty TOS fans. Was that little bald guy you?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02LgdXVkXgM

[Orrex]

3. Don't listen to Deja Q. He's totally in love with the movie and wants to marry it.

[Bucky]

4. Depends. Do you like stuff? Cause the new Star Trek is full of stuff.

Anyway, if you go to see it, I'll feel better, because I'll finally know about one person who wasted more money on that goopy wankfest than I did.

[targetpractice]

5. Definitely, no... See a wide-screen digital projection instead.

I've seen Star Trek a few times in NYC (once in IMAX and twice in digital) and I think normal digital projection is vastly superior... brighter, wider, cripser.

The IMAX aspect ratio is less wide than the intended wide screen format of the film, so the onscreen IMAX image is cropped... This cropping and enlargement made the special effects scenes somewhat disorienting for me because the scenes' periphery was cut out. The composition of the wide screen version made the special effects seem much more majestic in my opinion.

Finally, the IMAX technology does not project as crisp of an image as the newest digital projectors, perhaps due to how big the image is enlarged.

Upon edit: IMAX is best when the movie was shot and composed specifically for the format... Star Trek was not.

[Catshrink]

6. Thanks...

I was planning to go tomorrow night instead -- now I'll go to the $2 show. I can use that $10.

[pokerfan]

8. I concur

Trek was filmed in 2.35:1 Panavision. IMax is a 1.33:1 screen, like old style television. So there will either be severe cropping or severe letter-boxing.



cropped version:


letterbox version:


Best to see it on the screen the director intended, IMO.
:)

[rcrush]

7. When are they making Captain Siskos movie?

Sisko needs to come back from the wormhole to fix the timeline and make everything normal again.