It’s been a tough week. My two year old daughter was treated like a bloody eyed zombie from the film 28 Days Later. An assistant professor at the University of Denver died after a bike accident. Some folks are really, really unhappy about the new presidential administration. And, on my list of things that make me turn green (okay, I don’t have a list, but I’m considering starting one) I heard a despicable tale of so-called “freelance writers” flaking on editor KT Hinderer, one of my friendly fellow blogathoners.
In other words, I’ve been long overdue for some escapist entertainment. Since Twitter has been all a flutter with talk of the new Star Trek movie, I decided that it was as good as any choice for an escape. I can honestly say, thanks to the fact that I don’t watch television (all right, I watch some television, but definitely less than three hours per week) that I knew very little about the film beforehand.
I did know, however, exactly who to invite along with me—my old roommate Ted, who has watched every branch of the Star Trek enterprise. I mean franchise. You know what I mean. He’s a fan, but not the costume-wearing, fictional-language-studying kind.
When the title graphics rolled onto the screen and Ted let out a little woot, his fists reflexively pumping into the air, I knew I’d picked the perfect viewing partner.
As greasy fingers all around me dug deeper into their dumpster-sized containers of popcorn, the theater air filled with that artificially flavored palm oil “butter” smell and I found myself thinking about nothing but croissants. Actually, cheese croissants.
Yes, I think the new Star Trek film is a cheese croissant.
For a hardcore fan, the sort of person who prefers the dense fruitcake that is total Star Trek immersion, I think the lack of technical jargon and revision of Gene Roddenberry’s world will feel a little flaky, a little light. The other 99.2% of us don’t like fruitcake.
Light as it may be, the film did not skimp on the butter, and I think most viewers (card-carrying Klingons included) at the end of the movie will feel the same way that I do after eating a croissant: satiated but still hungry for another.
And, for those few that still find Star Trek as a little too complicated and avoid croissants because they consider them hard-to-pronounce foreign food, director J.J. Abrams covered this film in a thin layer of cheese. I won’t give away the details, but let’s just say when Mark Altman’s thoroughly intelligent review included the terms “ham-handed” and “Wonka-esque”, he was mostly on the mark.
Personally, the cheese is exactly what I needed to lift my spirits. Or maybe it was hearing Ted’s naughty giggle when a green Orion woman was molesting the sexy new James T. Kirk. Either way, I was glad sit back, relax, and let someone else turn green for a change.
Loved the film and highly recommended go ahead and watch it folks.
[...] My biases set aside, however, I can’t help but think that Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek has seeped too far into the brains of geeks like Chris Anderson. No, that doesn’t mean that I think Anderson’s brain is made out of a flaky, buttery croissant. [...]