Star Trek

Well, I have just watched Star Trek 2: TWOK again for the first time in a while, and I have to say what a film. It is possibly the best in the franchise by a mile.

As I was watching it, I was really drawn to Shatner as Kirk. And I could help but notice, as well as in TUC, how good he is and how good Kirk comes across. Now, I love Kirk in all the films and TV show. But, he is at his best and deepest in TWOK and TUC.

And I believe, and I'm sure I'm not the first, this is down to Nicolas Meyer. The man just knew how to get the best out of Shatner and Kirk.

Anyone watch this:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TrUxPpIzR0&feature=related

At about 1:29, he talks about actors and William Shatner. He says that Shatner wanted to deliver his performance  it in this 'heroic' way but Meyer kept doing more takes until Shatner got bored. SOunds bad, but his performance in TUC is, for me along with TWOK, his best as Kirk.

Wish I had the video of Kirk giving his line in TUC about the Klingons and 'Let them die'. Originally, Shatner said immediatley after somehting like 'no no, i didn't mean that', as if regretting the line. It wasn't subtle.

When we look at the final cut of that scene in TUC, he says 'let them die', cut to spock who raises an eye brow in surprise, and cut back to shatner looking sorry, but it's subtle. And he then switches to how they will be standing down in 3 months. For me, I love that scene. And if it was any other director IMO, shatner would have got his way with the original take I think.

Anyway, what do you think? Did Meyer give us the best and deepest Kirk on the silver screen? For me, he did. The character had so many layers to him. I always wish Paramount had tied Meyer down for a number of films.

Anyway, just needed to say that. TWOK really shows that Meyer knew Trek and knew how to reign in Shatner and Kirk to give, for me, Shatner best silver screen Trek performances.

I think Nicholas Meyer is generally overrated. His work is derivative, his dialogue packed with cliches. When last I watched "The Wrath of Khan" my strongest impression was of how Shatner mumbled half his lines. The man was nearly unintelligible.

Kirk is at his best in TOS. So is the rest of the crew. Meyer admittedly knew next to nothing about Star Trek, which is why his movies are so completely different from everything that came before and after them. And not, I think, in a good way.

it was awesome.

whats twok?