Based on the box-office figures for “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” I think it’s safe to say quite a few of you went to see the film in various formats this weekend. If you did, then chances are you saw either the theatrical trailer for “Star Trek Into Darkness” or the nine-minute IMAX 3D presentation of the film’s first nine minutes.
Right now, I feel bad for longtime “Trek” fans who don’t enjoy the JJ Abrams films. There is no worse feeling for a film fan than disliking something that you are very, very excited about. I’ve been out with friends for various screenings over the years, and the conversations that happen after sitting through a crushing disappointment are most often a way of trying to grapple with what went wrong. For many audiences, the 2009 “Star Trek” was a big, fun, surprisingly well-cast film that they enjoyed and probably haven’t thought much about since. There are the hardcore fans who just love seeing new “Trek” onscreen and who enjoyed the switch-up with the new cast, sure, and there are also kids who were introduced to “Star Trek” by that film and who are now nascent fans for the franchise as a whole.
But the “Trek” fans who just don’t recognize the thing they love in this trailer… that makes me sad. It’s one of those strange things about fandom: those who love something the most also tend to be that thing’s harshest critics. Nobody tears something apart more actively than the people who love that thing, whether it’s a film or a TV show or an ongoing comic book. I look at this “Star Trek Into Darkness” trailer, and I can’t wait to see the film that it’s advertising. I’m not sure I understand why someone wouldn’t want to see it, either. You can take a look at the trailer, as well:
Awesome, right?
So for now, Paramount’s first push appears to be over, and we still don’t really know what the film is about or what to make of the mysterious Benedict Cumberbatch (you can read my theory about who he’s playing in this article from last week), which I sort of love. If JJ Abrams and Paramount are trying to drive an entire nation of fanboys insane, they are succeeding.
I just wish it were May already.
“Star Trek Into Darkness” will arrive in theaters May 17, 2013.