Quadrotritacale

Thanks! I gave it my best shot! I like FHC's comparison of the two franchises, even though I don't much care for Star Wars. I think he's quite astute in suggesting it's more like silly escapism/your wacky friend or relative, while Star Trek is something you can rely on for a much deeper and more emotionally satisfying relationship.

I saw "Captain America: The First Avenger" and loved it. It's not as emotionally powerful or epic as "The Dark Knight" and it's not as morally thoughtful and witty as "Iron Man", but I liked it more than either. I prefer less needlessly complicated superhero movies with a lighter tone. I get exasperated when there's too much angst. I liked "Iron Man" a lot, but I thought the sequence where he becomes "Iron Man" by making his costume in a cave sort of stopped the movie dead. It was too reminiscent of "Batman Begins". That's my main complaint about the movie. Also, the big fight at the end was a bit forgettable.

I liked Captain America's back story before donning the costume more. The scenes of Rogers working his way towards being selected for the experiment through his determination and heart were great to watch. Pity Stanley Tucci wasn't on screen for very long...loved his character and its dialog. Beyond that, the movie gave me everything I wanted in a superhero movie - a hero I got to know who had an appealing personality, a suitably maniacal villain, a strong love interest, and action scenes with plenty of moments to cheer and/or laugh at.

Speaking of the love interest, I think "Captain America: The First Avenger" had one of the best love stories of any superhero movie. Unlike in the Batman movies, the girl felt organic to the story instead of shoehorned into it. She didn't just spout exposition most of the time. She wasn't a damsel-in-distress. She was independent, tough, could stick up for herself, and helped make a surprisingly poignant ending possible. I was really caught off-guard by how moving her chaste, doomed relationship with Steve was. The last thing I expected from this movie was an ultimately tragic love story. Steve's last line was simultaneously cool and heartbreaking.

This was my favourite superhero movie since "X2", which is and I'm quite sure will always be my favourite. I like my superhero/comic books movies with less dourness, and more pure fun through enthralling fights, cartoonishly charismatic villains, and simple, but satisfying romance.

I prefer the term "rebootquel". The movie wasn't exactly a straight prequel, because it's not said to simply occur directly before the events of the "Star Trek" series (like the events of the Star Wars prequel trilogy). It operates on the premise that the characters in the movie, while identical to those of the TV series in DNA, have lead different lives and will continue to lead different lives in an alternate timeline. Also, the character of Nero is connected to events of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" (Spock being an mediator between Vulcans and Romulans), so the movie is a sequel of sorts to "Star Trek" and "Star Trek: The Next Generation", while also being a pseudo prequel to "Star Trek".

Hey Gothneo, just out of curiosity (and slightly of topic), as a fan of Nurse Chapel, did you like her better as a blonde or brunette? I was watching "Turnabout Intruder" recently and thought she looked AMAZING as a brunette in it...better than she'd ever looked in any other episode. To (I guess) sorta get this back on topic...I know she'll most likely be blonde if and when a Nurse Chapel figure is released, but I'd like to see a brunette one!

I actually prefer those more practical special effects to C.G.I and I definitely think the special effects in the first three Star Wars movies are much more enjoyable than those in "Revenge of the Sith". Sad how the newest Star Wars movie also has the worst use of technology for special effects. I think sometimes people get lazy when they don't have to put forth the kind of effort required to use things like models, mattes, and camera tricks. I'd take the stop-motion special effects of Ray Haryhausen (no matter how goofy they may look) over the dull C.G.I. in "Revenge of the Sith" any day. I recently watched "The Beast from 20, 000 Fathoms" and was in complete awe of the giant lizard creature in it.

I appreciate everyone for being magnanimous and understanding about my opinion on the Star Wars films. I find that many people online tend to be very defensive and obnoxious towards others who don't agree with them on movies. There are several science fiction films of the 80s considered seminal works of the genre that didn't do much for me. I used to feel freer to express my opinions about them, but years of being insulted by their online fans made me reluctant. It's nice to know I shouldn't have to worry about that here. "Blade Runner" is another highly acclaimed sci-fi film that I didn't much care for. I absolutely adored the special effects, make-up, and production design in that movie, but I thought the characters and story were lousy.

I have to admit I probably have a bit of a bias towards Star Trek like those of you who grew up watching Star Wars movies in the '70s, because I grew up watching "Star Trek: The Next Generation" in the '90s. On the other hand, my love for some of the '80s Star Trek movies is not influenced by nostalgia. I just think they're tremendously entertaining, emotionally and philosophically deep, and beautifully written movies no matter how old you are when you see them. I didn't get to them until I was out of the teen years, long after my opinions on a movie could be influenced by rose-coloured nostalgia glasses.

I didn't get to see a Star Trek movie in theatres until "Star Trek: Nemesis", and although I loved it the first time I saw it, I've since come to feel it was a very ill-conceived film. I still appreciate Tom Hardy's intense performance, though...he was just stuck playing a silly idea for a character that lacked convincing motivation behind his actions. As I said before, the Star Trek series has its share of clunky stories, but I still think in terms of substance, Star Trek's best stories are light years ahead of Star Wars at its peak.