First, a warning: Spoilers ahead. If you haven't watched it yet and intend to, stop right here!
That's essentially what I did when I heard a new Star Trek movie was coming out. I covered my ears and went la-la-la whenever someone started talking about it. I did watch the trailer - and therefore got the wrong impression that the movie was a third generation story.
I'd thought this was the grandson of Captain T. Kirk and the son/grandson of Spock finding themselves working together on a new USS Enterprise. (I don't know, I'm not a Trekkie!)
But I've enough Trekkie friends (Captain Jean Luc-Picard was on our kitchen television every day during my university years) to realise during the opening moments of the show: Hang on, this is the prequel to Star Trek altogether!
After that, everything made more sense and was absolutely first-rate, but I couldn't help feel director JJ Abrams took a few liberties that bordered on sacrilege - and not Trekkie sacrilege either.
Kirk being abandoned on a snowy planet, trying to escape rampant monsters and saved by his discovery of a cave? Isn't that kind of like when Luke Skywalker's ton-ton died on Planet Hoth? (Ed's note: A reader pointed out that it's taun-taun, not ton-ton!)
Kirk fighting Romulans and then hanging off the side of the edge of a small ledge by one arm. Er, Luke Skywalker again.
Kirk fighting the Romulan boss on a dark, multi-platform arena inside the enemy ship? So Luke Skywalker vs Darth Vader.
(I couldn't help it. I grew up with an elder brother who was a Star Wars Fan.)
Then, I was floored.
At the end of movie, the young Spock (played by Zachary Quinto) meets his aged self (played by Leonard Nimoy)! It was a complete dissing of all conventional space-time continuum wisdom! Something I'm sure J K Rowling and Hermione Granger will have a lot to say about, by the way.
It just wasn't right. And even Saturday Night Live had a go at it.
Nevertheless, it was a great movie and I hope JJ Abrams does a sequel to this prequel - as is being rumoured in Hollywood now. Wonder how he'll deal with the two-Spock scenario though; and whose younger or older selves will show up and join the Enterprise party.
And now for The Onion's take on it. Enjoy!
Trekkies Bash New Star Trek Film As 'Fun, Watchable'