Star Trek: J.J. Abrams’ Kirk is Just Swell … or … Just Swells
Posted by J.L. Sosa (jorge@filmschoolrejects.com) on December 16, 2008
Allow me to set the record straight. I love, and I mean luuurve just about everything J.J. Abrams, Robert Orci and Alex Kurtzman have ever done. I have never had any doubt that, with those three at the helm, the forthcoming Star Trek reboot could be anything but absolutely kick-fucking-ass.
But, as Dr. Gonzo once said, I’m starting to get the fear. MTV’s recent interview with Abrams reveals this horrifying tidbit:
MTV: Having been fortunate enough to view a few scenes recently, do you think fans will be surprised by the amount of humor in the film? [Editor's note: In one sequence, an allergic reaction to medication results in massive swelling of Kirk's hands and face ... think "Nutty Professor."]
Are you panicking yet? This is the sort of gag I’ve seen before, in both the Will Smith vehicle, Hitch and Martin Short’s 1991 cinematic roadkill, Pure Luck.
The whole “look-at-me-I’m-the-Michelin-Man” trope is not the stuff of intelligent space opera. But, Abrams assures us that MTV is taking the gag out of context.
Abrams: It’s funny, because when you see a quarter of something or less, it’s easy to draw conclusions about what the whole thing is. The thing with the hands is probably the most extreme sort of borderline-silly thing that happens in the movie. But the humor in the movie is constant within the wit of the characters.
Whatever you say, J.J. I’m not freaking out. At least, not just yet.
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