Customer Reviews

Star Wreck

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

There have been a LOT of Star Trek films produced by fans over the years. Some have been amazing, some have been platforms for self-insertion fan fiction, and some have just been embarrasingly derivative. A few of them have even been parodies, though sadly the production quality has rarely been worth commenting about. What makes this film stand out is the fact that it does something very different than all the others: it doesn't try to be Star Trek, and is brilliant because of it.
Someone who has never seen Star Trek could sit down, watch this movie, and still come away laughing. One of the reasons for this is that, at its core, it's really not making fun of Star Trek at all. Most of the jokes that are directly connected to the series actually stem from the various questionable translation choices that were made in adapting the shows and movies to the Finnish language. The main character, James B. Pirk, isn't so much a parody of Captain Kirk as he is a thoroughly flawed character who one could imagine would look up to someone like Kirk as a role model and end up learning all the wrong lessons from him. I think it helps that most of these characters were created years ago, and given enough time to develop their own individual personalities and identities which remain separate from what we see on the show. As such their behavior and actions stand out as being genuinely funny on their own instead of relying on a previous knowledge of the source material being parodied to get the joke. It also doesn't hurt that the filmmakers held every step of the production to an exceedingly high standard. This film is filled with excellent performances and some of the best effects and production values you're likely to find in any fan film, let alone a parody (most of which don't even bother trying to look good on the assumption that this somehow adds to the "charm.") While there are times when its clear that the film is the work of a bunch of friends setting out to have some fun making a movie, the end results are nothing if not professional. In fact I would say that many of the battle sequences are in fact better than some of the ones we've seen in the official movies.

That said, there are a few things that a potential customer needs to keep in mind when purchasing this film. For a start: it is a Finnish film, made for a Finnish audience, most of whom it can be assumed are fluent Finnish speakers. Finnish isn't always a very pretty language (though I'll admit that as time went on it started to take on a near hypnotic quality.) There is no English dubbing, though there are excellent subtitles. The translation was done by one of the people who worked on the film, so the film avoids many of the usual translation errors. All the jokes relying on a play on words and other forms of linguistic humor (such as Pirk's obvious difficulty pronouncing and/or understanding the definitions of some of the words he uses) are faithfully translated into English. That said, not all of them are immediately recognizable as jokes. It takes a bit of research for instance to learn the humor behind the weapons being called "twinklers" and "light balls," stemming from a case of less-than-inspired Finnish translation of Star Trek. For me this really wasn't a problem. In fact I rather enjoyed reading up a little on the background of Finnish Science Fiction and later going back to watch the film again so I could catch this second layer of humor that had been injected throughout the script. But if you're one of those people who simply can't abide subtitles in film, you might want to give this a pass and wait for their next film, Iron Sky.
The second thing to keep in mind, particularly if you're a fervent fan of Star Trek, is that you need to be able to take a joke about the franchise. I'll admit to being a devoted Trekkie (or Trekker, as that seems to be the more popular term these days) and I thought it was hilarious. But then again I have met a few people who view any kind of jab at Spock's pseudo-scientific explanations or Kirk and Riker's habitual womanizing as a form of minor herecy. Much of the humor stems from the fact that the way Pirk's mind works is not at all in what many would refer to as the spirit of Star Trek. I hope that for most this won't be a reason not to pick this DVD up, but I do realize that for some of you that may be a deal breaker.

Finally, I have to say that if any of these opinions have made you unsure about picking up the DVD, I'd suggest that you go to the internet and pick up a copy of the original cut of the film. It's free (the producers have links on their site) and comes in several flavors of subtitling. Unlike the Imperial Edition DVD, it also features effects shots using the original Star Trek ship designs. If after watching that you decide that perhaps you can live with the subtitles and the awesome force of raw ego that is James B. Pirk, I'd say pick up a copy of the DVD so you can get the special features, new (litigation-proof) effects, and give the film makers an incentive to bring us more films of this caliber in the future. If you're like me and appreciate a strong witty script which isn't afraid to stop taking itself seriously every now and then coupled with professional level special effects, there's really no way you can go wrong with this film.

This film is brilliant.

If you are a fan of Star Treck, Babylon 5 or any science fiction and have a sense of humour, you will love this film. As a parody, this is beyond Galaxy Quest.

If you like parodies, science fiction or big space battles, you will love this film.

The Chernobyl scene is hysterical. Pirk getting in shape for conquest is really funny.

The russian leader is brilliantly protrayed.

The special effects are brilliant. They are on a par with any big budget science fiction film. The battle scenes are at least equal to and in some parts, beyond any battle scene in Star Trek, Babylon 5 or Star Wars.

The film is in Finnish, but you would still get the jokes. even without the subtitles. Every piece of dailogue is expertly carried out. The subtitles are perfect, with no mistakes.

The people who made this film are amateurs, yet they have definately shown the professionals what can be done in a film.

This film is pure entertainment. I recommend purchasing this film and watching it with your friends on a large screen.

i absolutely loved this film...thought it was hilarious....one of the best star trek spoof ever done! the special effects are just incredible.

It is really very exciting to find gems like this, especially if you've become sick and tired of Hollywood's formula of lame "____ Movie" [scary,date,epic,etc] parodies that don't even deserve the name. What's also exciting is that a low budget, fan-made, independent film now has access to CGI levels that rival some big budget films. I look forward to the day when immersive, photorealistic imagery isn't chained to multi-million dollar blockbusters, but can be used to augment smaller indie films and fan productions like this.

The movie is best viewed after watching the first five star wreck films, however silly they may be, because there are a number of running gags and references in SW:VI that are funnier when fully understood. Plus, these are all watchable for free on the Star Wreck website so it wont cost you extra. That being said, this film can be viewed with no previous experience and still be enjoyable. Well, at least look up the plot for Star Wreck V so you know the premise...

It is a rather dark comedy in many ways, and oddly enough may have you hoping a horrible death befalls the main character (protagonist doesn't quite fit). I found it laugh out loud funny in many places, and at the very least engrossing the rest of the time. As an American watching this film, one of the more subtly amusing things I noticed was how the Finns portrayed the Russians as drunken fools who tend to build somewhat shoddy machinery (we as Americans at least make them competent at evil schemes). Of course there's lots of up front comedy as well, often involving leaders who are incompetent/overzealous/egotistical, or the underlings who have to suffer cruel, predestined fates as cannon fodder (the idea, not Private Cannon Fodder).

Overall, I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in a unique comedy, wants an actual parody, and/or is a major fan of Star Trek. It is simply too well done to pass up, and is a fine addition to the sci-fi section of your movie collection.

This is easily the best Star Trek spoof ever!! The special effects are amazing. I cant wait for their next film.

This film was hilarious and the special effects were amazing which was shocking to say the least. I watched this film with a group of Trekkies and we all very much enjoyed it!

I am not the hugest fan of star trek and i don't really know much about the story but that didn't stop me from thinking this movie was downright hilarious! it is definitely worth a watch even if you don't follow star trek.

If you are part of the Star Trek Mythos, and have the "normal" bent sense of humor that most of us do- then this movie is a "must see". It pokes fun at the Star Trek phenomenon, with cheesy special effects, puns, and very familiar characters.
While some of the subtitles are hard to read- it is well worth the effort. A second and third viewing, will allow you to watch and enjoy the movie, you then being already familiar with the dialogue.
Highly reccomended for a friendly gathering of geeks!!

An extremely clever send up of the STAR TREK franchise with an Eastern European bent made in Finland. One just knows that this movie is going to be irreverent when in the opening scene the Captain comes out from the head (conveniently located adjacent the bridge) dragging toilet paper stuck to the bottom of his shoe!!!

Enough said. You have to see the rest for yourself. Set a course for warp(ed) hilarity and out of this world laughter. A must for TREK fans or anyone who just likes to poke fun at Science Fiction.

I was duct taped to a chair by a serial killer with a memory problem who left this running on the television in the damp fetid cellar. It wasn't bad, but then I wasn't choosy at the time. The killer came back in and toyed with me for a while and then stopped to watch the film. After gazing at it for a while a peculiar expression came over his face and he left the room. I heard a gunshot and a thud. About an hour later, a SWAT team descended on the place and freed me. By this time the film was over, so no one else was hurt. So, if you're ever duct-taped to a chair in the basement of a serial killers' house, there are worse films to be subjected to I guess.