And along comes J.J. Abrams, creator of  Lost, Fringe, and the movie Cloverfield.  His mission, was to resurrect and re-imagine the Star Trek franchise.  Did he accomplish his task?

Absolutely…at WARP SPEED!  Everything, and I mean everything, from the cast, to the look and feel, to the music, it was all spot on.  The cast stepped into the roles of cultural icons and never missed a beat.  The score was grand and awe inspiring.  The ship…well, there was even a “hero shot” for the Enterprise.

I will go see Star Trek again, watch it online, buy it when it comes out on DVD…this is an amazing movie and a tremendous start to the Summer movie season.  Go see it as soon as possible, and enjoy it.

Live long, and prosper.

• Saturday morning started at Common Ground, with a men’s breakfast.
• It was awesome, about 20 men, gathered together to share a meal, and talk about being Godly men.  It just doesn’t get any better than that.
• Dave and I helped out resetting the stage for their new teaching series, Doors, which starts on Sunday.
• Afterwords, I took Dave home and drove home to clean and get ready for Acts 2-Tampa.
• I spent some quality time with Molly and Harley, and even got some reading in.
• Acts 2 was small, but really great.  We talked about God’s call and being surrendered to Him and being BOLD for Jesus Christ.
• After A2, the Ness’ and I went to Los Vallartas, which is the best Mexican place in Wesley Chapel.  Steak tacos were had by all…and they were GOOD!
• Then I came home, and waited for Sid to come home.  We watched the end of The Chronicles of Narnia – The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, always good.

SUNDAY

• The started well, and early, but Sid and I had some very good quality time in the AM and then I headed to Common Ground, and Sid headed to work.
• I was supposed to shadow everyone in the booth, and that’s what I did…until there was an issue with the PowerPoint, so you know, I kicked right in.  we got it fixed, and the Pastor seemed to like it.
• The service was great, Schaffner (the pastor) has a great way with communicating the Message, and I have already been blessed by my going to church there! I can’t wait to see what God does in the future.
• After church, I came home, watched a little TV and read a little and waited for Sid to come home from work.
• I finished Killing Cockroaches by Tony Morgan.  Read my review HERE.
• Sis has been fighting a cold, so she slept for a few hours, while I piddled around the house and finished up a few small projects.
• When she got up we had some dinner and watched some DVRed TV.  Good times.
• A friend of mine recently lost her job, and the family is struggling with the pain/loss/hurt/anger/disappointment that comes from being let go (from church, no less) – And I wound up calling them at 11:00 pm.
• Great conversation that lasted until midnight…and then Sid and I talked until about 1:00 am
• I started reading The Principle of the Path by Andy Stanley, and crashed around 2:30.

I got a phone call from Sid, and on the other line, my lovely wife asked, “So, I have 2 passes to go see Watchmen tonight, do you want to go?” I didn’t even let her finish, “YES!!”  And it began…the REAL anticipation of the realization of a 3 year dream: to see Watchmen, the movie.  I have read , by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, at least 3 times in the past 2 years alone…it is far and away one of the greatest graphic novels/comic books of all time!

I cannot even begin to give you a complete synopsis of the plot, it is way too grand to even attempt to.  That’s one reason why, for many years, Watchmen was considered too grand a scale to put on to film.  It was even deemed, “un-filmable” by many.  I believe that Zack Snyder has truly pulled it off.

In a SMALL nutshell, we are immersed in to an alternate 1985, the world is mere seconds from nuclear war.  A band of everyday people-turned masked crime fighters, the Watchmen, are being incapacitated.  And when the mystery is completely unfolded, an enigma arises that compels one to ask, who watches the watchmen?

There are some solid performances from the actors, although Jackie Earl Haley who plays Walter Kovacs/Rorschach, is the films standout performer.  His transformation into the psychotic arbiter of justice is as compelling as it is frightening.

But it’s the effects and the look of this film that is the real showstopper.  This movie is lush in it’s landscapes and grand in it’s scope.  It is a beautiful film to watch.  The attention to details from the graphic novel are a nod to the fanboys, like me, who can recall the pages from the book itself being brought to life, but even a non-Watchmen fan, like Sid, can appreciate the visual symphony that Zack and his team have created.  It’s just a gorgeous film to behold.

There are some very difficult scenes to watch: an interrupted rape, a vicious dog attack, and a few VERY realistic fight scenes, so be warned.  And there is harsh reality woven in the fabric of this film.  Please don’t expect this to be Spiderman or even Dark Knight, light the source material, this is a world fleshed out in reality, it is brutal and cruel, but honest in its depiction of real life…with people running around in masks and capes.

I will watch this movie again, several times, and I hope to uncover more of the layers of complexity that made Watchmen a great comic book, and now, a great movie experience.