Acensbart Excellent but underrated film

Gutsycurene Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

Erica Derrick By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Portia Hilton Blistering performances.

ThommyMac Oh, where to begin? I started to work on this while still watching it but decided that was not a good idea. It is THAT bad, but it is very hard to write about it without swearing. The review took multiple viewings, so I should get the Star Fleet equivalent of a Purple Heart (NO offense to the mighty men and woman who are holders of the OPH.) I never swear in mixed company. I checked the 'spoiler-warning' just to stay on the admins good side, but how could you spoil this? I guess there is something about myself I should toss out here first. I was so into Star Trek, I got a paper route at age 11. Why, pray tell? Well, Start Trek syndicated re-runs in the 1975 Pittsburgh market ran on an independent station the same time as the news. My dad watched the news at that time and that was that. To any youngster's reading this, 1970s Pittsburgh had maybe 6 channels and we got 3 of them, since the steel mills were between us and the rest of town. Hopefully THAT establishes my credibility as a Trekkie or Trekker or whatever they call themselves.The first one is an uncut gem, mostly lazy with unintentionally brilliant moments. Two things really cheesed me off, well 2 and a half. First, James Doohan lost his finger at Normandy. You know? That BUZZSAW of a battle that pitted mostly green troops against the Fortress Europa. Denise and the dentist yucking it up about a gardening accident ticked me off bad. Look it up, kids, and you will be equally ticked. Second is the dentist's gold-digger I mean receptionist turned dental assistant turned wife riding the staff. Watch closely when Denise **cough** interviews the help. Mrs Gumbo is there riding herd. The girls cannot say a word without the dragon lady watching closely. The half? Denise Crosby gets to make fun of Trekkies yet gets to travel and make money, no doubt basking in the loyalists glow while poking at them. Maybe I am just jealous at the combination of sheer brilliance and audacity.OK, on to the anemic and completely unnecessary sequel's good points. The 'Where are they now segments were pretty good. Gabriel turned out working in the movie field as some sort of computer animator or modeler. That is quite an accomplishment.He also landed a very pretty and seemingly intelligent wife. His dad shows a good bit more of the creepiness that was hinted at in the first one. My personal favourite from the original Trekkies, Barbara Adams, got a segment. She still works at the print shop. I would like to share one thing, Miss Adams. I heartily applaud you wearing your Federation Alliance to jury duty, truly. I am a former member of the 101st Airborne and really was an infantryman. You would do well to not compare wearing it (the Fed. Alliance uniform which I purposely did not call a costume)to a soldier wearing his or hers. Security guard, Eagle Scout, Prison guard are more reasonable comparisons. OK? I was very curious as to whether that cute couple who hosted 'Talking Trek' came out of the closet yet. Sadly, the sequel left that (possibly null or moot) question unanswered.The European segments were interesting most of the time. Why did the guy in the UK who did up his flat wonder at Yanks wanting to buy and have shipped? There is a former London bridge in Arizona. Shipping a flat's worth of Star Trek stuff would be child's play compared to that. The German segment was fun because of the Germans. Watching that very expensive fan film being made was a little unsettling. It was like some alternate universe where they won, sort of like 'Fatherland'. The former Yugoslavia makes a very poignant segment, or could have been if done with a little more effort.Spoiler alert: There is a wretched segment about bands that drags on like 'MacArthur Park'. That's when it surpassed boring and aggressively went after painfully cheesy. As in cheese-like product that comes out of a spray can bad. It is difficult to guess Denise Crosby's age between the two, which is pretty cool when you think about it. The reason that is brought up is if they ditched 30 to 40% of the FIRST Trekkies and added the European stuff from Trekkies 2, that would of been an OK flick. As it is, I fast-forward through this one a good deal. The sad thing is that is something we NEVER do in my house, so why bother?

oscar-35 I have seen BOTH of these mock-documentaries, Trekkies and Trekkies 2. SHAME ON THEM. Jerry Springer meets Star Trek fans. These films are full of a schizoid views of these Trek people. One part of the film would praise them and one part of this film holds them up for public mocking. This film illustrates why so many basic Star Trek fans might never get beyond the public ridicule of being a fan. They don't wish to be painted with the same mocking brush! What is really strange is how the Trek fans in this film were clearly held up for exploitation & mocking in the first Trekkies film, STILL came back to Trekkies 2 for MORE. Bakerfield fan boy, Gabriel Koerber, is at it again! Kinda strange or what an EGO??!! Some have even called themselves Trekkie's guest star actors on their own websites. "Guest stars actor", you have to be given a role to be that. Playing yourself...really doesn't count, fan folks. Otherwise everyone in a TV news story would be an actor, I don't think so... Some Trek fans from the first Trekkies film were pretty vocal how they were misinformed and maltreated on how they were going to be portrayed. Anne Murphy (Spiner Fem) has published her own home website lambasting the Trekkies producers for their underhanded and manipulative editing of her story piece. The producers have posted on several BBS their questionable response to her comments. I would believe her anti-Trekkies over them, sorry. Ms. Murphy was smarter than those Trekkies 1 re-treads that came back for more snideness in Trekkies 2.Trekkies 2 has many sad empty folks whose "15 minutes of fame" has run out or should have run out years ago!

Firehawk Trekkies 2, like the first movie, is an endearing portrayal of the Star Trek fanbase. This time the producers go on the road and travel around the world to meet Star Trek fans from Australia, Brazil, Italy, France, Germany and even Serbia, documenting their experiences with Star Trek and going into the lives of several fans.In between each segment of the travelogue are pieces that can be described simply as an open forum for fans to discuss issues relating to fandom, such as what makes a "Normal Fan", should you wear your uniform in public, etc. This helps give the fans more a of voice, which many found lacking in the first film.One thing to note about the DVD is that it in fact features 2 documentaries, as the deleted scenes are cut together in a coherent way to complement the main film, raising issues that may not have fit well with the main film.Of course, the film also features 'characters' from the first movie, like Gabe Koerner, Brian Dellis, Barbara Adams and Daryl Frazetti, making the movie feel like one of several other documentaries that have followed its subjects over the years, like 7-up.Moments that stood out for me were the interview with Robert Burnett and the Sacramento segment that feature five Star Trek tribute bands. The Serbia segment was also quite effective because it felt more 'important', going a bit into the recent war and how some fans looked to Star Trek as a way of coping with the war. In fact, the film documents the first ever convention held in Serbia.As a casual Star Trek fan, it was interesting to see that there was still a fanbase that existed given the current nature of Trek. Given that Star Trek: Nemesis pretty much flopped and Enterprise is on the verge of cancellation, it's kind of nice to see that there are still fans out there who are enthusiastic about Star Trek. It was also nice to see fans that were self-deprecating and could joke about the fact that they're fans. There are also poignant, philosophical moments that get to the heart of the film, such as when one of the fans says, "When reality stops being so lame, we'll stop doing this."The film not only works because of its content, but also because of its style - irregardless of it's content, the film is just a great documentary. Given this, and the fact that you actually get two films on the DVD, I think everyone should pick this up.8/10

DanielJosLeary I was very fortunate to catch an early viewing of this film at Fanzillacon in Worcester Massachusetts and was very happy to get the opportunity. Trekkies 2, though a documentary, uses has all the keys to any good sequel: The film stands well without seeing the previous, though rewarding if you have, old elements are revisited without overshadowing new ones and everything is made bigger and bolder. The movie itself is a sort of reply to the first, addressing the effect that Trekkies had on many of its interviewees and the fanbase as a whole. The documentary strives for a fair balance of 'normal' fans with the amusing 'over-the-top' fans that were plentiful in the first film. I think this balance is achieved, though not everyone will agree for whatever reasons they might. Aside from being the obvious way of expanding the first movie, seeing Trekkies from around the globe was just a fascinating addition.The major difference between this movie and the first is this one is more is concentrated solely on the lives and activities of the fans and does not include much discussion and history on the Star Trek phenomena on its own. Which makes prefect sense since that subject was covered well enough in the first, making this more what the first would have been if that background information hadn't been necessary.My only problem was no inclusion of major Star Trek cast members like the previous film had. But director Roger Nygard answered a Q&A after the screening and explained that getting them was simple for the first film when the filmmakers had no limelight on their production and didn't have to pay the cast members for their interviews.Altogether the film is a strong followup to the first. I look forward to seeing it again, along with the supplementary material, when it is released in August.