[REVIEW] ‘Star Trek: Horizon’ True To The Trek Universe

I don’t agree with you. I’ve seen acting in Trek fan films that was downright cringeworthy, but this isn’t one of those films. For most part the actors in this one did okay, if not better. That’s not to say all scenes were perfect, but it was definitely watchable and enjoyable.

I think you’re letting your own preconceived bias about fan films cloud your judgement concerning this one frankly.

Watching this now, and the one take-away is someone seemed to think using shakey cam is a substitute for good writing. I’m less inclined to blame the actors because I don’t think anyone can could deliver these lines well. It’s an interesting mix of people not acting the way people do, unnatural dialog, long clunky exposition, and the entire cast ranging from meh to downright unlikeable, especially the captain. I don’t think anyone is channeling Shatner here, frankly because there is no charm involved in their performance. They all remind me of T’Pol from Season 1 Enterprise.

I know this comment thread is a year old, but I just saw this film for the first time so I figured I’d chime in. Yes, the acting seems poor. But there is a couple reasons for that which you can see in most low budget attempts at film.

The first reason is a minimum use of takes. A multi-million dollar film, or even a television show can afford to pay everyone involved to spend 10-16 hrs a day, sometimes 7 days a week for weeks on end to do even just a minute or two of each scene over and over until they get it just right.

It used to be that the cost of film was a major factor in that too, but with digital filming, that is no longer an issue, so even a small time group of fans can afford takes as long as they can keep everyone there.

Which likely means what they can accomplish on a Saturday or a few evenings during the week. The actors and crew likely all have day jobs, so they cannot commit the time required to give a perfect, polished performance in every scene of a movie like this.

The second major reason is because most of the actors you see in these types of fan films are experienced in stage acting, not acting in front of a camera. It’s a very different style of acting where you have to be more subtle in front of a camera and more melodramatic on a stage.

Stage actors sometimes seem stiff on camera because they are trying to reign in their normal dramatic style, which would look utterly ridiculous on film. Again, with enough takes, they can nail it down just fine (as many stage actors do in big films), but without all of those takes, they have a hard time finding that right balance.

Film is a very unforgiving medium, and so any flaws will really jump out at you. Even the average TV sitcom episode is a mish-mash of hundreds of takes and tries and retries until they get something presentable. A full length film is even more so. And in both cases, the actors are “used to” a specific style of delivery at a certain point.

Finally, I’ve seen some complain about all of the lens flare and blurring. Well, that is to make up for a lack of having full sets and a high-paid well-equipped team of post production editors and the like. Without all of that stuff, it would have looked like it was filmed in your living room.

As it is, yes it’s a bit annoying and odd looking in some parts, but at no point do you get the idea you are anywhere else but on a starship or in some weird alien relic, or wherever it is the director intends you to be at the time. So the effects accomplish their goal.

I think what people need to take from a fan film like this is that there are people who have the ability to make something to this level of excellence for peanuts, and if given a bit more of a budget, could probably make a very good quality film for far less than what studios currently spend on big movies.

We’re at a point now where it is safe to say that most big budget films are just not that good. They are heavy on the effects but are really lacking in a good story. I liked this and many stories I have seen in fan films. Stories that I would love to see done with a big budget.

We’ve finally arrived to the point where technology can make up for a lot of budget deficiencies and there may be a day soon where something like “medium budget” films could start to challenge the old film studios.