AdamCollings March 7th 2019, 4:28 pm
I ended up watching it last night. I needed some down time. My response was very positive and echoes all that I remember of your review. The movie did a great job of getting into the point of view of an autistic person. And while her autism shows itself differently than my son, it felt believable. (They say if you've met one autistic person, you've met one autistic person.) I like how the film highlighted not only the social and emotional difficultues that autism brought Wendy, but also her gifting at creative writing. That scene where they try to stump her with Star Trek trivia, that's totally my son, except it would be the release dates of movies and video games.
I enjoyed all of the Star Trek elements. The story was respectful of Trek, and what it means to fans, and was clearly written out of a love of the material itself. It didn't make any obvious blunders and paid attention to detail, even getting Worf's rank correct for his time on Deep Space Nine. I would have liked if they'd dug a little deeper with a little more Trek, actually. The only reference we got outside the original series was that Worf reference. It does make sense that she'd have a special attachment to Spock Not only is he one of the most beloved characters in the franchise, his struggle with human emotion makes him someone that Wendy can relate to. I do like how Wendy was painted as a more rounded individual. Her obsession with Star Trek was not the only aspect of her character. Music meant something to her, and she longed to meet her niece. I also like how the film portrayed a number of other people as Star Trek fans, showing we're not all in one box. A teenage boy, a middle-aged police officer. Love of a franchise like Star Trek crosses all borders.
The carer, Scotty, was an interesting character. There was a moment that didn't ring true for me. In the car, talking to her son, she says, "I know he's the hero of Star Wars, but who is this Kirk?" At other points in the movie, she specifically calls out Star TREK. And frankly, it's her job to know. My son's psychologist explained to us that much of his professional development is not learning about psychology, it's researching Star Wars, and watching youTubers like DanTDM. He needs to be able to speak the language of the kids he works with. Scotty would make it her business to have a reasonable understanding of Star Trek. So her sudden idiocy in that scene didn't play for me.
As you pointed out in your review, there were important life lessons learned by Wendy, but also for her sister, allowing them to meet in the middle, finally. And I loved the climatic moment in the mail room. That was very satisfying.
So in all, a great human drama which is only enhanced by the geek appeal.