Eon Magazine, Christopher Allan Smith,

Grade: B ,

http://www.eonmagazine.com,

"I couldn't stop cringing. I don't say this as a reviewer, but as a fan of STAR TREK, i.e. conceivably one of the people, in spirit, presented in Denise Crosby and Roger Nygard's new documentary on one of the most ardent cultures in modern America. Watching this new indie docu-comedy, I was at once tickled at this unbiased view which skirts the line between being an outsider or insider of the world it examines, and my blood was curdled by the wilder aspects of the Trekkie/Trekker/Trekken (don't ask on the nuances) experience. I went in thinking I loved STAR TREK, but I came out wondering, comparatively, if I ever even liked the show. I say that because the kaleidoscopic range of different fans shown here at home, conventions, fan parties and meetings, put me to shame in more ways that I can count. What Crosby and Nygard have created here is fresh, loopy and hysterically (in the excited and creepy insane senses of that word) funny. TREKKIES is in the growing and interesting vein of documentaries that veer away from dry recitations of rote facts and instead take an engaging stance at the cultures or stories they're chronicling. For better or worse (and if you're a fan of the show, probably worse) their film shows all the gaudy, giddy factions and sub-sub-cultures of those lovers of Gene Roddenberry's tales from where no man has gone before. They have spotlighted a rare and specific piece of Americana, and moments of their film are brilliant in their warped sensibilities. ... Another strength of the docu is Crosby, who at once is fascinated, endeared and seemingly revolted by what she comes in contact with. Admittedly, although they didn't intend it, Nygard and Crosby in spots cross the line between fascination and I'm-cooler-than-thou ridicule. TREK fans could go into this movie holding their heads high, and could very well come out more than a little embarrassed. There were some moments when Crosby, on camera interviewing the various forms of Trekkie life, has undeniable shocks of discomfort and stunned amazement at what she's come in contact with. A final note: don't let the Paramount Classics label fool you. While the Paramount label adorns all things TREK, TREKKIES was picked up as is after it was independently produced. If the Paramount PR department went out to make a film for the TREK fans, this is definitely not the one they would have chosen. Ken Burn's CIVIL WAR this is not, but as a wide-eyed mix of compassion and cruelty in documentary filmmaking, TREKKIES is definitely good for a view."