Trekkies 2 Movie Review

Denise Crosby goes where few have gone before -- into making a sequel of a documentary.

Trekkies, the famous send-up of Star Trek culture, explored the Trekkie phenomenon in America. This time around, former cast member Crosby again savagely bites the hand that feeds her and turns her camera on European fans, who are just as crazy as the Americans. Highlights include a group of Germans making their own Trek movie -- complete with authentic-looking Enterprise bridge (at a cost of $20,000) -- plus Klingons playing miniature golf with their weapons, lots of kids dressed up in costume by their cruel parents, and a Brit who's turned his apartment into a spaceship (his bedroom has been converted into a transporter bay, so he sleeps on the floor.

Crosby eventually makes it back to the U.S. to check in with fans new and old. "The Commander" from the original Trekkies (she still wears a Trek uniform to her job at a Sir Speedy copy shop) now has her own booth at Trek conventions. Gabe, the young mullet enthusiast, is now married to a lovely gal -- but he gets crank calls and marriage proposals from fans of the original film.

There's a Star Trek rendition of Romeo and Juliet, at least four Trek tribute bands which hover around Sacramento, and one of the film's finest moment: when Crosby visits the Star Trek production in Los Angeles, to check in on some of the scripts and telephone calls the producers receive.

Sure, Crosby is making fun of the phenomenon -- again -- but hey, she's no spring chicken any more herself. It's all in good fun. She even gives the Trekkies a chance to complain about their representation in the first film, plus explain the difference between "Trekkers" and "Trekkies." They do charity work: In a classic moment, a klingon is seen giving blood.

All in all, it's not quite as interesting and amusing as the original film, if for no other reason than that it covers a lot of familiar ground and starts to repeat itself in the end. (How many fan films can we visit the set of?) Still, it's one of those rare films in which both fans of Trek and its detractors will be able to find a worthwhile time.

You don't need to see the original Trekkies to enjoy the sequel, but it won't hurt.

The DVD includes tons of deleted scenes (nearly an hour of 'em!), two fan film clips (one with commentary from the creators, the other one from Gabe), plus a feature-length commentary track from all the principal cast and crew.