Star Trek superfans in Austin, Texas were treated to a surprise sneak peek of J.J. Abrams' sci-fi summer blockbuster on Monday night (06Apr09) when the film was switched with a screening of 1982 sequel The Wrath of Khan.
Sci-fi fans packed the Alamo Draft House to see the Star Trek classic and were left stunned when they realised they were actually watching the first public screening of Star Trek, which doesn't open in cinemas until 8 May (09).
According to EW.com, Trek veteran Leonard Nimoy and producer Damon Lindelhof came up with the idea of the Wrath of Khan hoax in a bid to created Internet interest in the upcoming blockbuster.
Austin-based Harry Knowles, who runs movie spoiler website AintItCoolNews.com, reports the screening concluded with a standing ovation that lasted five minutes.
He writes, "After the film, the audience was a collective smile, some crying they were so happy."
Online reviews posted after the surprise screening call the new film "amazing" and "new and fresh, but it doesn’t forget its roots," while Twitter.com fans who saw the film posted review comments like, "Just saw the new Star Trek movie and it melted my pants!!!!!"
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