SPOILER ALERT: The new Star Trek movie is filled to the fucking brim with lens flares!

Now, there are some things that director J.J. Abrams likes more than anything else, and those things are the following: time travel and the Cloverfield monster. Predictably, both of those things figured prominently in this latest film (just like everything else he’s ever done) — but imagine my surprise to find out that there was yet a third thing he obsesses about like a 13-year-old: Lens flares.

Check it. Even the tips of Spock’s pointy ears shine radiant beams of light directly at the camera:

Personally, I liked the lens flares. I thought they looked cool and added some much needed flair (GET IT?) to the background of the Enterprise’s interior, which was purposefully simplistic and styled to match the original backgrounds. Others found it kind of annoying because others are dipshits. Here’s what Abrams had to say about the flares in an interview with io9:

I know what you’re saying with the lens flares. It was one of those things… I wanted a visual system that felt unique. I know there are certain shots where even I watch and think, “Oh that’s ridiculous, that was too many.” But I love the idea that the future was so bright it couldn’t be contained in the frame.

Note to Abrams: the saying is, the future’s so bright, you have to wear shades. You know, like Geordi LaForge?

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