Rating of
3.5/4
Not Your Parents' Star Trek
GeminiSixty6 - wrote on 05/10/09
Helm, set course for greatness, maximum warp. Star Trek pushes you into warp speed starting with the very first frame and doesn’t drop out of warp until the credits roll. Our beloved characters are back trekking around the cosmos. This time it’s a chronicle of the early days of the Enterprise crew. When an unhappy Romulan calling himself Nero shows up, Kirk and company must safe the galaxy from utter destruction. This is what Summer blockbusters are all about: fast paced action, a gripping story, and phenomenal acting.
Ever since I was a small child I can remember watching Star Trek either with my father or my mother. Both of my parents were into it, and so naturally I was exposed to the Star Trek universe very early on. Now I will admit that I have not seen too many of the original series, but I did grow up on The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager. I’m sorry, but screw Enterprise. I was old enough to know better on that one. Some of my best memories are associated with Star Trek. I owe so much of my imagination and creativity to it. So, it was natural that I had a lot of hype over this new film, and in the end it was hype very well placed.
The opening scenes with the U.S.S. Kelvin, a very young Kirk in Iowa, and a very young Spock on Vulcan are absolutely great pieces of film. The Kelvin scenes show just how deep Star Trek can go with emotion. This emotion is perfect early on because I feel it grabs the audience and leaves them with that age old question, what will happen next? The younger Kirk and Spock scenes, respectively lay a great foundation for their behaviors. With a younger Kirk the audience is able to see and feel that emptiness which Kirk feels for the loss of his father. Showing him as a very free spirited and rebellious youth, which will be something that stays with him throughout the film. With a younger Spock the audience can see that inner conflict with emotion. Being half human, and half Vulcan Spock wrestles with that question: to feel or to think?
It’s easy to tell early on during the film that Abrams focuses a lot on character development. The first forty five minutes of the film focus on Kirk and Spock, and they throw in a good bit for Bones and Uhura. I think the main reason why this film works so beautifully is because of character development, and having the right people cast for the right parts. The character development doesn’t stop after that initial forty five minutes. Kirk and Spock are developed throughout the entire film. Getting us closer to that best friend relationship most of us remember. Then with the introductions of key crew members at different intervals of the film really helps. We have Sulu and Chekov introduced in the next thirty minutes, and then Scotty during the last forty five. When we have full introductions completed, and all of them on the bridge together it really feels like Trek bliss.
The number one fear I heard the most from fans was the fear that no one could portray these characters the way the original actors and actresses did, and that there was no way justice would be done. Well, I am here to tell you that the casting department gets an A- on their report card. To me there are four that stand out above the rest: Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, Chris Pine, and Zachary Quinto. Karl Urban does an amazing job as Bones. It’s kind of creepy in a way to watch for the first few scenes we see him in because he channels DeForest Kelley so well, and he only gets better as the film progresses. Simon Pegg is hilarious as Scotty. He really makes it seem like he is a younger version of James Doohan. With that sarcasm and humor we come to expect from the genus engineer. I thought Chris Pine did a good job as Kirk. I never saw much of a Kirk before he became captain of the Enterprise, so I really didn’t have anything to compare Pine too. I mean I just can’t compare that younger character to the captain figure. It just doesn’t feel fair to me. However,the audience always sees hints of that self-confident headstrong captain. Then when we see Kirk come onto the bridge finally in uniform and say “Bones!” That was the moment when it was official. I don’t know where to begin with Zachary Quinto as Spock. That man hit Spock on every level. He knew when to let the emotion out, and he knew when to blanket it. The additional of Leonard Nimoy as an older Spock, and Bruce Greenwood as Captain Pike are genus supporting roles as well.
I don’t really have much to nit pick about on this one. I do really wish they would have spent a little more time on Nero. I feel that Eric Bana didn’t have a lot of time to fully develop that character, but it’s also not needed as much as the others. If any of you out there feel the same about Nero as I do then I suggest you pick up the comic series Star Trek: Countdown. It’s a four part prequel leading up to the film. It gives a little more back story on Nero. The one person that did annoy me was Anton Yelchin as Chekov. He was like a hyperactive dog that just needed to be put down. Sure he’s only seventeen in the film, but Jesus….
Star Trek was the most fun I have had at the movies so far this year. I walked into it thinking like a new fan. I didn’t have Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan stuck in my head as the best of the Trek films, but instead I kept repeating this question over and over in my mind: What is Star Trek? Star Trek is now a revitalized Paramount franchise. This is no longer my parents Star Trek. I left the my seat with a feeling of overwhelming happiness, and I’m pretty sure you will too. You don’t have to be a trekker to enjoy this one, and that’s the beauty of it. Abrams has given a Star Trek film to the masses, and I have given Abrams Star Trek three and a half stars out of four.
