Rating of
3.5/4
The classic series rebirth is in top form.
filmfan09 - wrote on 05/11/09
Not even Star Trek, the science fiction TV show and movie series, could not avoid the trend where it seems everything is remade or re-booted. One of the many factors of Star Trek's rebrith is to maintain current fans, bring back lasped ones and usher in a new generation of Trek fans so the the series can reach out to a wider audience.
Star Trek opens with a rousing space battle between the U.S.S. Kelvin, temporarily commanded by George Kirk (Chris Hemsworth), and the Romulan vessel Narada, newly arrived from 120 years in the future. Nero (Eric Bana), the Narada's commander, has come to the past with very specific plans. After his devastating attack on the Kelvin, Nero remains in hiding for 25 years, awaiting the inevitable arrival of his hated enemy from the future.
In Iowa, an undisciplined young James T. Kirk (Chris Pine)is recruited into Starfleet by Captain Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood). When Pike's crew is called to emergency duty aboard the newly completed U.S.S. Enterprise, on borad is Kirk along with First Officer Spock (Zachary Quinto), Doctor Leonard "Bones" McCoy (Karl Urban), Communications Officer Uhura (Zoe Saldana), inculding Navigator Sulu (John Cho) and Chekov (Anton Yelchin). Also along is the Enterprise's chief engineer, Scotty (Simon Pegg), who will join later.
Star Trek is clearly an action-oriented motion picture. The pace is rocketing at warp speed, and the film is littered with the eye candy of expertly crafted space battles. The special effects are beyond those seen in any of the previous ten Star Trek features. In addition there are also chases, fight scenes, and everything else one would expect from an action movie. As for the actors, they are all excellent and pitch pefect for their roles. Chris Pine captures the essence of Kirk, a guy who is driven, ambitious and funny. He makes Kirk is own. Zachary Quinto is perfect as 'New' Spock. Zoe Saldana's Uhura provides a most unexpected romantic element, Karl Urban is spot-on as McCoy and both Anton Yelchin's Chekov and Simon Pegg's Scotty are great for comic relief. It's amazing that after 18 years, Leonard Nimoy is able to return to the character Spock as Old Spock in the film and not miss a beat.
As a film tasked with getting all the characters together, re-booting a timeline, and finding a way to return a veteran actor to his beloved role, Star Trek works. It's well-made, clever, and charming. It's aware of its job to entertain the audience, without being lumped into the group of many summer blockbusters that are dumb claiming to be "fun". The movie is also a great beginning for what will be the next movie to come. The setup is complete; now it's time to see whether the great potential of this first entry into a new series can be carried over in its sequel.
