Rated PG-13 for sci-fi action and violence, and brief sexual content.
126 Minutes

Directed By: J.J. Abrams
Written By: Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman
Staring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Leonard Nimoy, Eric Bana, Bruce Greenwood, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, John Cho, Anton Yelchin, Ben Cross, Winona Ryder, Chris Hernsworth, and Jennifer Morrison

Your father was captain of a starship for twelve minutes. He saved 800 lives, including yours. I dare you to do better. Enlist in Starfleet. -Captain Christopher Pike

Review

Why make another Star Trek film?  Why reinvent beloved characters that have essentially left their legacy behind to be enjoyed not repeated?  J.J. Abrams and his spin on the infamous series and character’s is why.  I’m one who loathes unecessary remakes and gets tired of repetition instead of new original concepts, but what Abrams did with this franchise was a brilliant rebirth to the character’s and their stories that us Trekkies have grown to love and live for in the past three decades.  This is a film for those that have supported and adored over the years to experience a fresh beginning, while simultaneously opening a door to a new generation that may find themselves in love with a franchise that made Science Fiction more than a strange little genre for oddballs to enjoy, but opened a connection to the mainstream threw special effects, action, and compelling characterizations.

Star Trek takes us back to when James Tiberius Kirk was born and unlike the previous series, his life begins with a traumatic event that changes the timeline of who he will become.  We shoot next to his childhood along with Spocks , understanding the things that drive them and what events in their lives have helped mold the young men they become and the influence it has on their lives later.  When faced with events that original fans once could have predicted we learn their futures are not the same, making the entire film an unpredictable suspense phenomenon.  Spock and Kirk still make it to Starfleet Command just as the U.S.S. Enterprise has been freshly built and takes on it’s new crew, by strange divine circumstances that bring them all together.  Freshly graduated they are faced with the utter destruction of Earth and other Federation planets as a vengeful Romulan begins destroying planets using technology far beyond anything anyone can comprehend.  It’s up to this new group to save the galaxy.

The story is thick with back round depictions and developments and there is so much information being constantly divulged it doesn’t seem possible to keep up, but somehow Abram structures the revelations with a sound pacing that never feels rushed or lengthy.   He fleshed out each of the characters slowly as each came into the story and was re-introduced showing how they are different from the original versions of them, but what parts of their beings remain the same.  The painstaking time to develop each of them made them something considerably more than just actors filling roles that have already been established.  It was as though it was each of their first times onscreen, and the attention to detail in each of their creations was a work of genius, and authentic appreciation for those that came before them.

Meanwhile, there is still a complicated plot involving revenge, destruction, and a twisted time continuum screwing up the universe original fans have become acclimated to, while still giving a plethora of information for new viewers to swallow, but it all works.  There is a cohesive balance to the unveiling of characters, comic timing, bouts of action, and story development.  It’s a film that constantly keeps you on the edge of your seat while still having serious character interactions developing and evolving.  Taking the characters back to literally their births and childhood and showing how they  became who they were and the steps that took them to Starfleet command was just as amusing as the second half of the film where the perilous fate of Earth is at stake.

It felt like a great deal of time was placed in the casting, because the recasting was phenomenal.  I had my reservations about Chris Pine, especially after seeing him in The Princess Diaries sequel a few weeks ago, but he couldn’t have been a more perfect Kirk, well this version of Kirk that is.  There is the homage of a suave ladies man here, and while it is almost tongue and cheek there is a very sexy air that Pine gives off that is completely genuine to the character.  This Kirk grows up without the guidance of a father, and while still stumbles his way to star fleet, his character is a bit more jaded and darker.  Zachary Quinto as Spock appears to be an almost freakish physical mimic of Spock, but his performance mirrors the Spock we knew perfectly, while also offering a few other complex surprises that makes this “Spock” a little different.  Karl Urban as McCoy seemed an odd casting, but his first scene with Kirk we see the pessimistic and worrisome Doc return as the blatant antithesis of Spock once again.  Making us laugh hysterically at his inability to NOT feed off his emotions, while tossing out the catch phrase lines that ring so true in the original fans ears, while offering a new concept of funny to new audiences paying the character a great respect.

Seeing the new take on Romulans was a little strange at first.  I didn’t even identify Eric Bana as Nero until his second or third appearance, and as a villain he was absolutely riveting.  Some of the plot back round here wasn’t as in depth as other aspects of the film, but it seemed the right choice to keep the momentum that was building going, and besides when your villains motivation is revenge an in detail explanation isn’t always necessary. Bana’s insanity and the fact that he waited twenty-five years to exact his revenge was enough proof that he wasn’t sound of mind.  Bana made Nero a real psychotic villain driven by irrational forces that just happened to have a cataclysmic affect on the timeline and every-ones lives.

Leonard Nimoy’s role was a special surprise, and I won’t divulge details about it to ruin it for anyone who isn’t aware of his role in the film, but I strayed from reading any information about the plot so I could be surprised.  His role in the eventuality of the story was larger than I had anticipated, it was certainly more than the mere cameo I’d heard about, but it gave a great connection to what the story was trying to explain to us about the alternate reality the character’s were living in.  His character made the bridge that really solidified that point, and his performance was a comfort that rang out the best kind of cinematic nostalgia.

My thoughts are this is the best movie of 2009 so far, and I honestly don’t foresee too many films having the guns to do much better, which is saying something with the lineup for the rest of the year.  With a new Terminator, Transformers, a new Tarantino flick, Peter Jackson film, the new Harry Potter and Where The Wild Things are in the future, it looks to be a pretty amazing year for movies.  I am in Sci-Fi heaven from Star Trek, and while it is geared toward the kind of films the old were, everyone should see it. At the very least it’s going to entertain the heck out of you with great action, special effects, and fun characters.  Hopefully J.J. Abrams will do it again, because this wasn’t enough for me.  I want a sequel.

Popularity: 2% [?]