Star Trek - Reinventing the Final Frontier

Star Trek
Release Date: May 8, 2009
Director: J.J. Abrams
Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Leonard Nimoy, Eric Bana, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 127 minutes



The Slant / The stuff that dreams are made of...




Last Saturday night, I saw the second truly great movie of 2009. The first was Watchmen, which critically and commercially did not live up to the hype. I for one loved it, but the vast majority of critics, both professional and arm-chair, disagreed.

Star Trek is a completely different animal. With a 96% on RottenTomatoes and a $72.5 million domestic box-office gross in its first weekend, the crew of the USS Enterprise has reason to celebrate. Paramount has to be pretty pleased too and we will likely see a sequel in the next few years. I, for one, can't wait.

This is a great movie. It's not a perfect movie by any means, but it's so chock-full of entertainment value and superb acting that its shortcomings are easily forgiven, if not forgotten. Star Trek breathes new life into classic characters we know and love, while also being accessible for those unfamiliar with the original cast. Space opera at its finest, really.

I have to start with the best part of the movie: Zachary Quinto as young Spock, the logical and emotionless (sometimes) half-human, half-Vulcan first officer. Here, Quinto plays Spock as a man struggling to restrain his emotions while chaos ensues around him. This is much like Leonard Nimoy's portrayal of the character in the original series and its movie adaptations. Yet, with this new film conceiving Spock as a young man, Quinto makes the struggle much more difficult and his emotions get the better of him throughout the film. He creates a believable and emotional Spock, while also exuding the cool exterior we expect from the character after Nimoy's brilliant job. I think Spock is the hardest character to pull off in the franchise, and Quinto succeeds admirably. I expected nothing less after relishing his villainous Sylar on Heroes, who also travels in shades of gray between two worlds (for Sylar, though, his conflict arises between his thirst for power and doing good, with power and evil winning out most of the time).

The rest of the cast does a fine job as well, though Quinto clearly shines. Chris Pine brings the boyish charm and arrogance we expect from James T. Kirk, but makes one brilliant move. He does not play William Shatner playing Kirk, making the character more his own and moving away from Shatner's portrayal. Since Shatner's Kirk is such an iconic figure, this is really the only way Pine could play Kirk and actually act on his own merits instead of just mimicking another man's performance. Still, at times you can see a little of Shatner in Pine's Kirk, which is a good thing.

Karl Urban really surprised me as Dr. McCoy. While I liked the guy in Lord of the Rings and The Bourne Ultimatum, I was suspect of his acting chops. Here, he fully embodies the role of 'Bones,' adding the dry humor and acerbic wit that DeForest Kelley brought to the original show. This was definitely a pleasant revelation. Simon Pegg's Scotty is hilarious, as one would expect from that talented British actor. He brings humor and energy to the middle part of the film, lightening the mood after a string of serious events. John Cho gives a workmanlike performance as Sulu, but doesn't have too much to work with. I miss George Takei's memorable baritone, but was not expecting it to be replicated. Zoe Saldana's Uhura is smart and sexy, just what one would expect from her character. As the replacement of Walter Koenig, Anton Yelchin's Chekov hams up the Russian side a bit too much, as he pronounces so many v's as w's that my head began to spin. I mean, sure, nuclear 'w'essels was fun in Star Trek IV, but every other word he says doesn't have to have a V in it just for effect.

As the villainous time-traveling Romulan, Nero, Eric Bana is fine but unmemorable. He is not given too much to work with and his motivations for hunting down the Enterprise crew and Spock are suspect at best. Leonard Nimoy's return as the aged Spock is of course spot on, as one would expect in his 7th movie reprising his role.

The special effects are stunning and the space battles are workable. While Star Wars still boasts the best in ship-to-ship combat sequences, even 30 years later, the new Trek film has bolstered its image in this area. In the past, the Enterprise would face off against its Romulan or Klingon attackers, fire a few photon torpedoes, sustain some damage, and that would normally be the entirety of the battle. Here, ships are quick-moving, taking evasive action and packing much more firepower than the standard Trek vessel. Nero's "mining ship" definitely doesn't have the arsenal of one, showering impressive missiles down upon its Federation victims.

While the story is fine (evil ship approaching, regular crew members away, send in the cadets!), it is not inspiring. It doesn't have to be, since the viewer is having so much fun going along for the ride. Sure, the time-traveling elements of the story are a bit far-fetched and somewhat opaque, but the reasons behind them are sound. The writers created an alternate universe, so that they could wipe the continuity of the original Star Trek and play with the characters how they see fit. This way, no character is safe, since we don't know how things will end up. I think this is a brilliant move and the only way to give Star Trek a true reboot. They didn't have to mess with some things, though, like creating a romance between Spock and Uhura. Ah well, just a small thing.

Overall, Star Trek exceeded my expectations and I think a lot of critics' expectations as well. I predict that its second weekend box office numbers will not slip too much, with word of mouth helping it stay #1. Angels & Demons may mount a significant threat, but the sci-fi space opera will beat it out.

I am excited for a sequel and hope the crew of the USS Enterprise and the Star Trek franchise will continue going boldly where no one has gone before for many years to come.

Final Verdict: Star Trek - 9.5/10