Movie Review: Boldy Go to the Theater and see Star Trek

Let me just preface this post by saying that I am not a Trekkie, a Trekker or a Trekvestite in any way shape or form. I was a Star Wars kid, so Star Trek never really appealed to me. I'm sure you can love both equally, but that was never the case with me.

That doesn't mean that I haven't dabbled with the franchise before. I've seen a great deal of the movies and have enjoyed the good ones. Star Trek: First Contact was one of my first exposures to the canon and is a stellar sci-fi movie.

Having only a little bit of experience with Trek lore, I was ready to take the complete plunge this weekend to see director J.J. Abrams' take. From all the previews and commercials it looked like it would finally inject a bit more action into a franchise that's always seemed a little tame compared to the flash and dazzle of Star Wars. I caught the late show on Sunday night and I was completely blown away.

Star Trek provided a much needed mouthwash to get rid of the dirty taste that X-Men Origins: Wolverine left behind last week. Both movies have a lot in common. They both are based off of existing properties and both serve as origin prequel stories. Both films strive to be special effects showcases, but only Star Trek manages to pull it all off. If this were a battle on Iron Chef where the secret ingredient was "origin," then X-Men Origins: Wolverine would be the paltry "good effort" dish served up by the challenger while Star Trek is the masterpiece crafted by the Iron Chef (probably Hiroyuki Saki cause that dude always won.)


What makes Star Trek work is just a great formula of rebooting the franchise that I welcome in any and all future reboots. Instead of trying to tie the movie in with years and years of Star Trek continuity, the film boldly picks what works and leaves the rest behind. This is all thanks to big baddie Nero (played by Eric Bana) who comes back in time to change the course of history. Unlike most other film franchises, he succeeds at doing this and now everything we know and love about Star Trek happened in another universe.

It's no surprise to anyone that Leonard Nemoy shows up as an older Spock to bridge the gap between the new school and the old school. I'll admit, it's a little hokey, but the placement of this important revelation in the middle of the movie is really interesting. I'm already involved in this world, these characters, so throwing old Spock at me isn't going to ruin the good time I've already had and it certainly only adds to the powerful ending.

Excitement is the name of the game here, and Abrams delivers in abundance. I've always felt Star Trek movies lacked this particular element and to see it brought to the level it should be at was a treat. Case in point, the phasers. I've always thought this particular weapon was completely lame, especially compared to a lightsaber. It always looked like a bunch of pauncy actors pointing remote controls all over the place. However, in this film, when Spock and Kirk storm the villain's ship, they're jumping around firing shots all over the place like they were transported directly into the middle of Die Hard in Space. And as I watched it, all I could think of was "Finally!"

The director can't take all the credit, however. The cast is as much to blame for this movie's success as anything. Each of these actors delivers their own take on the characters in such a great way that you completely forget about their predecessors. Chris Pine makes a unbelievable Kirk, taking what worked about William Shatner's portrayal and upping the cockiness tenfold. I went into the theater with little expectation for his portrayal, tricked by his Matt Damon-esque looks into thinking they had just casted yet another hollywood hunk to walk through the movie. I couldn't have been more wrong. The humor, the charm, even the boldness in his speech, it was all there.

Main character aside, Star Trek has always been about the ensemble and this cast could not have done a better job. Zachary Quinto was most likely born and bred in a laboratory to be able to one day play the perfect Spock. Consider your experiment a success, Paramount scientists! Zoe Saldana knocked me off of my feet as a powerful, confident and sexy Uhura. Here's hoping we see more of this actress in the future. The best part is, just when you're so far into the movie that you've forgetten about Scotty, here comes everybody's favorite actor Simon Pegg who then manages to steal every scene he's in.

There are a few downsides to the film. Often times it tries a little too hard to amp up the action and it comes off a little hokey. When Sulu pulls out a switchblade katana it's a little too much. The badguys are also a bit generic. They brood around in their big sinister pointy ship being dark and sinister looking. Eric Bana could have very well been some extra from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and I don't think there would have been much of a difference. And while cameos by Star Trek alums such as Leonard Nimoy are fun, unexpected celebritry cameos like Tyler Perry and Winona Ryder ellicted more chuckles than necessary.

All in all, by the time the credits are running that that classic theme music is playing, you're left craving more. The movie gives you enough time with all of the characters to get attached, but desperately waiting for the sequel. There's no way this won't be the next big sci-fi franchise.

As I said before, I grew up on Star Wars, but the recent slew of movies has left me lukewarm (get it?) to that particular franchise. It's great to have a new sci-fi movie series to get behind, even it it is technically over 40 years old. I thought I could get through the whole post without saying it, but it needs to be said. Here's hoping this new universe that J.J. Abrams has created lives long and prospers.