Rene’s Star Trek Review

Published by Rene Gauthreaux on: April 8th, 2009

You cannot blame people for trying to cash in on an established franchise. Love it or hate it the re-boot of Star Trek was destined to make some money regardless of who was in the film, what the plot was about or who directed it. It is Star Trek— it’s a franchise and a brand name. And for every brand name that is ruined (Transformers, I am talking directly to you) there is one that is saved. With this new re-imagining, Star Trek has been saved.

Just to come clean, I am a diehard Star Wars fan. I have followed and collected the toys, movies, books and now the “Clone Wars” TV show with the enthusiasm and dedication of a Red Sox fan. I love it for better or worse. When it comes to Trek I am much more of a passive fan. I have seen all the movies and some of the TV shows but I am not verse on Starfleet rules. I do find that my lack of scrutiny has allowed me to find greater joy in even the lesser Star Trek outputs (Nemesis, I am looking to you).  And it is with these eyes I cast judgment over the latest Star Trek film.

I would be remiss if I did not give you the whys and wherefores of me seeing the latest film a good 5 weeks prior to its actual release. Thanks to the good people at Fantastic Fest, Paramount Studios and The Alamo Drafthouse we were tricked into seeing the movie when we thought that we were going to actually see Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Instead Mr. Leonard Nimoy introduced us to the film after a clever “uh oh the film is messed up” bait-and-switch routine was run on the 200 or so lucky fans who made it out on Monday night.

The rest of the review contains minor spoilers:

The film starts with a metallic, squid-like ship engaging a Federation starship in a one-sided battle. In the interim we see a captain going down with his ship while his pregnant wife and unborn child are whisked away to safety. This shouldn’t be a spoiler, but this child born on screen is our old friend Jim Kirk.

Welcome to the rebirth of Star Trek where we get to see how each member was added to the original crew. Uhura being the faithful cadet, Spock choosing to serve Starfleet after his mother was ridiculed by the Vulcan elders, Bones jumping on board as a panicked fast-friend of Kirk, Scotty as a marooned genius who was punished for slighting a higher officer, and Kirk as a rebellious kid who was challenged to live up to his father’s legacy.

As a casual Trek fan these things didn’t add up. I knew that Kirk was actually born in Iowa, not in some space battle.  As the film rolls on there were a number of times I gave the screen an inquisitive glance cause something just did not sound right. I assure you that by the time I left all of these anomalies made sense, and I was a happy camper.

In telling people about seeing the premiere today I was asked for spoilers and I hesitate to give any out. I will say a few things that do not reveal too much. The plot rings very true to the Star Trek mythos while also turning it on the side in places. The changes are all explained enough for my taste. The script borrows several pages from the Wrath of Khan storyline with Nero as the vengeful villain instead of Khan.  Eric Bana held his own as the brokenhearted Romulan who causes this whole new vision to take shape. He is definitely not as memorable as Khan but a decent villain with ample motivation.  We are also given a look at Kirk beating the famous Kobayashi Maru test that we have heard about in Wrath of Khan.

I find it hard to constantly have faith in big budget movies and while I hoped for the best with Star Trek I was also prepared for the worst (I think I may be talking to you over there G.I. Joe). The casting caused me some concern when the first photos were released.  Fortunately, the actors in this case were spot on. The Enterprise crew is familiar without becoming parodies of themselves.  Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto own the roles of Kirk and Spock. I have not seen these two in anything before so they are fresh faces to me. I know most of you will know Quinto as Sylar on “Heroes,” but honestly once you see him as Spock you may forget about that show entirely.

One of my favorites, Simon Pegg, took his time getting to the party. I found myself wondering as the film rolled on “I wonder if they replaced him and I just missed that news.”  But once he hits the screen he pretty much steals the show. I am not sure if he is a great Scotty but he is a brilliant Simon Pegg so it’s hard to be disappointed.

An odd love interest shows up in the form of Uhura as played by Zoe Saldana. My friend John assures me that the romance that she has was hinted at in the original series and I will have to take his word on that. Let’s just say I was kinda shocked and pleased with her role in the movie.

I would have to say that my favorite portrayal was Karl Urban as Bones. His faithful friend to Kirk almost overshadowed the Kirk/Spock relationship and I almost wonder if we will see him become jealous as the series continues. John Cho as Sulu and Anton Yelchin as Chekov are decent, but were not as memorable as the other five.  There were several cameos that I noticed namely Tyler Perry as the Starfleet Academy head and Winona Ryder as Spock’s mother. Neither of these familiar faces detracted from the roles and the scenes flowed smoothly.

Presenting the film to us were Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman and Damon Lindelof the writers/producers of the film. A doff of my hat goes to these fellows who debuted a movie in front of a dedicated fan base who was eager to see The Wrath of Khan. Had this film not been up to par they may have had some angry fans on their hands. They have skillfully woven a story that is familiar and answers all our continuity questions while being unique and opening a whole new palate for Trek adventures. J.J. Abrams of “Lost” fame brilliantly executed the directing of the film. This was a dangerous job to take knowing the potential enemies he could be making if he failed at the task.  I’d say he has not only succeeded, but also excelled at his work. I know that a number two is in the works and I am pleased to hear that we will be seeing this cast (and hopefully crew) together again.

Comparison to other Trek films is inevitable and expected. While it does not surpass Wrath of Khan in my eyes, it falls a very close second and makes me want to be a more vocal Star Trek fan. As fanboys we often set ourselves up for disappointment by holding our favorite heroes to such a high standard and in that hardcore dedication we may miss enjoying a good film. I honestly do not think that this movie could disappoint even the strongest Trekkie.  So come with all your preconceived notions of how a Trek film should be.  Come and prepare to be converted.