Jeff’s Star Trek Review

Published by Jeff Leins on: May 6th, 2009

When Paramount staged a secret screening of the new Star Trek here in Austin, I unfortunately missed out on the bait-and-switch strategy of luring in fans for Wrath of Khan and Nimoy walking in with the world premiere print instead.  Luckily Rene was there to witness the glory and reported back an early and surprisingly favorable review of the newly rebooted franchise.

I admit I was skeptical from the very beginning, having labored through the original ten films as they declined into an almost embarrassing display of floundering nostalgia.  However, thanks to the fine folks at Ain’t It Cool News, I had the opportunity to see the film’s very first IMAX screening Monday night and the experience rocked my world.

Right away the refreshing new take from director/producer J.J. Abrams erases skepticism with an immediate space confrontation that belongs with the best of science fiction starship battles.  From there the thrill ride throttles its action into warp speed for two straight hours of flashy, satisfying popcorn entertainment.  Like Iron Man last year, Trek is just the sort of big-budget, fun movie that belongs on the summer stage.  It should easily bring plenty of renewed and deserved excitement to the previously stale series.

In the midst of interstellar explosions, Kirk’s mother Winona (Jennifer Morrison) goes into labor and is rushed to an escape pod.  Her husband, George Kirk, courageously mans the captain’s chair in the doomed forward command center dwarfed by the Romulan cruiser.  At the helm of the villainous vessel is Nero (played by an almost unrecognizable Eric Bana) scowling beneath crawling facial tattoos.  The ruthless menace has just emerged from a swirling black hole, traveling back in time to seek revenge for future disasters.

A plot that ambitiously incorporates the continuum of space-time skips from Kirk’s birth to his adolescence, depicting him as a careless daredevil squandering his potential without the direction of a father.  Galaxies away a young Spock excels among a brilliant culture of uber-knowledgeable Vulcan minds, surpassing his pure-blood peers that tease him for being half human.  Conversations with his Earthling mother, Amanda Grayson (Winona Ryder), reveal a conflicted man who wrestles with the logical realm of intellectual superiority and his repressed emotional desires.  Zachary Quinto was an inspired choice not only for his physical resemblance to Nimoy’s iconic Spock (it’s more than just eyebrows and ears), but for his ability to subtly convey depth in a character that rarely shows emotion.

The focus swings back to the other lead, a handsome Chris Pine, who spends most of the film bruised and battered from intense combat yet still maintains the same boyish charms and haphazard heroics of the beloved James T. Kirk.  With William Shatner aged into obscurity, you couldn’t have asked for a better replacement than this relatively unknown actor who thoroughly owns the part like he was destined to play it.  His steely stare and characteristic smirk fit into a Kirk persona that ushers in a new ass-kicking rebel while ditching Shatner’s staccato rhythm and wooden performances.

It would be easy to say Pine carried the film if the rest of the ensemble wasn’t equally as strong.  Aside from Kirk’s budding “bromance” with Spock, he has developed a rapport with Leonard “Bones” McCoy (a great Karl Urban with a distinct edge), the chief medical officer on the maiden voyage of the brand new U.S.S. Enterprise.

The Federation ship is staffed with a full crew of fresh-faced Starfleet recruits and ordered on a rescue mission to the planet Vulcan, which cowers in the shadow of the vengeful Romulans.  The ship’s command includes a 17-year-old Chekov (Anton Yelchin with a forced accent), the beautiful love interest Uhura (Zoe Saldana), an underused Sulu (John Cho), and the steady Captain Pike (played by the always solid Bruce Greenwood).  The crew is already injected with plenty of humor, but they’re later joined by Scottie (a funny Simon Pegg) and his little green sidekick that stood out as noticeably kiddie in an otherwise mature film.

A few nitpicks though among the overall satisfying flick.  The world Abrams operates in is at times a little too bright, like Skittles were thrown into the special effects work.  A shiny deck is at times obviously color-coordinated and sparkled with distracting lens flares.  What’s worse, when perilous situations rattle the shields of the Enterprise, the production utilizes frantic hand-helds that has unfortunately become the trend in action camerawork.

I grew up on Star Wars as a kid and, as a result, missed out on the various Trek television incarnations, so I’ll admit I may have missed some of the minor references or the context of the characters’ back stories.  But it’s difficult not to notice famous pop culture lines like “Beam me up, Scotty,” “Dammit Captain, I’m a doctor not a…” from Bones, or “set phasers to stun,” among many others.  A few times the deliberate winks are so recognizable it may take you out of the film’s energized pace, though Trekkies may go giddy at the sound of familiar phrases.  They were obviously done as scattered nudges to the generations of fans, but my ribs were almost sore from the constant allusion jabbing.

Apart from these minor distractions, Star Trek is a swift, modern, and extremely enjoyable revival of a science fiction favorite.  If Paramount is able to maintain this level of quality, I’m looking forward to future installments in the continued franchise.  Consider me converted.

4 out of 5.