The Chekov Comparison Is HilariousSo let me get this straight, in this parallel universe, Kirk never met his father and Spock's mom is fairly hot? Scotty has his own 'Jar-Jar', but an actually funny Jar-Jar? And Eric Bana has tatooes on his face as a result of waring in space for 25 years? Well Mr. J. J. Abrams, you certainly have your work cut out for you in the eyes of this viewer. As an aside, this is coming from a viewer who was not 'that big' into the original Star Trek series [grandparents made me watch every episode], but may have seen 80...err...maybe 90 percent of the movies. Much like the rest of my generation, I was a bigger fan of well...The Next Generation. What is truly unfortunate about this Star Trek is that for every 9 things it gets right, there is usually a glaring 'one-thing' lurking around the corner of its very convoluted science fiction plot. This makes this movie a great Star Trek movie, but only a good movie as a whole.
Babyfaced Abrams
J.J. Abrams deserves a fair amount of credit for the undertaking of a movie that had tomatoes flying in its direction at the mention of him directing this epic. How many of us were a little skiddish about Star Trek after watching the debacle that was Cloverfield? Not to be too praiseworthy, Abrams uses a gentle hand in the crafting of scenes of this movie, his thumbprint is on it, in some select spots...he leaves some smudges.
Getting though the pleasantries, I intentionally took my time with this review. It is a lot to digest and I wanted to release this review post-hype so my reaction wasn't 'too reactionary' or 'overly gushy'. Immediately after watching the end credits I could not help but see how many people loved this movie [girlfriend included], this instantly put me in a skeptical position...it is how my brain works. Out of the nine things Star Trek hits out of the park, my brain only focussed on the 'one-things' about the movie. Naturally, to buck this I will start with what Star Trek gets right...
Filling Big ShoesThe casting, amazing. Chris Pine, excellent jerk. Assuming everyone's fear was that Pine was going to be speech-a-fying 'Shatner Kirkisms', you were treated to none if any at all. Pine saw the role [as have a good majority of the sci-fi community] and made it his own while paying homage to the character William Shatner built. Lately it seems Hollywood has made it their business to push the 'LaBeufs' and 'Seras' as the next big thing, maybe they should start looking at this kid Chris Pine?
Zachary Quinto as Spock. It is tough to both hate someone on the television show they are on and absolutely love them in a role that was then played [in my honest opinion] slightly better than the originator and in this case his screen partner, Leonard Nimoy. At least in the regards of this movie, I feel Quinto and 'Child Spock' outshine Leonard Nimoy as Spock Prime.
Boldly Ballin'Most of the technical marks are in much need of acclaim as well. When you hear the ship warp for the first time, it is almost like a breath of fresh air. A "Phew! Abrams, at least you did that right" complement. The score is under played, but typically Star Trek...as a movie, is not really known for its score. The sound design is excellent, every explosion, every laser crystal clear. The ship has a clean, iPodish feeling, but it is welcomed.
"Now...What Exactly Is A Wolverine?"Last paragraph of pleasantries. The supporting cast, how did they do it? Jason Cho as Sulu, Bruce Greenwood as Capt. Christopher Pike, Simon Pegg as Scotty, Anton Yelchin as an amazing Chekov and my personal favorite Karl Urban as Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy. All of them, no matter how small the role really added something that helped.
Now for the negative. Let me start the rabble-rousing where I just left off...the cast. Karl Urban as Bones did not start off as my favorite character. The speech he gives as to why he is joining Star Fleet is as about as hokey as 'The Trek' gets. Out of all the bending you [the viewer] have to do to accept this flimsy plot centered around time travel to another dimension in order to cater 'to the needs of the many' is well...very 'science ficitiony' [in the worse sense].
"How Dare You Reference Deep Space Nine!"
Isn't this what its all about though? This is Star Trek, the 'dignified mans' Star Wars. You want your story and your action in a neat little bow, unfortunately the movie falls short in this regard. Star Trek is almost highly regarded as a kind of 'submarine show'. The fights are strategic, though the dog fighting is a welcomed change of pace...it really does not match this darker and heady tone of the movie. The biggest afterthought in this movie is the relationship between Spock & Uhuru. You feel no connection until Zoe Saldana kisses Quinto...and it looks like that, not Spock kissing Uhuru. Eric Bana is completely underused as Nero the travelling-revenge hungry-Romulan. Apparently, when your planet is destroyed, you set on a path for killing...right after you get tattooed.
The technical achievements in regards to sound and visuals are worthy of praise, but it wasn't all sunshine & smiles. Coming from someone who loves the Beastie Boys and especially 'that song' they used...or should I say Abrams used, because that's what that 'pod racing-esque' scene was about. Abrams leaving his mark, his thumbprint, his smudge. Its cool, its hip, its ham fisted...although I did like the scene where Kirk has hammy fists. Visually, the movie is 90% percent amazing, that 10% of awful occurs on the ice planet Kirk lands on and has to avoid a poorly CGI'd spider-like creature who just happens to travel at the speed of the plot at that time.
The movie is fun. It is above average, especially compared to what has already came out this year. The fan service is hit and miss in this movie. Having all of your favorite characters say their 'catch phrases' at that special, punchy time will wear thin once Leonard Nimoy puts up his classic Vulcan greeting. The acting is good as a whole, there are wincing, knee jerk moments, but there are very few. I recommend it, with minimal reservations.
Star Trek Gets A...
Young Man Looking For Love [click to make larger]