Star Trek -- To Boldly Reimagine the Universe and Tick Trekkies Off
Written: May 14 '09 (Updated May 14 '09)
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Product Rating:
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| Bang For The Buck |
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Pros: Acting, direction, special effects, plot, script, appeals to everyone
Cons: Some small plot issues (especially for hardcore Trekkies)
The Bottom Line: What an awesome movie--great acting and direction combine with a very good plot and script to create a fantastic, fast-paced, action-packed Star Trek gem.
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| gatorgirlie's Full Review: Star Trek |
Ok, I must preface this review with the following statement:
I am not a Trekkie. I have had long and passionate arguments with various people (including the husband, who *is* a Trekkie) about the whole *which-is-better-Star-Wars-or-Star-Trek* controversy, and I am firmly on the side of Star Wars. I dont like the original series, probably because William Shatner is just awful (blasphemy, I know).
I liked the Next Generation on television, but not the movies... in fact, I think the only Star Trek movie I really liked was Wrath of Kahn. I *loved* Deep Space Nine and I thought Voyager wasnt horrible (but I didnt watch it).
There, now thats out of the way... I will also let you know that the apostrophe button on my laptop is broken... so Im not making grammatical mistakes intentionally. I promise.
Damn it Jim, Im a Doctor... Not a Physicist!
So, what is the basic plot? Well, its a *re-imagining* of the original series because (as far as I know) most of the crew of the Enterprise did not go to Starfleet Academy together. Essentially, its the story of how the crew meets, begins to pilot the USS Enterprise and their first mission together. Essentially, Romulans from the future accidentally come back in time with a humungo chip on their shoulder... hilarity, disaster and action ensues.
The story/plot is actually fairly well done, with a few issues. The script was phenomenal -- they actually threw in a lot of stuff that will appease the Trekkies while providing laughs for the rest of the audience (Ive been with a Trekkie for long enough that I know most of the series by heart). There are a few space/time issues that bother me at the end, but it didnt truly ruin the movie for me. Now, for the husband, thats something else -- he was ok with the movie until the last 10 minutes or so.
Set Phasers on Stun
The acting is usually the weakest part of the Stark Trek series (see my original note on William Shatner), but this cast did a remarkable job. I truly loved everyone in their roles and didnt think there was a weak link at all.
What I love is how true-to-form the actors stayed -- Bones actually *sounded* like DeForest Kelly and Spock truly looked like a younger version of Leonard Nemoy. I thought Chris Pine did a *stellar* job as James Tiberius Kirk and Quinto was very good as Spock (though I felt Pine outshone everyone else on the cast). Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead) and John Cho (Harold) both were solid in their roles as Scotty and Sulu. Karl Urban did a great portrayal of my favorite original series character -- Dr. Bones McCoy -- his traditional humor and wit remained in tact. Anton Yeltchin was adorable as a young Chekov. Eric Bana did a fair job in the movie as the villian -- my problems with his character stem not so much from his acting abilities but the fact that the script kind of neglected the villian. Its ok, however, as the primary thrust of the movie is not to institute a memorable villian (the Borg or Kahn), but to allow the audience to meet the young members of the Enterprise.
Actually, though, the acting so surprised me in this movie that Id actually say it was one of the movies strongest points.
The Direction, Special Effects, Sound, etc
Ok, I have no more witty Star Trek-isms to provide as titles... sorry...
Direction and pace of the movie was very good -- I felt involved during the entire movie (and as someone with back problems, who has trouble sitting still for a few hours... thats saying something). The pace never really slowed and had enough action interspersed to keep the adrenaline flowing. The action in this movie might disappoint those who are used to epic battles (Transformers, Star Wars) because there is no final epic confrontation at the climax of the movie.
The camera work was pretty good, though there were some rough spots. The special effects were amazing (on par with expectations... you dont see a modern Star Trek movie without expecting awesome special effects). I cant truly remember the what the music was like in the movie -- Im not even sure they had any. If it did, it did not intrude upon the movie watching experience (like it does in some movies).
To Boldly Go Where No Man Has Gone Before
Ok, overall, I loved this movie. I truly think its the best of the entire series. It had drama and humor, which the original series has... but it trumped all of the other movies in the franchise by the strength of the direction and acting (and, in certain respects, the storyline... as some of the Next Generation movies had crappy stories). I loved it and walked out of the movie theater raving about it.
Guess who didnt like it? To be fair, he was ok with it until the end. For those who would like to know why, I will include a detailed plot outline at the end... but be aware... tharrrr be spoilers!
Anyway, I cant stop raving about it... heck, Id love to see it again!!! It was a great movie. At 126 minutes it was long enough to provide great entertainment but they didnt drag it out with unnecessary information. Who is this a movie for? Everyone! Its fairly clean for the younger audience and theres not a terrible amount of bloody violence (some green Romulan blood, but thats all... sticking with the typical Star Trek format). Trekkies will love the little *inside references* and non-Trekkies can enjoy it as simply a great space movie. Great acting, neat storyline, fun script, good direction -- there is very little you can ask for in a good movie that Star Trek does not provide.
Go out and see you, youll be glad you did!
********Spoilers***************
So, what did my husband have problems with?
First, this is a complete reimagining... Romulans get thrown back in time and run into a Federation ship. Kirks father was the First Officer and dies in the attack -- after saving everyone on board, including his pregnant wife and unborn son. Remember that James T. Kirk KNEW his father in the original series. Kirk grows up a slacker and repeat offender until he decides to give Starfleet a chance...
Anyway, the Romulans have a way to destroy a planet... and because of things that happen in the future, the planet they set sights on is...
Vulcan.
Yes, Vulcan gets obliterated and Spocks mother dies. There are fewer than 10,000 surviving Vulcans.
Nero goes after Earth but is defeated by Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise.
The problem stems from the fact that the events are never reversed... I figured theyd find a way to *fix* the events caused by Nero, but they dont.... not only does that leave a few weird space/time/paradox/etc questions floating around... it also completely invalidates the Star Trek universe. With Vulcan destroyed, there are quite a few things that simply cant happen (such as the memorable fight between Spock and Kirk on Vulcan)... In addition, the Federation is without one of its strongest members (Vulcan is second in importance to the Federation behind Earth)... Would the Federation even be able to stand against the Romulan, Klingon and Cardassian Empires without one of their strongest members? Would they be able to stand against the Borg in the future? Their adventures would change, thus impacting the future series like Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and Voyager.
I can almost see that as opening up another avenue for movies in the fact that since the Federation has been significantly weakened, war with the Klingon Empire would almost be a probability.
Now, as someone who wasnt a hardcore fan... this doesnt truly *bother* me. They do attempt to explain the paradoxs created by the events in this movie (by stating that an alternate universe was created), but it seems a weak explanation that they threw in to explain their way out of the corner they wrote themselves into.
Final Note: I have been thinking about the possibility that the Romulans going back in time accidentally created an alternate universe (a topic that has been covered in various Star Trek episodes) that wouldn't impact the original universe. It would actually make sense if they want to do multiple movies in the future that would take Star Trek off in a different direction than the series while still appeasing Trekkies (alternate universe doesn't actually change anything kind of thing)... first place to start? Klingons smell blood in the water in the form of a much-weakened Federation and war ensues. Anyway, done now... enjoy!
Recommended:
Yes
Movie Mood: Action Movie
Viewing Method: Other
Film Completeness: Looked complete to me.
Worst Part of this Film: Nothing
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gatorgirlie
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Location: Orlando, FL
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