Review: Star Trek
Star Trek (PG-13) 2009
Run time: 2 hours 3 minutes
Since I missed most of them this summer, I’ve been catching up on the big moneymakers on Blu-Ray the past few weeks. So far with Transformers 2 and G.I. Joe, I’ve been questioning that decision.
Fortunately, Star Trek was next on the list and I was very satisfied with the film. In fact, though it’s been a weak year, I’d say it was one of my favorites I’ve seen.
Important to note that I’m more of a Star Wars guy, and I’ve never seen any Star Trek shows or movies and don’t know a thing about the series. So I’m not sure how it plays out for purists. I do know the casting was pretty good and everyone looks similar to their TV series counterparts. For purists, there is definitely plenty of references to the old Star Trek series that I will never get, and most importantly, teleportation.
The movie is relatively confusing at first, with time travel stuff and little explanation of the Star Trek world.. and a lot of characters thrown in quickly. It rapidly rebounds and ends up having solid special effects, great action, and a pretty good story for a sci-fi epic (thanks to the reliable work of J.J. Abrams), fortunately. They even feature the original Spock..and didn’t just throw in a useless cameo. He is central to the storyline.
On the negative front, for some reason these movies always throw in a few goofy monster sequences and one or two coincidences that endanger the believability of the plot. Star Trek does this as well (perhaps it is a requirement to sell toys or make video games, who knows) but it recovers fine.
In the end, I really liked the characters who played Spock and Kirk, and the supporting cast is quite strong. The special effects were top notch as well..I was impressed how true to the old school Star Trek look they kept while blending it with a modern feel seamlessly. There aren’t really any strong female characters, which was sort of odd, but other than that it’s a fast moving plot with good dialogue. Actually, the original Spock ends up being the worst actor. The villain Captain Nero also is a bit weak and sort of wasted, but he’s passable.
Much better than Star Wars in reviving an old space series, and I look forward to the sequels. Check it out of you’re one of the 15 people who haven’t seen it like me. This series will live long and prosper (I can say that since I have no idea what it means).
* * * 1/2 out of Five Stars
Trivia
Check out what might have been, but wasn’t. William Shatner was originally written to cameo in the script….but was axed.
Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto, who play the odd couple Kirk and Spock, were previously acquainted with each other as they work out at the same gym.
