The marketing for Star Trek has said, “This is not your father’s Star Trek,” and by the end of the film the mythology of Trek may indeed not belong to your old man, but the catchphrases and character quirks make it hard to separate 2009’s Trek from the 1960s original that started it all. Director J.J. Abrams has pieced together a film that is light on story, heavy on convenience, weak in villainy and perfection in character and casting. It’s a mixed bag to be certain, but in the end it is a lot of fun.
From the outset, Star Trek alters the 40+ year mythology of the classic series, asking die-hard fans to give in to the film and not concern themselves with what they know. This is a film more determined to build a quality cast of characters rather than concern itself with timeline’s and the history of the franchise as it has been documented in the “Star Trek” annals.
Here you’ll see the early days of James T. Kirk, Spock, Leonard McCoy, Uhura and the rest of the original series regulars. All, except Uhura, played by Zoe Saldana with far more sex appeal than the character has ever shown before, match the aged actors that once inhabited the skin of the Enterprise crew.
Chris Pine, in particular, not only brings the ego of Kirk to the screen, but he also manages to make the role his own. Zachary Quinto handles the role of Spock like an old pro and I bet George Takei wishes Sulu was as strong a character as he is here with John Cho of Harold and Kumar fame reaping the rewards. The biggest surprise, however, is Karl Urban as Dr. Leonard McCoy, or “Bones” as many fondly remember him. I didn’t think there was any way to tap into the unique character played by the late DeForest Kelley, but Urban brings the attitude and tired confidence of the doc to life adding another memorable face to the landscape. The only real disappointment is Nero, the Romulan villain played by Eric Bana with definite dedication, but he had very little to do. Bana managed to eek out as much menace as he could with a script that wasn’t necessarily in his favor and a story more focused on Starfleet camaraderie than anything else.
Abrams quickly manages the film’s flimsy plotline, dealing with space and time in a way that really doesn’t hold up to even the mildest of scrutiny, with a larger attention to character. As a fan of the original “Star Trek” I didn’t have much of a problem with this, but critical viewers are likely to take issue with the decision to always fall back on spectacle over substance every time.
Star Trek is dedicated to action and punch-lines, and doing it all at a quick clip. Story details are pushed aside as any problem faced by the characters is quickly resolved thanks to clever sci-fi trickery and seconded by a funny one-liner or a breath-taking moment of action, allowing you to quickly forget plot holes and continue enjoying the show.
Spectacular effects benefit from exceptional sound as phasers blast and photon torpedoes tear through an enemy ship’s hull. One of the largest issues facing CG elements in live-action movies is the inability to give computer generated images a sense of weight in real space, but Star Trek proves sound designers are up to the task. Through the use of sound and, conversely, silence even massive starships floating in space benefit and have a real sense of substance in a digitally generated expanse.
Loaded with references and classic lines from the original “Star Trek” television series, I have already talked to one person that knew nothing of the original “Trek” and didn’t catch on to any of them and still enjoyed the movie. Personally, I recognized them all and at times thought it was a bit overloaded, but not to a point it’s ever bothersome. Star Trek is a film that will appeal to all audiences, Trekkie or not, it’s hard not to have a good time with this 126 minute actioner that has reinvigorated a dying (if not dead) franchise and will likely spawn several sequels.
