Star Trek

Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Leonard Nimoy, Eric Bana, Bruce Greenwood, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, John Cho, Anton Yelchin, Winona Ryder, Chris Hemsworth
Directed by: J.J. Abrams
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Adventure, Science Fiction
2009

Times Seen:
Tim: 3

Summary: A mysterious Romulan ship emerges out of nowhere and attacks a federation starship. In the attacks, George Kirk (Chris Hemsworth) is killed, but manages to safe his wife and son. His son (Chris Pine) grows up and decides to join Starfleet to follow in his follow's footsteps. There, he befriends "Bones" McCoy (Karl Urban) and clashes with the Vulcan, Spock (Zachary Quinto). When the strange Romulan ship reappears and seems bent on destroying Vulcan, the young crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise must work together to stop the enemy and save their world.

Review:

Tim: I enjoyed watching all the original Star Trek movies, even when I couldn't bring myself to claim that they were actually good movies. I loved the intellectual take on science fiction, even as I lamented that far too many of the original movies weren't actually all that good. Several years later, we're given the expected franchise reboot. However, in the hands of J.J. Abrams (who continually proves he is a genius), the franchise starts over in amazing fashion. This is everything a Star Trek movie should be. There is amazing action, humor, drama, emotions, and it maintains the intelligence of the original films. This film is the definitive Star Trek movie.

I gush about this movie because it is such great entertainment. Abrams balances all of these different aspects together wonderfully- the film moves at a rapid pace, and even at over 2 hours in length, the film never drags or bores for a single moment. The entire film is captivating, engaging, and unforgettable. The action is all top-notch. Abrams has always been able to deliver great action sequences, and with a large budget, he puts together some truly stunning scenes here. The action- whether hand-to-hand combat or starship v. starship, these scenes are full of suspense and excitement. While I expected the action, I wasn't as prepared for how hilarious this movie was. There were a number of truly funny lines and sequences. These moments bring much-needed levity to the film and kept the audience engaged. This mix of action and humor is a recipe for greatness. Abrams also manages to make these characters come to life. The film wisely spends enough time developing these believable characters so that "Star Trek" and non-"Star Trek" fans will both get on board with the characters. The emotions in the film are real, because we identify with and root for these characters. These movies have always been enjoyable because of the characters. Even with a new cast of actors, the characters remain true to who they have always been.

The film is helped by a terrific cast. It is so hard to recast roles that had become iconic in their own sense. How can you replace William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelly, James Doohan, Walter Koenig, George Takei, and Nichelle Nicholas? The answer is, you can't. However, you can capture the essence of the characters so that they live on in that way. That is exactly what Star Trek does. Chris Pine was a brilliant choice for James T. Kirk. Pine is not Shatner, but he makes the character his own. He is rebellious, funny, and cocky. That is exactly what we want to see in a young Kirk, and he plays this beautifully. I was very impressed with him. Likewise, Zachary Quinto was the perfect choice to play Spock. At various moments, it was like I was looking at a young Leonard Nimoy. Quinto was brilliant. Perhaps the biggest surprise for me was Karl Urban as "Bones" McCoy. My prior experience with Urban was in big action movies like Pathfinder and The Lord of the Rings films. If you had asked me if he was a good choice for McCoy, I would have been aghast at the casting choice. However, he was absolutely amazing. He sounded just like DeForest Kelley, and gave one of the most enjoyable performances of the film. I cannot say enough about Urban. He is fantastic. John Cho was a great choice for Sulu, and Anton Yelchin worked well as Chekov. I wish Simon Pegg had more screen time- I loved every second of his performance as Scotty. Again, he is the perfect choice, and I loved the humor he brought to the film. Zoe Saldana was also terrific as Uhura. Uhura was always one of my least favorite characters in the original movies, but Saldana made me change my mind. Saldana plays her with strength and courage, and I found myself very impressed with her and gained a new-found respect for the character. Each and every cast member worked so well in their respective roles and with each other- the cast is what makes this movie great.

I also want to mention two other cast members. One is Leonard Nimoy. Nimoy was terrific in the film- I love how his role was written, and it was great to get some continuity from the original movies. Secondly, I want to mention Eric Bana. Bana is nearly unrecognizable as the film's villain, Nero. While Bana might not be my first thought for a Star Trek villain, he delivers. His "Fire everything!" line is one of my favorites. I was surprised how well he worked here.

As I start to wrap this up, I have to mention the brilliant script. The writers took an established franchise, and with a genius move of time-travel, have managed to restart the franchise, infuse new life into it, and yet, create the freedom for them to change anything they want. Without going into too much detail, this is absolutely brilliant, and I am still in awe of how intelligent this move was.

If it wasn't apparent enough, I loved Star Trek. It contains everything I want when I go to the movies- action, excitement, fun, humor, real emotions, suspense, drama, visual effects, and believable characters. I loved watching this movie, and can't remember the last time I had so much fun watching a film. This is a great movie, and I am more excited about future Star Trek films than I have been in a long, long time. This is just a terrific, stunning ride.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend:
Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Mission: Impossible III