It was hard to resist using "set phasers to fun" as the tagline, but corn factor aside it would not have been inappropriate. J.J. Abrams and company have used Gene Roddenberry's legendary sci-fi template to create an immensely enjoyable movie watching experience.
Trek as a film franchise has seen it's highs and lows. Highs including Wrath of Kahn and lows being the bloated cast of Nemesis. Yet despite what Trek fans consider successes, Trek movies have never been a mainstream sensation.
This is where Abrams' adaptation breaks away from its predecessors. The cast is young, hot, and well executed. Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto portray the kind of Kirk/Spock relationship that plays out like a gloriously embellished version of the original. Did Shatner and Nimoy have a great chemistry? Absolutely. But it is amped up ten fold by Pine and Quinto.
Man candy factors aside, Spock and Kirk are realized in the way your imagination glorifies the originals.
While the Kirk and Spock interactions steal the show, the writers of Star Trek did a terrific job with the rest of the ensemble cast. McCoy, Uhura, Scotty, Sulu, Chekov... the crew is intact and justified. All of the actors from Zoe Saldana to Simon Pegg really bring their A game with fresh takes on each character. Hats off to the writers again for throwing in every cliche Star Trek line ("Damn it Jim, I'm a doctor," and "I'm giving her all she's got") at appropriately humorous and intense moments.
Without spoiling too much about the story, let's just say that Eric Bana plays a Romulan with a time spanning vendetta. While the character development and plot is fairly A to B, the film is so well structured that you can't help but enjoy the ride. Throw in some top of the line action scenes and CGI and you've got the coolest Star Trek movie ever made.
If you know anything about red shirts then you know what's coming.
The cool factor alone may turn off some die hard Star Trek fans. The dialogue is never overrun with technobabble or diplomacy, but rest assured that the heart and soul of Star Trek are intact. It feels just as cavalier as the series' first outings with a cast and script that make it presentable to the masses.
The Verdict
Several critics are calling Star Trek "this years Iron Man" and that's probably the best way to sum it up. Star Trek is fun, intense, action packed, and a service to the series' immortal characters. If your an old school trekkie, I'd like to believe that this is the Star Trek you always dreamed of. And if you have no idea what a warp drive is, don't feel nerded out by seeing a Trek film. Just tell yourself that you're going to see "Sexy Space Crew Action Fighting" and you won't be disappointed.
(8.5/10)
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