Viewed in
2009
Premise
J J Abrams reboots the 'Star Trek' franchise.
Who should watch
People who think old-school Star Trek is boring.
Thoughts
This ain't your parents' 'Star Trek'.
This was a very entertaining action flick, including some of the most exciting spaceship battles I have ever seen. I also enjoyed the humor and popping dialogue. Each character was given their time to shine and were very likable.
The cast was nearly perfect. Not only did they look like the old crew, but they embodied them as well. I could not help but smirk every time the film introduced a familiar face. While it is easy to praise Chris Pine as Kirk, or Zachary Quintos as Spock or Simon Pegg as Scotty, the one that blew me away was Karl Urban as Bones. I did not even recognize Urban (granted last time I saw him, he was leading the Rohirrim); he truly was Bones.
Big props to the writing; not only was it exciting, but it treated the Star Trek legacy with respect. I loved the incorporation and twists of famous lines and moments. More importantly, how the film makers were able to repaint the canvas without compromising the previous films was rather genius. To top it off, they incorporated a familiar face to help bridge the gap.
However, this is a film that I admired but could not love.
Part of me feels duped by the clever writing. Is this simply an action flick in Star Trek clothing? At first, I was distracted by the great cast, writing, and special effects. But where was the science fiction, the thought-provoking new ideas, and the mission 'to seek out new life and new civilizations'? If you transplanted famous characters into a different genre, can you really call this a 'Star Trek' film embodying the 'Star Trek' spirit?
Then again, perhaps I am being hypocritical, since 'First Contact' was one of my favorite 'Star Trek' films, but was also very action-packed.
After mulling it over, I am still very conflicted in whether I recommend this film to 'Star Trek' fans. It was an excellent and entertaining film, I just do not know if I like where this franchise is boldly going.
What I would change
As much as I like Eric Bana, his role and acting as the antagonist was underwhelming. His motivation was a weak retread of a former 'Star Trek' villain. Also, I got motion sickness from all the unnecessary hand-held camerawork in the first half of the film.
Personal
I watched it in normally excellent IMAX, but it seemed like part of it was out of focus. There were a lot of close up shots that were plain blurry. Did anyone else observe this too?
