| STAR TREK |
| Star Trek (2009) Published: May 26, 2009 Written by Cherish Hamutoff With director J.J. Abrams (Lost, Alias) at the helm, this space voyage is immediately in overdrive: Star Trek not only captures the attention of die-hard treckies with in-jokes and by maintaining the decades-old mythology, but sparks the attention of newbies (like myself) with an emotionally charged opening sequence. The trek through space begins at the very beginning: with the birth of James T. Kirk and the noble death of his father who drives headfirst into an attacking Romulan ship, saving the lives of hundreds. Growing up without a father and with a mother who is “off-planet,” Kirk (Chris Pine) has turned into a rebellious, womanizing Iowan repeat-offender (albeit the only “genius repeat- offender”). At the same time, on another planet, another child is developing his identity: Spock (played as an adult by Zachary Quinto). He is bullied by his Vulcan classmates and deemed “disadvantaged” by his elders because of his half human heritage, and becomes a logical, fastidious genius who continuously suppresses his volatile emotions. Kirk and Spock meet-cute at the Starfleet Academy when cocksure Kirk has rewired and beat (aka cheated) the unbeatable simulator that Spock built. Temporarily grounded for his behavior, Kirk still manages - with the help of Leonard McCoy (Karl Urban) - to climb aboard the maiden voyage of the Enterprise when the Academy responds to a distress call. Kirk realizes this attack mirrors the attack that caused his father’s death and goes through great lengths to be heard, but it is too late when they leave warp-speed; they are in the midst of the attack, headed by super-evil Romulan thug, Nero (Eric Bana). Captain Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood) is captured, leaving Spock as the Captain and Kirk as first mate, and what follows is the classic yin meets yang. The rest of the cast is introduced at just the right times: Scotty (Simon Pegg) is at the perfect place to beam Kirk and himself aboard; Sulu (John Cho) arrives earlier but makes a memorable turn later, saving Kirk’s life; Uhura (Zoe Saldana) joins at the top of the film and crisply rejects Kirks come-ons; and Chekov (Anton Yelchin) pops up once aboard the Enterprise, all baby-faced and babble-mouthed. With a fan pleasing cameo, the original Spock (Leonard Nimoy), explains the time traveling twist and wraps up our trek in space. I was stunned at how quickly this film pulled me in. My disclosure: my father - and to some extent, my brother – are pretty big fans of this franchise. I, in rebellion, turned away from it and have never seen an episode of Star Trek or the seemingly millions of offshoots it has birthed. I am not interested in the brand. However, I totally and unreservedly enjoyed this picture. If another film is made, – with J.J. Abrams directing – another fan is born. I was sucked in by the death/birth opening sequence and the sacrifice of one to save another, and from then on, I was invested in the characters and story. Thanks to J.J. Abrams for telling a story and not back-story. Although I knew little of the rich history of the Enterprise, I almost never felt lost or deprived. The only moments I had to take a moment to analyze was when thick-accented Chekov spoke. I wish they hadn’t given him plotline speak because he momentarily lost me. However, those few slightly annoying moments aside (which were only tolerable because Anton Yelchin was so fresh- faced and bright-eyed) I didn’t need any lesson in trekkieism. My only other complaint with this flick was with Karl Urban’s interpretation of Leonard McCoy. Judging by the audience’s snickers, there was an in-joke when he exploded with emotion out of the blue; “By god man, I’m a doctor, not a physicist!” It didn’t fit the rest of the film, which was serious and had moments of humor, not high camp. That line reading was pure camp and took me out of the story. This film was all about Spock, and Chris Pine could have been lost in comparison to Zachary Quinto’ s deep and detailed character filled with fiery emotion burning under his controlled surface if it hadn’t been for Pine’s cocksure boyish charm and the allowance of the storyline to let them both have their moments and compete without competing. The star born here is Zachary; however, Pine held his own. All the characters were fleshed out more than I expected and I came to care about (and for Spock – lust for) these people stuck on a spaceship traveling through worm holes and battling evil Romulans with crazy face tattoos. With only two minor complaints, this film was a masterpiece of joining old fans with new fans, keeping loyalty while not excluding outsiders, and telling a bang-up story filled with emotion, action, romance, adventure and compelling characters without confusing with crazy plotlines or in-jokes or techno- babble. My final note is left for J.J. Abrams: don’t let the success of this newly minted old brand change your approach as it did to Lucas, keep wowing us with your stories; and live long, and prosper. Rated: PG-13 Running time: 2 hours, 6 minutes Directed by: J.J. Abrams Written by: Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Eric Bana, Bruce Greenwood, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, John Cho, Anton Yelchin, Ben Cross, Winona Ryder, Leonard Nimoy, Chris Hemsworth |