Copyright © 2009 by Michael A. Burstein
Star Trek
Written by Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman
Directed by J.J. Abrams
Starring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, John Cho, Ben Cross, Bruce Greenwood, Simon Pegg, Winona Ryder, Zoë Saldana, Karl Urban, Anton Yelchin, Eric Bana, and Leonard Nimoy
Rated PG-13
126 minutes
There is a pivotal scene in the middle of the new Star Trek, where Leonard Nimoy’s Ambassador Spock—who has fallen back in time 129 years—explains to a young Jim Kirk, played by Chris Pine, that everything is going to be different. With that statement, long-time fans of the franchise know that this time around, the mission of the Enterprise won’t be to fix the timestream and return history to the way it once played out. Instead, the film tells us, history has changed and the crew will simply have to play the new hand that it’s been dealt.
Director J.J. Abrams and writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman have crafted a Star Trek film that is a reboot, but a reboot with logical justification within the parameters of the Star Trek universe itself. The obvious question: is the new re-envisioning of the old characters worth the wiping out of decades of established continuity?
The answer is an unqualified yes. By letting the audience know that the franchise is starting over, the filmmakers have managed to create a film that is both appealing to diehard fans and accessible to people coming to Star Trek for the first time. The story kicks into overdrive from the beginning, with a space battle that introduces the family of future Enterprise captain James T. Kirk and then never lets go. As the main conflict of the film unfolds—the Romulan captain Nero takes vengeance on the older Spock by forcing Spock to watch everything he ever cared about be destroyed—the familiar crew of the Enterprise starts to assemble for their first adventure together.
The younger, newer actors take on their roles with gusto and make them their own. Pine’s Kirk may not be exactly the Kirk that William Shatner portrayed, but there’s enough of him in there to make it clear that he has the makings of a great starship captain. Zachary Quinto perfectly captures Spock’s ultimate tragedy, his fight between emotional instinct and cool logic. Zoë Saldana’s Uhura shows us the depths that exist to her character, depths that Nichelle Nichols was rarely given a chance to explore.
Karl Urban’s Doctor McCoy and Simon Pegg’s Scotty both provide necessary comic relief, all the time staying respectful of their characters. John Cho’s Sulu and Anton Yelchin’s Chekov are serviceable, but nothing more. Although we get to see them in action, we don’t really get to learn much about either, probably because the film needs to focus more on Kirk and Spock. One presumes that the sequel, already in production, will shed more light on these characters.
For dedicated fans, one of the ongoing highlights of the film is the number of references and resonances to previous Star Trek scenes. And yet none of them feel pasted on; every reference, from Spock’s comments that one must eliminate the impossible to find the truth (see Star Trek VI), to the first shot of the starship Enterprise sitting in spacedock (see Star Trek I), work to move the story forward. There’s even an obvious “redshirt” crewman who we know is going to be a mission casualty. But none of this feels cheesy; it all feels just right.
As for the casual moviegoer, this is the first film since Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home that is filled with fun and good humor. Yes, the situation that the crew is dealing with is serious, but there is never a grim sense that the heroes won’t triumph in the end.
One of the truisms of Hollywood is that moviegoers want something that is exactly the same, but different. Star Trek fits the bill. The themes are universal, and the characters are the ones we’ve come to love. We may not know what they’ll find during their ongoing missions, but we know precisely how they’ll handle it.
This isn’t just a great Star Trek film; it’s a great film, period.
Four out of four stars.
Michael A. Burstein has got it nailed. It’s a great film, period. I loved it!
Michael, I’d have to watch the movie again to see if this was made clear, but I think the producers intended that this is a parallel universe these “new” characters are in, not one that replaces the original Trek ‘verse.
But I agree with you about the movie. I really enjoyed it and felt Chris Pine somehow recognizably played Kirk without evoking Shatner, which has to have been tougher than we can imagine.
As for the “Easter eggs” for long-time fans, I was struck by the apple that Kirk was eating during the Kobayashi Maru test. It reminded me of the one Shatner-Kirk took a crunchy bit out of during WRATH OF KAHN after the line, “I don’t like to lose.” How obscure is that?
Dave
Just saw it and am seeing it on IMAX on Sunday. I can’t wait for the DVDs.
This is going to work. It’s a fun film, with the occasional poignant moment. And, although I mourn the death of Alexander Courage, we’ve got the old STAR TREK music back at the end.
Good review. The film is as respectful to its source as GALAXY QUEST. By Grabthar’s Hammer, this is a good one!
thanks to this new Star Trek installment, I will now start remembering the name “J.J. Abrams” and look out for anything else he might had a hand in
Michael, you’ve nailed why fans of the old Star Trek franchise will love this one, but you haven’t touched on why it’s a great movie in general. Why would a 14-year-old SF fan love it?
Speaking of references, name choice is sometimes a hint. Nero watching while Rom(ulus) burns is so good as to be almost inevitable.
@Nomad — try watching the series “Lost” or “Alias” or “Fringe”. Or see Mission Impossible III. I also note that Abrams first got really good when he teamed with like-minded director Damon Lindelof on Lost. And that Lindelof is also co-producing this Trek movie. So the credit really should be to the pair of them, not to Abrams alone, perhaps.
A personal note: I was disappointed by the Kobayashi Maru test, though it was in character for this new orphaned Kirk. His arrogance during his hacked version of the test made him less likeable, but also removed suspense from the scene. It lacked the subtlety I had always hoped for in seeing that long-referred to footnote in Kirk’s Academy history.
His later defense before the school and versus Spock was also rather lame, considering he had had time to think about it. The JT Kirk I knew would not only have had a good argument why cheating on that test was the right thing to do, he would have been able to convince most listeners with his passion in that argument. (Spock might not have bought it, but others would have.)
I had also expected a bit more spark between Uhura and Kirk. It would have made her later moves more dramatic too.