Star Trek

• Rajeev
• May 18, 2009
• movies
• reviews
• no comments
• ★★★★

With a sly grin, a logical counterpart, and a moralistic physician, J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek manages to cleanly detach itself from the mythos it spawns from, while at the same time carrying the hefty mantle of forty years of story-telling. Abrams’ success stems from his focus on telling a story and entertaining. The vehicle for his success is undoubtedly his casting choices, which both harken to the old and innovate upon their youth. For Trekkies, this is a movie that constantly references the stories of the original Enterprise crew, but at the same time provides a new universe within which to play and experience. For those who don’t have the distinction of the name “Trekkie”, this is a movie that will simply entertain and maybe even get you to explore stories you wouldn’t have given consideration to before.

When Abrams took the helm of the Star Trek vehicle, he decided to update the series allowing for his kind of movie-making. Thankfully, his choices clearly echo with the majority of the audience. Some of his changes were more nuanced, like changing the size of the ships to match the grandeur and scale of the other “Star” series. However, his biggest change to the utopian world that Gene Roddenberry envisioned was packing the series with more fights, more chases, and more explosions. This explains the opening salvo, as two spaceships collide in the far ends of the galaxy with a cacophony of explosions and a chilling reminder that sound does not travel in space (thank you Mr. Abrams, thank you!). On this chaotic stage James Tiberius Kirk (played in his older self by Chris Pine) is born to a father who sacrifices himself and a mother who is screaming a lot. Kirk grows up to become a rebellious youth and choosing to spend his time engaging in car wrecks and bar brawls. A chance encounter during the latter with a Star Fleet officer that served with Kirk’s father helps guide Kirk towards the Academy and moves the movie into its second act.

In parallel, the audiences witnesses the growth of Spock (Zachary Quinto). Lacking any distinctive emotional punches and deaths, Spock must grapple with the prejudice that a Vulcan father and a Human mother have bestowed upon him. Molded by this he rejects the highest honor in the Vulcan home world to undertake a career in Star Fleet. The second act brings our two protagonists together and melds them with their supporting cast. The introductions of each character, from Bones (Karl Urban) to Scotty (Simon Pegg), is blessed with good humor that keeps the audience laughing and echoes in the minds of the faithful. Watching the characters come alive on screen makes one feel like they never left. For this, the actors must be credited and congratulated for working so hard to realize the ground paved before them. In a reboot the question is always one of homage or total abandonment. Heath Ledger chose the latter in The Dark Knight. The cast of Star Trek all chose the former.

Particular credit must go to both Pine and Quinto who embrace their characters and their history completely. Pine takes on the swagger of the original Kirk, William Shatner, while not imbuing his character with the smarminess that the latter displayed at times. The earnestness in Pine’s Kirk mirrors both his youth and his lack of sure-footedness as he takes on the responsibilities of a Star Fleet captain. Quinto’s Spock is more emotionally mature than his predecessor. Quinto imbues Spock with feelings that were rarely displayed by Leonard Nimoy’s (oh yes he is in this film) take on the character. Quinto does a commendable job displaying the audience the vying Human and Vulcan sides within his psychology. There is a battle for the heart and mind going on here and this yet immature Spock has not fully quieted or balanced both. The fact of the matter is that both Pine and Quinto deliver the best kind of performances: nuanced.

The villain, as the movie races towards its conclusion, is a Romulan from the future. His time-travel storyline allows for Mr. Abrams to weave a magical thread around the original Enterprise crew and away from the original Enterprise saga. Nero, our villain played by Eric Bana, does a respectable job holding his own and displaying the necessary excesses of anger and revenge that mark a good villain. Nero is our excuse to see ships battling each other in expensive visual effects. In this department, no expense was spared. The effects are absolutely glamorous and, though Mr. Abrams could use with pulling the camera back, they absolute delight in a visual and aural feast. To put it succinctly, the effects are “summer blockbuster” caliber. They help round out the film nicely and provide for an entertaining third act, coupled with the requisite character development of a reboot.

Abrams’ success with this film is due to how he plays with legacy that he is handed. While providing laughs, he never slides into mockery and to the audience they are all good natured and true. At the same time, Abrams does not treat Star Trek like a stone tablet and chooses to inscribe his own insights and modifications. With the help of Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman (the screenwriters) he manages to cleanly slice away his reboot from the mythos. What the potential to smother and weigh down, now serves as a periphery for greater understanding of the film. The film does away with the nihilism, at times, of the science fiction genre. It once again moves towards the utopian vision that Roddenberry envisioned and Abrams is kind enough to throw in some action sequences for us all to enjoy. The best part of all of this? The bridge on the Enterprise once again comes alive… Even though they fumble a little bit with the controls.