Review: Star Trek

Well, I don’t believe it: I feel like a Trekkie. Joking of course, as the chances of that happening are as good as me paying money to see Dance Flick. But the bottom line is this – I’ve never been a fan of the Star Trek television shows or movies, and have never had any real interest in the subject matter at all. But just like he did with an albeit smaller project in Cloverfield, J.J. Abrams surprised me again with Star Trek, a really fun warp speed ride that a non-Trekkie could enjoy just as much as the diehards.

There is no let down when it comes to special effects in this movie (Paramount Pictures/aceshowbiz.com)

The re-booting of a franchise is what seems to be the hot idea these days, and why not, with The Dark Knight grossing over $1 billion worldwide, movie studios and executives are hoping for that same effect with their story. The story of Kirk, Spock, and Scottie has been, well, “dead”, for a number of years now to put it plainly. Shoved to the back-burner after years and years of movies and shows, Abrams (Lost, Alias, Cloverfield, etc) decided to give it a go. Just like other successful reboots, not Dark Knight in this case, he cast no-names to truly start fresh. That was his first, and possibly best choice in the whole darn process.

I don’t know why but watching the movie trailers for Star Trek and the television spots, I kind of found Chris Pine (Kirk) annoying. His performance was quite the opposite. While Zachary Quinto, who played Spock, gave a good showing of the Vulcan with no emotion – not much to do with that role really, Pine was dynamic in his representation of the ship’s eventual captain. Funny, sly, and cocky are just a couple of words to describe Shatner’s replacement. But when it came down to serious business, his action chops were as good as his one-liners.

A mostly no-name cast worked wonders for Abrams' reboot (Paramount Pictures/aceshowbiz.com)

Visually, the film is absolutely dazzling. The space sequences are obviously incredible, but even more than that, I found the shots on Earth even more amazing. There are simple scenes in any movie that can be imprinted on your memory for one reason or another as unique. In Iowa, yes…Iowa, while Kirk drives past fields on his motorcycle, the far off distance shows the scary-tall towers and operations of Star Fleet. It’s a quick shot, over in just over 5 seconds, but the link between this world and the one we live in today is really cool to look at. That scene aside, the actual Star Fleet academy is another shining star in this movie jam packed with special effects. The bold, slick design of the buildings and atmosphere clash brilliantly with the dirty, menacing shots of Eric Bana’s ride of evil.

On Rotten Tomatoes, Star Trek clocks in at a mind-numbing 95% – a number so high, that Pixar hopes to do reviews like that (and they probably will). While I don’t think this movie is an all-timer, one to be remembered for the ages, it’s exactly what you want from an action movie all around. It’s fun, and it’s funny. It’s action is back and forth at a dizzying pace. The cameos and references to older generations Star Trek are fun and really do put a smile on your face. It’s a perfect summer blockbuster, and a hell of a ride the whole way through.

Oh oh, and by the way, as a last minute tangent: great casting overall. Simon Pegg is hilarious, Anton Yelchin is really good, and Zoe Saldana, well, wow.

STAR TREK: (out of 4)