Dipping into his Lost repertoire for a little time travel mayhem, director J.J. Abrams' debut venture into Gene Roddenberry's universe comes across as a action flick with no lack of pizzaz — perhaps a little closer to a traditional action movie than most Star Trek fans are used to — but one that stays true to its Trekkie roots. Make no mistake about it, this movie feels every bit like the Star Trek of old, albeit with a bit of a face lift.
Chris Pine is well-cast as a brash young James T. Kirk, he the spitting image of a young William Shatner. And perhaps this owes to the aura of Star Trek being larger than life (Shatner, for instance, will never be anything other than Captain Kirk), but it took a good while longer to divorce a few of the actors from some of their previous roles. Zachary Quinto's Spock was reminiscent of his character in the TV show "Heroes," and I'm sure I wasn't the only one in the audience waiting for John Cho's Sulu to go to White Castle with buddy Kumar.
Actor quibbles notwithstanding, the characters are largely what we've come to expect from sci-fi blockbusters. None had overwhelming depth, but there were enough with interesting characteristics to satisfy an audience's need for emotional attachment — especially given that the characters really needed no introduction.
Plot Synopsis
The plot, too, isn't earth-shattering, but make no mistake about it, this is one fun movie. It begins with a little setting the scene for two characters, Kirk and Spock, grappling with their respective upbringings. Kirk developed a bit of a rebellious streak after his father died, and Spock struggled to come to grips with being half-human, half-Vulcan. The human race, defined by its emotional qualities, contrasts sharply with the Vulcans, who favor logical deduction in all things. Emotion was to be repressed if logic were to rule. It is this contradiction, found in Spock's genetic make-up, that forms the basis for many of the movie's character conflicts. The overarching issue, though, is an alien hell-bent on destroying the Earth. Via black hole, of course.
The action scenes are memorable — one involves sky diving from outer space, another, a frenzied chase scene with an alien monster down an icey cliff — and the space visuals alone will be well worth the price of admission for many. The planets and spaceships are absolutely gorgeous, and the special effects during jumps to warp speed never cease being impressive. The romance, however, is pretty forgettable. The story's principle female character doesn't add much, begging the question of why she was added in the first place when so few other new characters were created. And the dialogue is rife with the typical action movie one-liners designed to peel cheap laughs from an audience mesmerized by visuals. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing — secondary characters, such as Dr. "Bones" McCoy and fan-favorite Scotty keep Spock and Kirk's on-screen tango from taking itself too seriously.
The Final Word
The good news for those just not that into science fiction? Abrams' time travel motif isn't particularly complicated this time around. Despite being a central plot point it doesn't require a great deal of comprehension to make it through the movie satisfied. If anything, I left the theater wanting a more complex time travel scenario, half expecting the present day Kirk and Spock to follow villain Nero, a vengeful Romulan, back to the future. Still, though it isn't the most complex weave, the plot, partly on the strengths of the franchise's beloved characters, will keep audiences entertained.
The bad news? Well, the trailer's a little misleading. Those who are a little wary of Star Trek might find the movie a bit too Trekkie for their tastes. And those who are die hard fans of the series will leave wishing Starfleet Academy had been featured more prominently — this was, after all, billed as a "coming of age" movie for the Enterprise crew. Abrams also takes pains to avoid being too "nerdy," which could be good or bad depending on who you talk to.
"This year's Iron Man," to quote the film's latest promo, is probably a stretch. Most won't feel a need to go back for another round. But you won't be disappointed you went, either.
