Star Trek XI

You know, for JJ Abrams being a self-proclaimed non-fan, he did one hell of a job...

The new Star Trek film was, in short, a masterpiece. Granted, this IS coming from a Trekkie, but it was still one of the best Star Trek films I've seen, and I've seen all of them. Now, a lot of people will hail 1979's "The Motion Picture" as the best Star Trek film, and the rest seem to like 2002's "Nemesis". Personally, I like "The Wrath of Khan", and I do enjoy TNG, but my full loyalty has always been to The Original Series, and the original cast. Now I hope that I've established my feelings on Star Trek.

Now, I'll be the first to admit that when I heard they were making another Star Trek film I was like "WTF?!" and I thought it would be awful. Boy was I wrong about that. It sounds unbelievable, but they've actually managed to pull it off. They've made a Star Trek film that has pulled an audience bigger than any of the previous films, and it's still a loyal film.

I wasn't absolute on the partnership of JJ Abrams and cinematographer Dan Mindel with their deliberate lens flares and shaky cam work, but overall I found it to be consistently involving and thrilling to watch, and I also quite enjoyed the lens flares.

The plot was a bit confusing at first, seeing as canon dictates that Vulcan is sill around and Spock's mother Amanda is still alive (as seen in "Journey to Babel"), but the ingenious use of an alternate reality timeline made it easier to understand, which led me to coin the quote, "Star Trek: making use of their mistakes since 1966." Although it was no mistake, it was certainly confusing for a good 30 minutes after the film had ended. However, it's obvious that the screenwriters are avid Star Trek fans themselves, which always helps.

And as for the cast, it was for the most part spot-on. Chris Pine is absolutely terrific as Kirk. I will admit, I didn't think he'd be able to pull it off, but dammit, he did. He created his own character while still nailing several trademark quirks and behaviors of the Kirk we all know and love. And I was also a bit saddened at the fact that The Shat wasn't going to make an appearance, as he was supposed to in the original ending, but c'est la vie. Quinto's Spock is really quite terrific and much more nuanced than expected. Spock was always my favorite, and I was quite happy that there was a lot of focus on Spock's emotional story and backstory in the film, and more exploratioin of his human side with the death of his mother. Karl Urban's McCoy is the closest to an impersonation but overall just a joy and a pleasure to behold. In my opinion, he stole the show. As with the other characters, I didn't think Urban could pick up on the life and quirks that DeForest Kelley brought to the character, but Urban, being a Trekkie himself, did shit tons of research for his role, and nailed it spot-on. Pegg is fantastic as Scotty, used in the film as more comic relief. John Cho's alright as Sulu, but he really doesn't get to do much other than fight a Romulan. Though Uhura is suprisingly prominent and well-played by Zoe Saldana (although the love story between Uhura and Spock was a little weird). Eric Bana's Nero, the Romulan antagonist, was a bit flat, but a good performance overall. Anton Yelchin was the only real probmelatic casting choice for me. He really overdoes the accent and it takes you out of the film a bit, bit I did like the reference to Star Trek IV in Chekov's speech patterns. Greenwood is wonderful as Captain Christopher Pike. And, as always, in my personal favorite role, Leonard Nimoy shines yet again as Spock Prime.

I picked up on a few Star Wars influences as well: the Cantina scene in the beginning, Kirk and Spock's relationship as that of Luke and Han, a Starfleet Cadet named "Vader", and Kirk's line "Punch it, Sulu!"

And of course I thoroughly enjoyed the references to the original series and the original films: "Dammit, man, I'm a doctor, not a physicist!", "He's dead, Jim.", "I'm giving her all she's got, Captain.", and my favorite, "I have been, and always shall be, your friend." Even the small throwbacks were fun to spot: hearing a Sick Bay attendant mention Nurse Chapel, although she does not appear on screen. Hearing the late Majel Barrett's voice once again as the Enterprise computer once more before her death in December 2008. Even the ship that Spock Prime uses to go back in time: if you see the back of the chair combined with the forward viewport, the combination of these forms the Vulcan IDIC, a symbol for the Vulcan saying "Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations" that first appeared in the original Star Trek Series ("Is There No Truth In Beauty?").

And I absolutely started to cry out of sheer joy and happiness when I heard Nimoy's voice at the end recite the opening lines of the original series...

Although the film isn't as tight as "The Wrath of Khan" and isn't as funny as "The Voyage Home", I'd put this as the fourth best Star Trek film ever made, almost on par with "The Undiscovered Country." It's a fairly new direction, yet totally faithful to Trek where it needs to be: in spirit. In a world of dreary blockbusters and 'dark' reboots (although I will admit, I've seen some good ones so far), this Trek, though grittier in terms of design than anything before, shines, not only was a fantastic film from start to finish, but also as a great addition to Trek's long, long history.

All in all, I give this film a WIN+ for sheer win factor...I HIGHLY recommend this film, not only as an loyal Trekkie, but as an avid movie fanatic who knows a good one when she sees one.