To be honest, from the first I heard about this movie I never thought there was any reason to make it. I grew up watching the original Star Trek in the 60s and watched every other series and movie that came afterward. The original cast was fine and I couldn’t see a legitimate reason to redo it. However, I just watched the new movie and I can safely say that I was wrong. J.J. Abrams, the director of this reboot of the original series has made a smart, lightning-paced, thrill-a-second reimagining that successfully updates this franchise for the modern audience. That is to say, there is less reflective, philosophical dialog and character development (less yakking) and tons more action and explosions, which is just what modern audiences seem to want. I know this seems like a criticism, but it really isn’t. It’s just an observation. Truthfully, the last several movies and the last few series were tired and boring. And no matter what you think about this movie, this Star Trek is definitely not boring.
As origin movies go, this one digs in earnestly, going as far as to show us the birth of James Tiberius Kirk and this character’s juvenile delinquent past. Time is also spent on Spock’s troubled youth, enduring and sometimes raging against the calculated insults of his full-blooded Vulcan schoolmates. I’m not sure we needed to see all this, but it does serve a purpose as the movie continues. At least we were spared the sight of Kirk’s conception. But it’s not to say that this movie didn’t stumble. It depends on too many coincidences and at times was lazy in its writing and plotting. However, it does have its strengths.
The best thing this movie had going for it was its cast, and that was the biggest surprise for me. Chris Pine, who I was unfamiliar with, by the end of the movie had become James T. Kirk. While he was more impetuous than Shatner, he was also less smarmy. I liked him a lot—maybe even more than Shatner. Zachary Quinto, who plays the evil Sylar on Heroes, played Spock with an icy demeanor and a barely held-back reservoir of anger and disdain. It was an interesting way to play the internal conflict of his two opposing cultural backgrounds. To me, he was neck and neck with Leonard Nimoy, the original Spock, who has a major role in this movie as Spock. Nimoy is the only actor from the original series to be in this movie. Karl Urban really nailed his part as Dr. McCoy. Sometimes it seemed as if he was doing an impersonation of DeForest Kelly, but he played the role with such energy and style that it really worked. Plus, he was just laugh-out-loud funny. Simon Pegg handled the role of Montgomery Scott, the chief engineer of the Enterprise. He wasn’t as laid back as the original Scotty. Instead, he played it as manic and playful with a devilish gleam in his eye. I think I actually preferred his version of this character to the original. He was more fun to watch.
Abrams kept a tight hand on this movie. His direction was perfectly handled and controlled, and even though time travel movies can be confusing, this one was easy to follow. He produced a movie that was funny, exciting, and extremely fast-paced. This was a fun movie to watch and was everything you could want from a summer blockbuster, which I think this one will be. Now that the origins for these characters and this universe are finished, I look forward to seeing what new adventures await this new crew of familiar characters. Star Trek, live long and prosper.
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