Star Trek was a film that you couldn't help BUT enjoy from start to finish. The story, acting, effects, score, and general excitement were all well above average for action and sci-fi flicks. But most importantly of all: it felt like Star Trek. The essence of Trek was kept intact and it pervaded the entire film, while not trying too hard to be "Trekkish."
Those cast members whose roles were tantamount to mocking their previous counterparts like Scotty and Chekov were commendable. McCoy was amazing. But then Spock, Kirk, and Uhura while staying true to the spirit of the original characters became unique in this film, and due to the modified timeline, it's okay. In fact, the modified timeline makes everything okay. Nevermind the fact that the film doesn't ever explain how one event seemingly changed the fabric of history. Everyone KNOWS that once you mess with the timeline, then history is changed, and that's that. No additional explanation necessary. So the fact that the Federation hadn't encountered Romulans yet in the original Trek but they have in the film? Timeline changed. The fact that Scotty helped develop transporters and warp technology but both already existed in the film? Timeline changed. Yet, despite this overly convenient plot device, you WANT this universe to be different. There's no way to ape/mimic the original, and even if you could, who would want to?
Yes I'm rambling in no logical order about acting, plot, ect. but that's just it! This Trek film was full of illogical details compared to the history you know about original Trek, but everything is supposed to be new. Spock showing more emotion? That's okay, and there's a good explanation for that. Kirk becoming captain earlier than he had before? There's an explanation for that.
I really didn't think such a modern, spiffy, shiny-looking film could do justice to the original films and universe in any way, but somehow they did. The references and nods to the fans of "true" Star Trek are present and most feel natural and if you're a fan, they warm your heart. The musical score, while a pounding dramatic soundtrack, includes the occasional audio cue that a classic fan will pick up on. In the opening scene of the movie, we get the classic red alert alarm and classic communicators. The classic high-pitched whirring of a ship buzzing past the camera in space is there.
Now, this film truly proved itself when treading upon the most dangerous waters of all: explaining Star Trek history. What happened to young Kirk and young Spock? How did Kirk pass the Kobayashi Maru scenario? How did Dr. McCoy get his nickname? Uhura's first name? How did Pike end up in that wheelchair/scooter?
And again, if you don't like how they tried to explain events in Star Trek cannon, that's okay, because it's all part of the alternate timeline. The alternate timeline began on the day of Kirk's birth, so every event from that moment on can be explained with that plot device. If a fan or a writer of the film so chooses to reject any fact or reference from either "classic" Trek lore or the new film, this explanation works for both!
Eric Bana as the villain Nero was on a path for vengeance the entire film, so he was a pretty one dimensional character. But Kirk and Spock have something to prove to themselves and their legacies, and they carry the film. We see the beginnings of their relationship, and the roots of the dichotamy of the logical Vulcan and headstrong, brazen young Kirk and how in the end they mesh as friends.
Leonard Nimoy's scenes also work well and he seriously does not act as old as he truly is. The elder Spock's influence on the younger Spock is... well, he has a significant influence upon young Spock and offers some key advice which helps you better understand younger Spock, and allows Quinto to make the character his own in future sequels.
The film was fun. It was even exciting, and it was just plain satisfying above all else. I was smiling nearly the entire film. It never lagged. It was a simple revenge story with non-stop action, and that pacing and the constant series of problems allowed the film to be more about the characters solving the problems and interacting with each other than merely focusing on the action, and it was perfect. Each crew member has moments to shine, and there were zero let-downs.
Were there any issues? Well, Chekov's accent seemed to fluctuate between being true to the original and then other times sounding like me doing my best "In Soviet Russia..." joke. The elder/past Spock's final scenes and the way the writers handle him at the very end makes little to no sense. Some of the science behind the science fiction seemed too make zero sense (red matter? fine, use red matter, but at least explain the THEORY of red matter!) And finally, the worst thing about the new film? The Enterprise doesn't feel like the Enterprise. It never became a character in and of itself. The new look and feel to it was excusable because the entire film had a new look and feel, while still feeling like Star Trek. But we don't get to explore the bridge, engineering, or the transporter room in any meaningful ways. Sulu still has a lever for the warp controls, and Uhura has her classic earpiece, but that was it. While the exterior design of the Enterprise was cool, the CGI Enterprise's exterior (in addition to the other starships) was a bit too glossy, and therefore slightly fake. It is ironic then to think of the fact that the Original Series and The Next Generation, by using a plastic model, made their ships appear more "real" than in this new 21st century film.
While the TV ads are correct that this wasn't my father's Star Trek, for the most part, the universe felt like Trek, and my father's Star Trek had died a while ago. And while any attempt to resurrect the corpse of my father's Star Trek could have led to the creation of a mutant-zombie aberration that felt as if it were raping your childhood, Star Trek seems to have found a way to rise from the ashes. The true test of the new universe will be how they handle the inevitable sequel which must go beyond establishing the characters, but truly building characters and using the entire spectrum of the Star Trek universe from which to adapt an epic story. But for now, I loved it and I want more.
8/10
After not seeing this movie for a long time due to the presence of Julia Roberts as well as an unappealing title, I finally gave it a shot.
