Movie Review: Star Trek
Movie Review: "Star Trek" - The Trek back to Trek
Rating: See Below
After watching "Star Trek" I thought I'd give it a review. Warning may contain Spoilers. I've decided to try to review movies. Why because I want to damn it.
"Star Trek"
The Trek back to Trek
As a Star Trek fan and former Trekker I had split feelings towards this film. I remember a few years back when they first announced this film I was a bit excited. A new Star Trek film, cool. But then as time went on they announced that they decided to resurect the cast from the original series but as younger incarnations of themselves. Not so cool. So there you have it. I was split. But I once I saw the trailer for it I thought - wow that looks pretty fantastic. So I pushed to go see it.
As it turns out the best laid plans don't always turn out to be the best laid plans. We didn't make it - ended up movies.com was wrong. Or they just didn't want us in the door. So the day the film came out I rushed to rent it from Blockbuster. And let me tell you - as it has been my experience. When something goes ary, that usually means something bad. Let me clarify - Karma (I know what goes around comes around). If your having too much trouble getting into a place or doing something you might as well stop right there.
After I did finally watch the film. I didn't feel as bad as I did when I missed it at the movie theaters. Lets start off with saying. J.J. Abrams reboot of "Star Trek" is not Gene Rodenberry's "Star Trek". If I had to say when "Star Trek" stopped being Gene Rodenberry's - I'd probably say when Michael Piller left Voyager (though some of you may disagree, I think Voyager may have had a chance if he'd stayed). Abrams "Star Trek" was written by Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman one of which wrote "Transformers" the other wrote "Transformers 2". Does it resemble Transfomers? Yes it does. Is it as bad as a Michael Bay film? No.
This is not "Star Trek" at it's core. This is "Star Trek" characters cut and pasted into a Rick Berman "Star Trek". For those of you who don't know who Rick Berman is. He is credit as the man who destroyed Star Trek. Berman's "Star Trek" is 90% Action, All Procedural Episodes, Sex Sells to Young Boys. J.J. Abrams "Star Trek" is 90% Action, Sex Sells to Young Boys
I watched a bit of "Alias" when it first premired but tired of it quickly. I haven't ventured into any J.J. Abrams terratory so I don't really know much about his cred on TV. Other than people seem to love his stuff. What draws those people in? That I don't know. I have read on some reviews that he directs this movie like a television show. Closeups. galore.
The movie looks like "Star Trek" The costumes resemble the sixties uniforms and hair styles. The shake camera which I could tell you is straight out of Voyager. The new characters mimick the old original characters. Lots of pretty special effects. Fight scenes. But that's pretty much where the similarities end. Someone mentioned in a review that they called this film "Shallow". That I think is a good word for it. Again much like "Transformers". Lots of action, flashly lights, special effects and fight scenes and not room for much else.
The Plot has some many holes in it. Time Travel is interesting but it's been done to death by Star Trek. In this case Abrams is using it as a device to screw with the character's history. Why? So he can mold it into the Trek the or the Excecs want. Enough to change Cannon but not too much so the characters dont resemble their formers. Personally I like the idea of Kirk & Spock rivals, at odds with each other. I can be interesting. But it wasn't.
Let's focus on the characters a bit. This movie only has two characters in it. Kirk & Spock. Everyone else from the old cast is just background fodder. Only seem to be reintroduced to give fans a nod; none of them seem to have much point in the story. And it could have certainly been told with out the rest of the cast. Uhura is just a sex object. Chekov is comic relief. McCoy was my favorite, I liked him immediatly. I felt out of all the actors he did an fantastic job with the short amount of time he did have in the film.
Eric Bana plays the evil Romulan Nero who looks more like Pichard's Evil Twin from "Nemisis" than an actual Romulan. By the last scene I was groaning in my seat. What is with all of these sterotypical evil bad guys? There so cookie cutter. It's pathedic! At that point I just wanted everyone to die into that black hole never to be seen from again. I wonder if the man is a bad actor or if its the director.
Chris Pine's Kirk is to Christian Hayden's Anakin Skywalker. Ex-model turned Semi-Actor. Just bad. Pine's Kirk is a straight up Asshole. He's just a dick who doesn't give a damn and goes to any extreme to get what he wants. And yes that ultimately is Kirk. Nothing wrong with being a rebel hero, just as long as your somewhat likeable. Zachary Quintaro, never cared for him. Not in "Heroes" not in this.
There's a love triangle in this film. I think. As it starts off Kirk chases Uhura. She gives him the brush off. Uhura comforts Spock. Then Spock & Uhura are a couple. There is no flirting between Spock & Uhura, not much interaction. Spock suffers a terrrible loss then Uhura decides to go comfort him. In a turbolift, and how does she does this? She kisses him. oO!? That's it. After that they suddenly become a couple. Like all great "Star Trek" romances.
One thing that I know will never be explained and one thing that I'm surprised no one has caught. At least it hasn't been mentioned in any of the reviews I read on this film.
1. During Spock's mind meld with Kirk he reveals that Nero had been sucked into a black hole and waited for Spock for 25 years to come into the black hole. Once he does, they capture Spock and take his Black hole forming ship and strand him on an icy planet.
a. They waited 25 years and never aged.
b. They survived being sucked into a Black hole.
c. A Black hole is nothing more than a tunnel to an Alternate Reality?
2. SuperCrew. In the course of the film Kirk is born, grows up and becomes a cadet and is promoted to Captain.
a. He takes comand of the Enterprise while still a cadet at the academy!
b. He is promoted to Captain at the end of the film, after skipping every rank in between! He wasn't even an ensign. He goes from Cadet to Captain.
Well I'm done ranting. For now.
My rating: C (A to E rating)