Star Trek (2009)
Star Trek, directed by J. J. Abrams, is a “reboot” of sorts of the classic science-fiction media franchise that has existed for decades. Now, do I really have to explain to you the significance of Star Trek in American society? I can’t imagine anyone not having some kind of experience with this phenomenon, sci-fi fan or not. It’s simply engrained into our popular culture. However, since I don’t merely consider myself a film critic, but a journalist and perhaps even teacher of sorts (my pride knows no bounds), I’ll give you a brief schooling of Trek lore. After all, there IS off-chance that someone out there has been a coma since birth, just awakened, turned on a computer, and the first thing they’re viewing is this column. It’s possible, isn’t it?
Created 1966 by Gene Roddenberry, Star Trek takes place in the 23rd century and tells the ongoing adventures of the star ship Enterprise of the United Federation of Planets. The ship, commanded by the iconic Captain James Kirk (wonderfully played by William Shatner), was tasked with the mission of exploring new worlds, establishing contact with unknown alien races, and defending the peaceful Federation from outside threats. Roddenberry used the show as a means to address many social issues of the 60’s, such as racial equality, prejudice and mankind’s ability to better itself. The Enterprise’s crew was an eclectic mix of races and backgrounds, comprised of Japanese, Russian (remember, this was during the Cold War), Black (the civil rights movement was also in full swing), Scottish (well, everyone loves the Scots), and even alien members (most notably, Leonard Nimoy as the logical, pointy-eared Vulcan Mr. Spock). Of course, Kirk and Spock are the best of friends, something the figures prominently in Abrams’ reboot.
Although the show only spanned 3 seasons, it spawned a large following whose popularity eventually led to a total of six television series and eleven feature films (chronicling the exploits of not only the original Enterprise’s crew but, introducing new ships, characters, and crews in their universe), not to mention countless video-games, toys, novels, and fan conventions.
But while Star Trek has flourished throughout the years, recently the appeal of the franchise has waned somewhat. Roddenberry’s death in 1991 after launching the Star Trek: The Next Generation TV series allowed the creative reigns of Star Trek to pass through numerous hands, with varying results. As of recently, it has become apparent that the franchise has being wrung for its very last drop of profits and its future was in doubt…the latest TV series (2001’s Enterprise) was a commercial failure, as was the most recent film (2002’s Star Trek: Nemesis). Paramount Pictures, the parent company of Star Trek, decided that a hiatus was in order to give the brand a much-needed creative rest.
Enter director J. J. Abrams, who was contacted by Paramount Pictures in 2005 for ideas on how to revive the series. Abrams, a casual fan of the series, decided that an approach designed to appeal to a broader audience while still remaining faithful to the Star trek canon was in order. Also, Abrams reasoned that the best way to begin anew was to journey back to Star Trek’s roots, and thus based his new film on the main characters of the original Star Trek series, portrayed by a new cast (of course). What was once old is new again, as Abrams delves into the back stories of the main characters of the series, Kirk and Spock, showing their turbulent youths and ascension through the ranks of Starfleet Command. And on the whole, Abrams’ film is a resounding success.
For once, I’m going to go light on the plot description, with runs contrary to the format of my usual reviews. But, since Star Trek was created to be accessible to newcomers and veterans alike, this is one instance where I’d like the viewer to enter the theater with a sense of not knowing what to expect.
I feel the experience will only be all the more pleasant that way.
That said, I will give you the basics, as Star Trek’s plot can be a tad complex to the uninitiated. A mining ship commanded by a Romulan named Nero accidently journeys backward 153 years into the past and attacks the first Starfleet vessel he encounters (the USS Kelvin), forever altering the timeline going forward. However, one of the survivors of the attack is an infant named James Kirk, an infant whose father, Captain George Kirk, lost his life while in command of the Kelvin. Growing up on Earth without a father, Kirk (Chris Pine) becomes intelligent yet rebellious and cynical, and it is only with the encouragement of one of his father friends, Captain Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood) that he joins Starfleet Academy in an attempt to become a starship captain like his father before him.
Meanwhile, on the alien planet of Vulcan, the brilliant yet troubled young Spock is taunted by bullies for his unique heritage- while his father is the Vulcan ambassador to Earth, his mother is a human, and it is Spock’s constant struggle with his emotional, human side that conflicts with the cold, logical traditions of the Vulcan people. Nonetheless, Spock surpasses the expectations of all his educators, but as an adult (played by Zachary Quinto) opts to join Starfleet instead of staying on his home world, and you get the sense that this decision was made out of resentment due to the prejudices shown to him by his fellow Vulcan.
Spock and Kirk meet Starfleet Academy, and the two future friends at first become bitter rivals. They find themselves assigned on Captain Pike’s ship, the Enterprise, and it is here that we are re-introduced to the characters that were the mainstay of the series when Star Trek first came on the scene over 40 years ago. Their first assignment is to investigate a distress call from Spock’s home planet of Vulcan. It turns out that Nero, the Romulan responsible for the death of Kirk’s father 25 years before, is attacking the planet. Possessing a weapon capable of creating planet-eating black holes, Nero intention if the destruction of Vulcan, after which he plans on turning his attention of the very heart of Starfleet: Earth. Soon after arriving, Captain Pike is taken prisoner and the mantle of leadership falls squarely on the shoulders of Kirk and Spock. Can the two overcome their dislike of each other and become the well-oiled team of legend, and if so, can the threat of Nero and his unstoppable technology from the future be overcome? In a timeline where the future has irreversibly changed the past, no one has the answers.
Overall, the new Star Trek is outstanding. It pays homage to the series that came before it (to the point of even featuring one of the stars of the original series in a guest-role) while striking new ground in terms of back story and character development. The uniforms and technology design harkens back to the 1966 originals while being given a modern, iPod-ish twist, as if the producers hired Apple Inc.’s art department for a few days. The new Enterprise is an interesting mix of sleek and industrial, and it’s an appealing mix visually. In contrast, the Romulan vessel’s design is far more chaotic and menacing, and the threat it presents is made all the more poignant because of it. All of this is brought to life with some excellent physical and CG effect work, probably some of the best ever seen in a film. However, saying that a movie has nice effects work these days when you can randomly throw a rock and hit an impressive team of CG artists is hardly worth mentioning. Suffice it to say, the movie looks good.
But it’s the actors and their characters that make this reboot work so well, and first and foremost is Zachary Quinto’s Spock. While the issue of Spock’s struggle with his human and Vulcan halves has been addressed throughout the years, it’s never been tackled with this level of intensity or depth before, and it gives Spock as a character an additional level of appeal never before seen. Quinto apes Leonard Nimoy’s classic mannerisms while adding enough of his own to the role, uniquely making it his own. Also of note is Chris Pine’s James Kirk, whose performance manages to be even more distinct from Shatner’s than Quinto’s is from Nimoy’s. Pine channels Kirk’s arrogance and decisiveness, while blending in a sense of humor, and it is this ability of laugh at himself that makes Pine’s Kirk a winner. And fear not, Star Trek faithful, Kirk still has an eye for the ladies as well. However, as strong as Pine is in the role, he still falls short of Shatner. But after being deified for so many years for the role, one-upping The Shat is all but impossible, so it’s not really Pine’s fault. He does just fine, trust me.
The rest of the cast also avail themselves, each dissolving into their role without resorting to blatant imitation. While Karl Urban as Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy deserves special praise for channeling the cantankerous doctor, the real credit belongs to Eric Bana as the villainous Captain Nero. Displaying an intensity he’s never really shown before, Bana makes Nero one of the more memorable Trek baddies. But honestly, the cast really possesses no weak links. Even Simon Pegg shines as the lovable Chief Engineer Montgomery “Scotty” Scott. I honestly want to say that SOMEONE did a bad job just to even out all the good, but I just can’t.
So, there you have it- the second summer blockbuster of the year has been released (the first being last week’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine), and so far they’re both quality films, with Star Trek edging out Wolvie due to it’s excellent storyline and packing, fast-paced action scenes, and endearing characters. I highly recommend it.
