Trek 2.0

Rating: 8/10 (4 January 2016)

I know many longtime Trekkies/ers/ionados/meisters have lamented that JJ Abrams re-... whatever it is, of Trek dumbs down their beloved saga into a slick, shallow popcorn action movie. That it isn't about "big ideas". My response would be that they're right and they're wrong. Yes, this is a popcorn movie, in the best sense of that word. It zips along at warp speed for the entirety of its two hour runtime, with plot (not to be confused with story) often a mere flimsy sinew holding it all together, and there's no doubt that their mission here is to entertain more than it is to make you think. But the notion that somehow Trek has always been about big ideas isn't exactly true IMO. I think more accurately Star Trek was always more about big ideals, epitomized by the saga's second series (Star Trek: The Next Generation) and its subsequent films. That's certainly not to say it didn't explore that big idea territory at times, but it's never been a saga about hard science. Those aforementioned ideals (that secular humanistic bleeding heart utopianism) aren't exactly shoved in your face here the way they were in TNG, but the characters remain altruistic and they're (ideals) here, if only in the most shallow sense. It certainly retains the series' trademark optimism, though it does trade adventure for action (though to be fair that's been true of most of the Trek films).
Abrams' film puts the focus on character, with a sort of Cliff Notes Campbellian hero's journey aided by a rather dubious reset of the Trek canon. Make no mistake, there are countless contrivances in this film. Some large enough that they should be fatal, but they're not. At least for me. That's because this movie is just so damned fun. But it also sneaks up on you emotionally. Doubtless some of this has to do with whatever affection for these characters we bring with us, but from its tear jerking start to its rousing finale, I felt emotionally invested in this story and its characters.