Star Trek (2009)

Rating: 8/10 (9 May 2009)

Star Trek (2009) Rating4 / 5 GenreScience Fiction, Redux, Classic TV DirectorJ. J. Abrams StarsChris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Leonard Nimoy, Eric Bana, Bruce Greenwood, Karl Urban. Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, John Cho, Anton Yelchin, Ben Cross, Winona Ryder SynopsisA distress call from the planet of Vulcan sends Starfleet into action as the newly launched USS Enterprise lead by Captain Pike (Greenwood) attempt to head off a Romulan menace (Bana) hell-bent on destroying the United Federation of Planetsplanet by planet.
ThoughtsProducer / Director J.J. Abrams (producer of Lost, Fringe, Alias and Cloverfield) was given the unenviable task of bringing the Star Trek brand back to the big screen. Nothing could be a harder, more daunting task than trying to please a roomful of Trek fans while attempting to draw a new generation into the fold. But Abrams was a wise choice will the success of the great Lost series (and the up and coming Fringe), Abrams has established a knack for cerebral science fiction like few have in the last decade or more. With the new Star Trek adventure Abrams and his technical crew have managed to pull off a story that is a sequel and a prequel not to mention a relaunch of the long running series that can now even break new territory while being respectful of the classic voyages of yesterday. I think even the late Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry would be impressed. The smart storyline evolves in such a way that they managed to pull off and bring in Leonard Nimoy for one last appearance as the pointy-eared, neck-pincher Spock (still my favorite Trek universe character). Now came the hard part. The job to assign new faces to the roles of the original series must have been amazingly tough and for the most part the producers pull it off surprisingly well. The holy trinity of Kirk, Spock and McCoy (the heart of the series) could have easily sent the project down in flames quickly but Chris Pine (Just My Luck, Smokin' Aces) manages to channel the cockiness and spirit of William Shatner's Kirk while taking the role and making it his own. Zachary Quinto certainly pulls off Spock's look and mannerisms even though he is a bit off sounding like him (Nimoy, who has done narration for many projects in the past has an unmistakable voice) but for me Karl Urban (with many genre projects already under his belt such as The Lord of the Rings) did old Bones so convincingly that it gave me flashbacks and a huge smile. With the main trio locked down next came the second tier characters the new Scotty (Pegg of Shaun of the Dead and Spaced) is spot-on and as funny as ever. Zoe Saldana (Guess Who, The Terminal) makes the role of communications officer Uhura her own and is uber-sexy doing it too. John Cho (of Harold and Kumar fame) and Anton Yelchin (Terminator: Salvation, Alpha Dog) round out the cast as Sulu and Chekov, Cho certainly looked the part but again he wasn't able to give his Sulu the unmistakable George Takai voice. Chekov was for me the only sore spot in the casting. Yelchin just didn't do it for me. He didn't look like Walter Koenig at all and his accent was horrible. While the production design was excellent minor things cropped up here and there. The CGI was plentiful and over-powering and ranged from the awe-inspiring to the ho-hum. Was the green cadet chick Kirk was macking a CGI effect. Either way it looked terrible. To round out the Trekker nit-picking, the music soundtrack was lacking. Even though the use of the original show's theme was excellent it lacked the memorable presence of the Jerry Goldsmith years.
In ConclusionMinor quibbles (or is that Tribbles?) aside the new Star Trek has more-than-enough to please many of the most hardened of fans (my Mother even loved it). The end product is admirable and easily accessible by those new to the series and just a fun romp through the universe. They plotted the correct course and warp speed ahead.