A Big Splashy Hollywood Summer Movie with Good Acting and Great Writing?!?

Rating: 10/10 (9 May 2009)

When I step into the summer multiplex, I know that in order to have a good time, there are certain things I'm going to have to ignore like the terrible writing and embarrassing acting. I need to remind myself "I'm here for the blasting air conditioning and to see some stuff explode."
So imagine my surprise when I saw the excellently acted and smartly written reboot of Star Trek. JJ Abrams was wise to chose mostly unknowns and B listers for the core roles. Chris Pine, as James Kirk breathes a rebellious and tender core into the character. This is a rough and tumble Kirk with damage and a bad attitude. Pine creates a Kirk worth cheering for. Heroes' Zachary Quinto is pitch perfect as Spock both psychically and emotionally. As expected Simon Pegg infuses Scotty with humor and hipness needed for this type of franchise. A huge surprise here is Zoe Saldana as Uhura. Saldana is an actress I'm familiar with from campy movies like Crossroads (with Britney Spears!), Center Stage, and Drumline. But her resume is completely forgiven when she steps on screen as Uhura. Sexy, strong, and brilliant this is not the quiet Uhura of the past. There's a sadness and vulnerability that she displays as well but I'm not telling you how or why that happens.
In fact, the script is so well written each scene filled with surprises that I'll leave the spoilers to someone else. Instead, I'll simply talk about the quality of the writing. Orci and Kurtzman smartly pepper each scene with little and vital Trek details without trying to hard. And the structure of the plot is GENIUS. The pair wisely avoided cramming too many details in and stuck with a strong story. What a concept! Around each corner of the film, is something to thrill, delight, and even touch the viewers.
Abrhams should also be applauded for his smart and stunning direction. Actual sets and not tons of CGI give this Trek an authentic, tangible feel much like the original series. He also avoids the self- congratulatory shots and masturbatory action sequences like other big budget films (cough, Dark Knight, cough, Watchmen, cough). Instead he develops the characters and focuses on the story. In short, it's amazing and classic like the first Superman and original Star Wars trilogy.
So the first big blockbuster of summer 2009 is one you don't have to be embarrassed to say you loved. You are allowed to keep your brain on while you watch it. You don't have to be a fan of the original to enjoy it. You just have to like great movies. And Star Trek is precisely that.