Certainly a Star Trek for the present age.

Rating: 4/10 (10 May 2009)

After viewing this reboot of the original series, I was confused at the critical reaction it has received in the press. After re-reading much of it now, I clearly see the critics tend toward judging the intent of the movie rather than the film itself. In this light, the glowing reviews are perhaps understandable. I, however, left disappointed.
The original Star Trek series was a hokie bit of 60s era sci-fi, however in the midst of the green body paint and plastic ears, a certain amount of dignity and chemistry came to fore. Where circumstances may prove comedically ridiculous, clever social, psychological and even political ideas were played with. Character and relationships were played out with compelling seriousness. Altogether, it created a phenomenon which survived several decades. As in all things, Hollywood has polished up a naturally dying name and slapped it onto a new package. The new era of entertainment is a study in mimicry and this new Trek proves no different. Like the karaoke of American Idol, the words are already written. The tune is familiar. The substance that made the hit, however, is nowhere in evidence.
Abrams' Trek dishes up a series of two-dimensional paint-by-numbers primers on the events that led Spock and Kirk towards their respective destinies. The story never digs. Everything lies lightly on the surface as the movie blows through a scattered plot at warp speed. The connection to the franchise's history is treated so tongue-in-cheek almost to seem parody at times. The actors play their familiar parts in a confusing mix of near impersonation (in the case of Dr. McCoy and Scotty) to bland indifference (as in the case of Kirk). Where character development is neglected, cliché rules the day as Kirk becomes the familiar rebel without a cause figure and the typically soft spoken figure of Uhura is redrawn as a modern day stereotypical rough and tough female. Although Eric Bana plays the Romulan villain Nero with a great deal of evident pain and anger, his back story of obsession is tossed into the mix almost as an afterthought and the film speeds to its conclusion with little connection to anything beyond fast edits, a lot of special effects and a zinger-filled mix of melodramatic and comedic dialog that would do a soap opera credit. While I realize the creators were dealing with an ambitious redrawing, much time and effort wasted on manufactured drama such as the interlude on the ice planet or Scotty's waterpipe ordeal could have better been spent establishing the relationships and characters which were the backbone of the original series, which, let's face it...they've branded themselves with.
Ultimately, however, the critics are right. This will sell. This will achieve what it sets out to do...deliver a Star Trek palatable to today's audience. That they have proved successful is a sad note for a franchise which always looked to the future with hope.