Nice Production

Rating: Null/10 (30 November 2009)

Star Trek (2009)
** 1/2 (out of 4)
Okay, I must start off by saying I'm not a fan of the series and I'm not a hater. I've seen one of the original films and I don't recall a thing about it. I've watched bits and pieces of the original TV series over the years but not a single episode complete. So, I'm writing this as an outsider so I have no feelings going into the film in regards to anything that does or doesn't happen and how things might be different than what came before this. What story is here centers on Kirk (Chris Pine) and Spock (Zachary Quinto) as the two must put aside their differences to try and stop an evil leader (Eric Bana) who plans on destroying just about everything he can. I guess it should be said that this is a rather amazing production that has one great action scene after another. The visual look of the film is quite amazing and it always amuses me to watch something like this and know that there are people out there with this type of imagination that can really open up and let stuff like this fly out. The CGI-effects are mighty impressive and even the cast members, for the most part, offer up nice performances. I'd also add that Abrams handles all the material extremely well and delivers not only a brilliant look but the action scenes all try to top the previous one. With that said, there's a lot to look at but there's very little heart or soul to be had. Perhaps fans of the series or previous movies will disagree but to me this was just one big action picture full of eye candy but nothing else in terms of a story. The CGI effects, while great, take up 98% of everything we see so they are the movie and not the characters, their actions or anything else. I'm certainly not expecting Bergman here but I did expect a little more. This is certainly a summer blockbuster at its highest levels in terms of action, explosions and all around spectacle, which will be reason enough for millions to view it and enjoy it.