1966 Redux with Excellence!

Rating: 9/10 (23 March 2013)

S P O I L E R Alert.
Star Trek began in 1966 and was formatted as a television show (CBS Studios, 2013). The show was abysmal. The acting was B movie grade. The characters were stereotypical, hackneyed, and cheesy. The plots followed a predictable formula. The main character Captain James T. Kirk found himself in an impossible situation, he almost fails and losses everything, when finally the good guys rally to pull out the win. Wash, rinse, repeat. It should have failed. The series was canceled after three seasons, but that was only the beginning for this powerhouse entertainment franchise. Star Trek 2009 stays perfect to form. Director J.J. Abrams continues the Star Trek legacy. This review will reflect the charming and endearing aspects of the original television series was brilliantly captured by Star Trek 2009.
Star Trek is focused on the plot with a motif on characters. The story begins before the time of the original series. It starts with Kirk's father courageously battling the enemy Romulan warship. He saves the unborn Kirk and mother but ultimately dies in the process. Flash- forward about 20 years and we are introduced to the familiar and cocky James T. Kirk (actor Chris Pine). Kirk ends up in a bar where he ends up fighting with several Starfleet cadets. Interrupting the fight is Captain Christopher Pike (actor Bruce Greenwood). After being challenged to live up to his father's legacy by Greenwood, Kirk joins and begins training.
Joining Kirk in training are the Trek originals; Spock (actor Zachary Quinot), Uhura (actress Zoe Saldana), and Dr. "Bones" McCoy (actor Karl Urban). Their training is interrupted the characters are quickly deep in intergalactic battle. The story has many twists and turns but eventually Kirk is commanding the U.S.S. Enterprise against the Romulan arch-enemy Nero (actor Eric Bana); the very man who killed Kirk's father. This is a clever segway to tie the past and future together. Through the unexplained future availability of time travel, Nero is not the only man from the future, actor Leonard Nimoy appears as the Spock from the future.
"Conflict is the mainspring of every story" (Boggs, 2008). The plot of this film is focused on the conflict of situations and the internal and external conflict between characters. The story line conflicts begin early as Pike confronts Nero and just before leaving puts Spock in command of the enterprise with Kirk as first officer. Nero captures Pike and forces Spock to witness the destruction of his home planet. This becomes the seed of internal conflict that ultimately leads to Spock being relieved of command. Kirk and Spock at this stage of the story despise one another. It is a curious and ironic relationship when Kirk learns from future Spock that they will become great friends. This adds to the interesting character developments and furthers the character motif. The theme of this movie includes the action and adventures of the crew. The special effects are the foundational point. The blockbuster appeal of this film is due partly to the amazing imagery and special effects. The computer-generated effects are breath taking. In one exciting scene, Kirk and Sulu (actor John Cho) skydive from outer space to the planet's surface. The infiltrate the planet drill Nero is using to access the planet core. The guards intercept the two and a great fight scene entails. The lighting is used in this film with artistic proficiency. The crisp, brightly-lit, ultramodern bridge of the Starship Enterprise with the intentional high-key lighting represents the cleanliness of good (Boggs, 2008). The grungy, dark, and generally creepy appearance of Nero's ship accompanied with the low-key lighting represents evil (Boggs, 2008). This contrast adds believably to the plot and overall theme. The subjective points of view along with three dimensional arrangements and camera angles make for an exhilarating audience experience. The camera slowly pans the Enterprise and uses camera zoom techniques to exhibit the awesomeness of this ship. This and other cinematography effects make this a breath-taking film to watch. The film has a linear structure, even amidst the time travel, following events as they occur. This helps viewers stay with the potentially complex screenplay and maintains the coherence necessary for understanding the plot. Within this genre of film, the Star Wars franchises of films are very comparable to Star Trek. The Star Wars films follow a very similar structure: focus on plot, character motifs with exciting action packed stories. All of that combined with great special effects results in entertaining movies. These movies are so similar in so many ways, that to compare them requires a razor's edge analysis. The conclusion is a wash; they are equal. Star Trek 2009 is exactly what it reports to be. An exciting plot centered in the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Familiar characters along with extraordinary special effects make this a great movie! 1966 redux!