Star Trek with a cool touch

Rating: 6/10 (17 May 2009)

Star Trek is back with a new visual overhaul that boldly shakes off all its previous incarnations with a daring, visually cool and escapist approach that appeals mainly to the senses and pleasantly switches off the mind.
Seeing the characters re-cast and re-introduced with this fresh, contemporary approach creates a combination of feelings: a kind of nostalgia for the "good old" Star Trek and an expectation with a touch of skepticism over whether the magic could be indeed re-created.
Even with a clever storyline, the success of any Star Trek film is bound to rely on the chemistry between the iconic crew. In spite of my initial doubts over the youthful, rebel-like depiction of Kirk, with the help of the - in this case - absolutely mandatory suspension of disbelief the cast look charmingly cool and manage to win over the sympathies of the majority of viewers. Although it will definitely fail to impress a die-hard Star Trek enthusiast for exactly the same reason, it all looks exciting and sexy again.
With the main characters making their appearance on the screen, one by one, their lives gradually intertwining, building up the excitement, the film reaches a charming moment in which all of them are finally set up, positioned on the deck of the U.S.S. Enterprise in that well-known manner, all new and ready to start again, with ties and friendships that are about to span a lifetime.
It all looks great and works best as an uplifting cola & pop-corn escapist spectacle, which, frankly, is what a lot of movie-goers appreciate the most.
The filmmakers brewed out the essence of the "old wonder" that was Star Trek, the essence of each of the characters and the original idea, gave it a big stir and a brand new visual overhaul. This gives the film the necessary strength and cheekiness to shake down its previous incarnations and blast it off into an alternative, shiny new space.
It all feels exciting, if not perhaps 100% believable, but this is, after all, a sci-fi movie and all comments about the plot's credibility would be rather pointless.
I left the cinema feeling relaxed and refreshed from how nicely this worked - it's a pleasant movie to look at for guys and girls alike.
The film worked and the follow-ups have an exciting youthful audience waiting for more.
With such loaded history, a lot could have gone embarrassingly wrong. It didn't and it proved to be a new direction for Star Trek.
A big recommendation for visual effects enthusiasts, popcorn munchers, if not so much perhaps for fans and fanatics.