Tears Of Remembrance, Tears Of Sorrow

Rating: 5/10 (9 May 2009)

Reviewing a remake is always tricky because the new feature can never stand alone, rather it is invariably compared to the original. The new Star Trek movie tries to avoid this dilemma by utilizing the old time warp theme. History is rewritten including the details of how Captain Kirk joined his crew.
The problem isn't so much the story, rather it's the new actors playing the old roles. Don't get me wrong, they all tried hard. Some, especially the new Spock, Doc Bones, and Scotty were downright good imitations, but they were still fakes. Poor Spock, I mean the poor actor, at the denouement he meets up with his future self, played by Leonard Nimoy, the one and only Spock, and is put to embarrassing shame by comparison.
In the TV saga, the Next Generation was the start of new actors portraying new characters carrying on the tradition. Instead of a remake, why couldn't this movie have been like that?
Sure, there were moments in the film when tears formed in my eyes as I recalled the glory days of the original series. But the tears of remembrance merged with tears of sorrow because you can't go home again. Even DVDs of old episodes don't quite bring back the joy of experiencing them for the first time. But contemplating those remarkable old episodes is more satisfying than watching people here play dress up.