Character Review

Rating: 4/10 (30 May 2013)

I was 10 when the first Star Trek series came on TV. I've watch all of the originals, all of Next Generation, all of the movies, a large percentage of the other series, and read several of the books. Regrettably, this movie did not at all feel like Star Trek to me.
I'll review the characters rather than the story:
***WARNING: SPOILERS***
Bones (Karl Urban): Urban's depiction of Bones was played perfectly. He provided the only banter usually seen among Kirk, Spock, and Bones.
Scotty (Simon Pegg): I'm sure James Doohan would have approved and enjoyed the humor.
Uhura (Zoe Saldana): Saldana's part wasn't up to her acting abilities.
The Klingons: Why would anyone cover up a Klingon's face with a full helmet?
The Enterprise (yes, she is a character): She's a Star Ship not a submarine! That was not Engineering I've ever seen on any star ship in the Star Trek universe – it was a stunt set for running.
Khan (Benedict Cumberbatch): unfortunately a great actor can't go beyond the script. Two major character mistakes in the script: (1) Khan Noonien Singh is too much a living tribute to Machiavelli's The Prince to cry - it's just not in his character. (2) Not a single quote from classical literature to flaunt his "superior" intellect, not one. No Melville, no Shakespeare, no Miltonnothing. Where was Khan's venom, "from Hell's heart, I stab at thee! For hate's sake, I spit my last breath at thee!"
Kirk (Chris Pine): Pine is a good actor, but he (and the writers) need to remember that the character Kirk always knows more than everyone else (you can see it in his eyes), always holds something back, and always lets the audience know that he's several steps ahead of everyone else.
Spock (Zachary Quinto): A very good depiction of Spock, but I feel as if something is missing – something subtle about the internal struggle between his Human and Vulcan self. Spock is played too young (he's suppose to be about 40 years older than Kirk) in his attitude and his actions. I don't believe he could break down the barriers of decades of Vulcan training and express the emotions he has in the time-line of this movie – especially not any public displays of affection. And he hasn't had time to explore the concept of friendship with Kirk.
The one place that Star Trek has out-shined all other science fiction (especially Star Wars) is in the sheer body of its stories and characters. That's why the die-hard fans refer to a "Star Trek Universe." That volume of work gives the characters depth.
When Spock died in the original Wrath of Khan the impact was a tremendous and heart-wrenching because it felt true, because it's what Spock would have done, because Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner had created their friendship over time, because we knew the characters. And the words "I have been and always shall be your friend" were spoken to the audience as well as the character Kirk.
Unfortunately the new franchise does not have that depth yet – two stories do not make a deep friendship and this Kirk and Spock cannot transfer that emotional connection from the original stories, so try as they might, the actors just couldn't make Kirk's death work nearly as well. The new franchise has not given its Kirk enough time to even be acquainted to Spock and his crew, so the sacrifice does not have the same impact.
I hope the franchise last long enough, and turn away from "Action" enough, to give this new generation of fans that type of character depth.