Director: J.J. Abrams
Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Simon Pegg, Eric Bana
In Cinemas: 7 May 2009
When I was ten years old I made an oath: I, Christian White, will never willingly participate in the viewing of Star Trek, be it on film or television, for I have chosen Star Wars! Back in those days (and I’m talking pre-prequels here), such was the loyalty of the nerd who had chosen Wars overTrek. It was as deep-seated in our consciousness as the war between Montagues and Capulets. Nintendo and Sega. Jean-Claude Van Damme and Steven Seagal.
After all, Star Trek is about a bunch of old guys with garage door openers set to stun, aiming them at alien races who look suspiciously human… right? Yet there I sat not two days ago, waiting to be beamed aboard the latest Star Trek in the franchise. So what happened? Well, the oath I made was a long time ago, in a galaxy, it seems, much further away than I ever thought possible.
Three fundamental changes have occurred since I was ten years old.
The first change was biological. I began a pubescent and very secretive love affair with Jeri Ryan’s Seven of Nine character from the Star Trek: Voyager television series. The half human/half Borg temptress, clad in tight silver garb was more than enough to whet my teenage appetite. It wasn’t exactly Princess Leia’s slave bikini, but it was a good start. I’d have shouted my love for her to the twin suns of Tatooine if only she weren’t a Capulet.
The second change occurred when scruffy-looking Nerf-herder George Lucas fed our belovedStar Wars Universe to a computer generated Bantha. The Bantha then digested and passed what millions had devoted their life to worshiping. Lucas sifted through the mess it left behind, found three decent sized chunks and named them Episodes 1, 2 and 3. A generation of loyal followers were left wondering… why?
The third change, of course, was the most important: Jeffrey Jacob Abrams. The man is a genius, a true master of the craft. The fact that old J.J. had decided to helm the 11th instalment of Star Trek was reason enough to check it out.
J.J. Abrams is a busy guy. When he’s not confusing the hell out of us with teleporting polar bears on Lost, he’s scaring the hell out of us with a giant city-destroying monster Cloverfield. He doesn’t even have time to use his full name. OK, so he did pen Armageddon, my all-time most hated movie (who would train oil drill workers to be astronauts instead of training astronauts how to drill?) but everyone deserves a second chance. And that’s what the new Trek is all about. It was a chance to go back to where it all began for the crew of the Enterprise and reimagine the franchise for a new generation.
From the very first frame J.J kicks things into high gear as we see the birth of the child who will become Captain James T. Kirk and the death of his father amid a sudden and chaotic space battle. It is an intense opening sequence that crams all the action and emotion of a full-length film into ten minutes or epic space opera. It seems the Trek world no longer has its phasers set to stun.
The story follows young Kirk (Chris Pine) and Spock (Zachary Quinto) through their brief time at the Starfleet Academy and on their first mission against Eric Bana’s Romulan villain Nero. Along the way they meet up with other familiar members of the crew who are destined for big adventures in the future. The acting is solid enough. Chris Pine is satisfactory as Kirk. Eric Bana gives a decent performance as the Romulan villain, albeit a little small. But it’s Zachary Quinto who seems to have been born to play the pointy-eared stoic enigma that is Spock. That there were no other breakout performances speaks not of the actor’s ability, but rather to the story itself. It’s not exactly Shakespeare these guys are delivering. At heart Trek is an action movie.
The film moves at breakneck speed leaving little time to catch our breath. It maintains interest but always puts action ahead of story. That’s not to say the story is necessarily bad, it just lacks the kind of big-thinking that Trek films always had over Star Wars. Aside from future Spock (Leonard Nimoy) turning up on Planet Hoth for some expository alternate timeline business (a pivotal scene I happened to miss when my jumbo-sized Sprite sent me to the restroom halfway through the film; I had the scene described to me afterwards), there’s little here to tantalise the brain. This complaint, however, is a small one. Abrams achieves good character development on the run and there’s plenty of humour and emotion to be found amid the explosive set pieces.
Aesthetically, Abrams has found the perfect blend of futuristic (according to the 1960’s) and realism throughout. He’s created a very believable world. The aliens are subtle and are achieved with mostly physical effects. This kind of restraint is like a breath of fresh air after having C.G aliens crammed down our throats by Georgie-Boy in the Star War prequels. This universe feels fast and refreshingly new.
Ultimately, Star Trek is a solid film. It’s fresh, fun and stands out in an era of origin stories. And whilst the alternate timeline twist may leave a few hardcore Trekies with the taste of betrayal in their asthma pump sucking mouths, a franchise is reborn! Abrams’ outer space, the final frontier, is mysterious and infinite, as are the possibilities for more sequels that will undoubtable be on their way. As the U.S.S Enterprise heads off to explore the far reaches of the galaxy, we’re left eager to go along for the ride.
