CinePhillyist Reviews... Star Trek

The film is being described as a reboot of the series, and indeed it is, but in an interesting, in-universe way. One of those space-time cataclysms that are always popping up causes the Romulan villain Nero, his crew, and their gigantic starship to travel from the post-Next Generation era all the way back to the very day that James T. Kirk was born. Nero and his pals bear a terrible grudge against the Federation and the Vulcans (one Vulcan in particular) for failing to save Romulus from a supernova, and their decision to continue to pursue their revenge in the past, in an epically destructive fashion, radically alters the timeline of the Star Trek universe as we know it. A mysterious Captain with a four letter name starting with "Ne" and ending with "o" who's seeking revenge against civilization through violent terrorism in a high-tech ship that looks like a sea monster? McG, you're too late! They've already adapted Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea! (If you want to know more about how Nero got thrown back in time, and how this story links up with the Next Generation timeline, check out the comic book prequel miniseries Star Trek: Countdown from IDW Publishing, based on a story by the film's screenwriters, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman. Paul Pope and K/O also put together a short tie-in comic in the pages of Wired.)

Nero's first attack on the Federation is deflected thanks to the actions of a quick-thinking Starfleet officer who bravely sacrifices himself and his ship for the greater good. Of course, this exactly describes one of the tired Star Trek plot devices I was decrying earlier in my review, but here what could have been a melodramatic and cliched sequence is made thrilling and surprisingly moving thanks to strong performances, impressive effects, evocative music, and just all-around good filmmaking.

Next we jump forward in time a bit and get introduced to a young Jim Kirk in an exciting sequence (most of which you've already seen in the trailer) that pretty perfectly captures Kirk's character—his swagger, his recklessness, and his unerring ability to survive any damn fool crazy situation he gets himself into. Like his father, he doesn't believe in the no-win scenario. Oh, and on the soundtrack? "Sabotage" by The Beastie Boys. It seems like an insane choice for a Star Trek movie, but it works perfectly in context. In fact, it's brilliant.

After we meet the young Jim Kirk, we get introduced to a young Spock: a half-human, half-Vulcan who's struggling with what it means to be an emotional being in a culture of pure logic. His defensiveness over his own humanity eventually pushes him away from his own people and into Starfleet Academy.

Later, a slightly older Kirk (now played, with the requisite charm and arrogance, by Chris Pine) steps up to a bar and hits on a very smart, sassy Starfleet recruit with a specialty in alien languages: Uhura (Zoe Saldana). He doesn't get very far with her, but he does get into an argument with some other Starfleet recruits, which gives him the chance to show off some more of that Kirk swagger. When his adversary points out, "There's only one of you and four of us," Kirk responds, "So get a couple more guys and maybe it'll be an even fight." Captain Christopher Pike (played with a perfect mixture of stern authority and fatherly love by Bruce Greenwood) eventually breaks up the fight, sits Kirk down, and, in one of my favorite scenes in the movie, gives Kirk some advice that alters the course of his life: he tells him to enlist in Starfleet. "Your father was a starship Captain for 12 minutes. He saved 800 lives, including your mother's and yours. I dare you to do better." Kirk never was the kind of guy who could turn down a dare. (It's the little touches in this movie that I really enjoy. At the end of this scene, Kirk picks up what looks like a small model of his father's ship. As he turns it over, we realize it's a salt shaker.)

As the story moves on—at a thrilling, energetic clip, I might add; there's no time to get bored during this movie—we meet many other familiar characters: an irascible Southern doctor whose ex-wife took everything in the divorce except his bones (Leonard McCoy, played by Karl Urban channeling DeForest Kelley); an Asian navigator who's adept at fencing (John Cho as Hikaru Sulu); a very clever Russian who has trouble pronouncing his Vs (Anton Yelchin as Pavel Chekov); and a Scottish engineer who's a bit too smart for his own good (Simon Pegg as Scotty). There's a renewed focus on how brilliant and talented all these characters are, and this crew of the best and the brightest is gathered together seemingly by fate to face off against Nero and his own crew in a battle that will decide the fate, not just of Earth, but of all the worlds of the Federation.

Even though they're played by new actors, and their lives are going off in unfamiliar directions, these are still without doubt the same characters we know so well. And yes, it definitely helps if you do know them, and their universe. Even though this is a reboot, the movie is loaded with sly references and loving homages to characters and events that have come before, and in many ways it is a continuation and further development of them. Not only will you get to see Kirk make out with a green lady, you'll get to see him cheat on the Kobayashi Maru test (although in this universe he does not get a commendation for original thinking).

Although the film has plenty of thrilling, epic action sequences and awesome, impressive special effects set pieces, what really makes it work is that the action and effects are backed up by plenty of effective and moving human moments. At two different points in the film, Spock's father (a part performed well by Ben Cross, whose voice is perfect, although of course I still deeply miss Mark Lenard) gives his son two different answers to the question of why he married Spock's mother: a logical, Vulcan answer, and an emotional, human answer. Although Kirk is certainly a hero, it's Spock (played with the wisdom of age by Leonard Nimoy and the confusion of youth by Zachary Quinto) who's really at the center of the film in more ways than one. Kirk is the lady's man, but it's Spock who gets the girl. Kirk is the fighter and the man with the plan, but it's Spock who puts him on his path, and it's Spock who ultimately saves the day. Meanwhile, the rocky, unlikely friendship between Spock and Kirk is shown to transcend not just time and space, but even alternate realities.

Star Trek gets a little corny and manipulative at times, and Abrams' insistence on constantly flashing lens flares in your face gets a little annoying after a while, but the rest of the movie is so much damn fun you'll hardly notice. It's an exciting, intelligent, action/sci-fi film that takes a thoughtful look at what it means to be human. In other words, it's a high quality, honest-to-God Star Trek movie. And I can see them being able to move on and tell many more fresh, exciting stories in this new universe they've created. Star Trek is back, people. Hallelujah, and may it live long and prosper.

Image via Internet Movie Poster Awards Gallery