Star Trek

This film is © by Paramount Pictures, 2009

Starring:

Chris Pine as James Tiberius Kirk
Zachary Quinto as Spock
Zoe Saldana as Nyota Uhura
John Cho as Hikaru Sulu
Simon Pegg as Montgomery Scotty Scott

Directed by: J.J. Abrams

RATING:

I've never been a fan of remakes and recycled old ideas. I've never been a Star Trek fan either. I decided to see this movie because I had heard good things about it. Despite such information I did not have high expectations for this one. Star Trek ended being a nice surprise for a change. Many remakes rely on their brand name and don't do much to advance the original story. Star Trek is different in that it gives a whole new spin to the origins of the Star Trek world. It uses techniques very similar to Doctor Who which really made me feel the TV show was more than just an inspiration for some of the concepts in this movie. Still it combines these elements with a modern representation of the Star Trek universe and creates a fresh new story that is really enjoyable.

Things are a bit different in this film than what the traditional origin story gives. James Kirk's personality is given a make over which I liked since I never really took to the old Captain Kirk. In this film Kirk has his problems and struggles to reach his goals. Spock is also presented with a new look as well. We are shown more about the character's past and his inner self since the character always calls for an enigmatic figure of some type. While they try to interject some of the spirits of the original cast the rest of the characters are also given an upgrade that best fists the times. This was one of the strengths of the film as the viewer is not given just a simple rehash of the old material.

The acting is not central to this film since the story does not call for it. I felt the acting was pretty good for a movie of this kind and did not represent a weakness in the film. The screenplay was also well done. There were not awkward lines and corny crap the like seen in the second Star Wars trilogy. I guess enough people take Star Trek seriously that a real effort was placed in created a film that would live up to the legacy. The plot is simple yet presented very nicely and runs throughout the film very well. There were no lapses of wasted time nor any gratuitous chasing or shooting for the sake of taking up time. It's a good story which I feel summarizing would take away from the viewing experience and will leave it at that.

Well done! In a time where the majority of remakes belong in movie waste land this film stands as a good example of what a remake should be. If you are going to remake something do something new without compromising the integrity of the concept. This is not easily done yet it is seldom attempted in the world of remakes. Star Trek pulled this off and for someone who was never really a fan I found myself quite pleased with this movie. I recommend this film to everyone even if you are not a big science fiction fan. There is enough humanity here and an entertaining story to satisfy most people. If Hollywood wants to continue to rehash old ideas I hope they start to do so as they did with this film.