Star Trek

Highly Recommended - which surprises me

In a word: Audacious

Plot:  A reboot of the Original Series - focusing on Kirk, Spock, McCoy and the rest of the Enterprise Crew on their maiden voyage together.  

The Romulan mining ship Narada, led by Captain Nero, goes back in time in an attempt to take revenge on those whom Nero blames for the destruction of his planet - most notably Mr. Spock.  The newly assigned Enterprise crew (with tagalong Kirk) must put aside their differences and learn quickly to work together to stop Nero from destroying Earth and the Federation. 

Thoughts:  Wow.  I liked this much more than I thought I would.  I'm a huge Trek fan (particularly the Original Series) and I'm not a JJ Abrams fan - so I went into this movie with low expectations, even though it was getting excellent reviews.  Could I accept anyone but the original actors in these roles?  Answer - yes, I could.  Would this 'reboot' be, to use Spock's favorite word, "logical"?  Answer - yes, it would.  More to the point, the movie is fast paced and entertaining!  The actors chosen to take over the roles all work wonderfully - in particular Karl Urban as McCoy.  Urban was the one casting decision I was baffled by when he was announced.  Happy to say he NAILS the part.  Zachary Quinto is excellent as Spock (it was nice to have Leonard Nimoy in the movie, as a bit of Spock comparison).  Chris Pine is no William Shatner - but he is adequate as Kirk.  Uhura's role is beefed up from the series, and this is a definite plus.  It was great to see her given something to do other than "hailing frequencies open, Captian".  Even Sulu and Chekov are given their moments to shine.   I can't believe I'm saying this - but even Winona Ryder didn't bug me as much as I thought she would!

The Enterprise herself looks good!  Gone are the pristine engine rooms.  This ships has dirt and grime and pipes everywhere.  I kind of liked it!  The bridge was a bit too "tanning salon" for my taste, but I can get used to it.  

The nods to TOS abound here - the curse of the red shirts (or red spacesuits); Sulu's fencing; Chekov's silly accent; Kirk's ability to get the crap beat out of him by just about everyone he meets; Pike in a wheelchair - the only thing missing is Spock's autoharp (hopefully we'll see that in a future installment).

My one major complaint is that Eric Bana isn't given enough to do.  But the villans are generally given short shrift in these types of reboot movies (think Liam Neeson in Batman Begins).  This is unfortunate because he's a good actor and I wanted to know a bit more about his character. 

The 'alternative future' plot gives a the franchise a fresh start and leaves wide open the opportunity for sequels.  This was a smart move - it gives these new actors the chance to make the parts their own - in a small way.  Well acted, well scripted, excellent special effects.  Truly, I was amazed at how much I liked this!  This Trek fan is happy and I can't wait for the next installment!

SPOILERS:  Yes, Kirk's brother Sam is gone - with no explanation given (this was the one big thing that bugged me).  Yes, Uhura and Spock lock lips more than once (it actually makes sense).   No, there is no Carol Marcus or Finnegan (with the history change, Kirk's entire upbringing would be radically altered - no way he would be have the exact same experiences as the Kirk we are familiar with).  All in all, I think the things that are missing are overshadowed by the things that we get.

If you like this, try watching:  Anything else Star Trek - it's all good (okay, maybe not Enterprise)!