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Written by: Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman (written by), Gene Roddenberry (television series "Star Trek")
Directed by: J.J. Abrams
Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Simon Pegg, Leonard Nimoy, Eric Bana, Bruce Greenwood, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, John Cho, Anton Yelchin, Winona Ryder, Chris Hemsworth, Jennifer Morrison
Rated: PG-13
Watch the trailer
Plot
The brash James T. Kirk tries to live up to his father's legacy with Mr. Spock keeping him in check as a vengeful Romulan from the future creates black holes to destroy the Federation one planet at a time.
Verdict
A fun sci-fi action movie that manages to deftly reboot the franchise while also paying homage to the original series. Frequently over the top, it's always entertaining, though the story lacks the thoughtfulness of the original series. This is an action movie, and the drama doesn't come in whether Kirk becomes captain, we know he does. The drama results in how he'll overcome all the obstacles to get there. This is more pop-corn flick than hard science, but if want fun it will provide that.
Watch it.
Review
This movie is built to entertain. The first scene puts the big budget to use with giant ships, explosions, and heroics underpinning the action. This is James T. Kirk's introduction.
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| Kid Kirk steals a Corvette. |
I've seen the original series and the surprising fan-made remake Star Trek Continues. I appreciate the well developed stories that question society through science fiction. This movie isn't that. This is a reboot with a mission to entertain. There are plenty of fun scenes, but it errs on indulgent. Adolescent Kirk stealing a Corvette with the Beastie Boy's Sabotage as the soundtrack is fun, but the climax is ridiculous.
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| Zachary Quinto and Chris Pine play Spock and James T. Kirk. |
This traffics in nostalgia. Even if you didn't watch the original series you have a general idea of these characters. This puts a modern spin on the series, dressing it up with special effects and a big budget. It's plotted well, using a black hole and time travel to posit an alternate timeline that untethers the movie from the original series so it can diverge. Leonard Nimoy is the link between the two. I wish this tried to do more than just entertain. I like what the plot is trying to do, but I have to question why the Federation uses students to staff multiple ships. It seems reckless. Kirk and friends have been students, what a couple of months? The movie is big on style, light on logic.
We know these characters and where they'll end up. That's not the intrigue. The movie uses that knowledge by centering the drama on how these characters will end up together and overcome their circumstances. Kirk looks like he has no shot at even getting on board the Enterprise, much less becoming captain. We know he'll take the title, but how?
Star Trek is thoroughly entertaining, though it skews action rather than sci-fi for broad appeal. It focuses on style, though I wonder why there is constant lens flare even with interiors. The story does a lot of work to do a little bit of everything. This is a reboot that has to bridge the gap from a thirty year old series. This can be ridiculous, but it also maintains a level of cool. It's a fun action movie, but it isn't a sci-fi movie.
This is my favorite of the reboots, with sequels growing progressively worse with Star Trek Into Darkness and Star Trek Beyond.
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