I was able to see an early showing of Star Trek on Saturday. Reactions seemed pretty unanimous on the way out.
When the USS Kelvin is attacked by Romulans, they are quickly overwhelmed by the massive, enemy vessel. The Romulan leader, Nero, is looking for vengeance, and focuses on Spock. But Nero and his crew are from the future. Kirk, Spock, and the rest of the incredibly young crew of the USS Enterprise must discover Nero’s plans and stop him before he takes out his revenge on the entire Federation.
From beginning to end, this was a non-stop action-packed revamp to the Star Trek franchise. As a fan of the original Star Trek series, I came in a bit sceptic about other actors playing iconic roles, but wanted to be surprised. J.J. Abrams satisfied all of my worries.
The casting was supurb. Chris Pine as Jim Kirk was completely believable as the hot-headed, ladies-man, with a legendary destiny. And Zachary Quinto as Spock was inspired. I was afraid that I’d only be able to picture him as a creepy serial killer, but I never once thought of his Heroes‘ character. He just became Spock. The banter between Kirk, Spock, and Karl Urban’s Dr. McCoy was especially humorous and heart-warming. Uhura (Zoe Saldana), Sulu (John Cho), Chekov (Anton Yelchin), and Scotty (Simon Pegg) all had their scene-stealing moments as well.
Eric Bana as Nero was reminiscent of Khan from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. His motive is pure vengeance. And the odds are in his favor with his ship, advanced technology, and knowledge of the future. But when the odds are against them and the situation is grim is when Kirk works best.
The special effects were fantastic. The battle scenes in space were particularly incredible. The story was able to pacify a die-hard fan like me, as well as leave room for future installments. But the shining highlight for me, was hearing the familiar, and often beloved, sayings from the Enterprise crew. And being able to accept them from newer, younger actors. It was wonderful seeing Leonard Nimoy as older Spock, and it was great to have his character play an integral role in the story.
Star Trek is full of excitement, suspense, and plenty of humor. Life-long fans as well as people with only a passing knowledge of Star Trek will enjoy this all-around excellent film. It’s sure to be a summer blockbuster, with a new generation of fans. I can’t wait to see it again.
Thanks for the excellent review. Now I know it is safe to look forward to seeing this movie! Can’t wait!
Thanks so much for the excellent, spoiler-free review. I’m especially relieved to hear what you had to say about Zachary Quinto’s Spock. Can’t wait till it’s released here in Germany!
I preordered my tickets on Saturday,,,,,,,,and at 9:00 on Friday night, i am sure i will be firmly entrenched in my seat eager for the movie to start. Thank you Angela for the excellent review!!
Thanks so much for this great review. I’ve been really looking forward to this and hoping I wouldn’t be disappointed. You’ve done a lot to set my mind at ease.
Thanks for the preview tix!
My brother and I LOVED the movie. It was fantastic. JJ has a true hit on his hands.
great casting, pretty good story, and solid F/X make for a good opening to the summer blockbuster season!
I’ve been dying to see the new Trek movie, and now I’m even more excited after reading your review. 🙂
something that really sets this new Star Trek apart from the oldies (though they are still goodies) is the total lack of drag. When I watch those old Star Treks I inevitably get the feeling that this or that scene is being drawn out way too much
I never thought I would say this but JJ Abrams Star Trek could turn me into a Trekkie. hehe.