Spring Break
'Star Trek' comes back kicking
Sean Smith
Issue date: 5/8/09 Section: Arts & Entertainment
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With McG's take on the Terminator franchise, a new Wolverine, focused "X-Men" movie and Hasbro making a big presence with the sequel to "Transformers" as well as "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" hitting the big screen, there is still one movie coming to theaters everywhere that might be considered on of the most famous franchises in history - and that is Star Trek.
"Star Trek" follows thrill-seeking Iowa farm boy James Tiberius Kirk (Chris Pine) and half-human/half Vulcan, Spock (Zachary Quinto) as they embark on the maiden voyage of the U.S.S Enterprise. The rest of the crew includes medical Officer Leonard McCoy (Karl Urban), Montgomery "Scotty" Scott (Simon Pegg), Communications Officer Uhura (Zoë Saldana), Hikaru Sulu (John Cho) and Pavel Chekov (Anton Yelchin).
After responding to a distress call from planet Vulcan, the Enterprise soon finds themselves in a trap from the evil Romulan, Nero (Eric Bana). After Vulcan is destroyed by the hands of Nero, Kirk finds himself having to step up as the captain of the ship and lead to the crew to save Earth from the group of villainous Romulans.
I think it is safe to say that Star Trek probably has the most famous fan base of any other franchise in fan history. Gene Roddenberry's original series has spawned five television series, 11 feature-length films, and multiple other comics, books and games. In recent years, however, it seems like the franchise has cooled off a bit and is in need of some fresh blood to the series. Many are asking, does JJ Abram's fresh take on the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise live up to the expectations of fans? The real question is do the fans want another Star Trek film?
"You know we had J.J. who's kind of the self professed non fan," Pine explained about the "Star Trek" revamp."But then we have - had you know these great protectors of cannon like Bob Orci and Damon Lindelof that were making sure that what we were doing you know paid tribute and homage to the - to the - you know again to the minutiae of the original series and to really the - the themes that Gene Rodenberry expressed in the original version.
"Then we had you know new life - you know breathed into the series with J.J. whose perspective is a great sense of character, a great sense of relationships and establishing the characters before - before taking care of the spectacle and the effects of it all."
When audiences begin to screen "Star Trek" today, I believe that everyone is going to be pleasantly surprised about how well it is made and the amount of fun they are going to experience in the theater. Abrams, known mostly for producing "Lost" and directing films like "Cloverfield" and "Mission: Impossible 3," brings a much-needed energy back to the franchise. The whole trek universe is reimagined to bring a whole new group of fans.
There are also plenty of things for die-hards to really enjoy from classic lines to the Vulcan nerve pinch. Though there is huge amount of action and special effects that take over a more cerebral aspect that the original series contained, everything is done with enough heart and emotion, that the audience can establish a relationship with the crew.
Led by Roger Guyett and Industrial Light & Magic, the visual effects are astonishing. The Enterprise itself has undergone a huge make over, mixing the original ship design with an Apple Store and the space battles that it engages are exciting and visually captivating. All of the sets have the same vibe caught from the television series but on a much grander scale. The effects are so stylistically done and do not go overboard or come across as cheap or cheesy.
Leading the cast are Pine and Quinto, and it's interesting how well these two manage these legendary parts. Pine takes a whole new approach to the Kirk character, adding a cockiness and thrill-seeking aspect to him that William Shatner never really employed during his time. Though this kind of characteristic is a little cliché for a hero finding his place as a leader, Pine adds a nice amount of charm and humor to the role, so it is very likeable.
Quinto (best known for his role as Sylar on "Heroes"), however, tries to do his best to capture the essence and mannerisms of Leonard Nemoy's Spock and does a great job. In fact, Leonard Nemoy has a small role as future Spock in the movie. Quinto also manages to throw in a bunch of great catch phrases of the character a long the way. The greatest strength Quinto delivers is a subtle and quiet emotion that is intriguing, something I felt was never extensively explored as well in the television series. The rest of the cast also does a great job in their roles (especially Pegg), but the film finds them not getting as much face time as desired. Of course, this is done purposefully so the movie does not get muddled.
Overall, "Star Trek" is a great film that delivers fun and emotion - everything you want from a summer blockbuster. It also is extremely accessible to non-fans of the series. This could be the energy that this series needs to bring it back to mainstream popularity. This also has potential to bring Star Trek's next generation (pun intended) of fans.
"Star Trek" is now playing at theaters nationwide.
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