"Star Trek" kicks off summer blockbusters
John Gregg
Issue date: 5/31/09 Section: Entertainment
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The first hurtle Abram's had to jump was the need for an engaging story, one that would make the voyages of the Enterprise come alive once again for the audience.
Writers Robert Orci and Alex Kurtzman have more than done their duty. "Star Trek" has all the elements of a summer movie epic. It also manages to nod respectfully in recognition of past installments like "Wrath of Khan."
Young James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) applies to Starfleet Academy as a hotshot teenager. Within minutes, he befriends Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy (Karl Urban) and is at odds with Spock (Zachary Quinto). Beautiful Nyota Uhura (Zoe Saldana) proves resistant to his romantic advances.
The first quarter of the film chronicles important events in their early lives and education. But it's not long before Kirk and company are shipped out on the Enterprise.
Their first mission involves Spock's home planet, Vulcan, which has fallen under enemy attack. The villain of the piece is vengeful Captain Nero (a virtually unrecognizable Eric Bana) who seeks to destroy every planet in the Federation as payback for his own doomed world. Nero's motives grow more complicated as events unfold.
Because a good deal of Nero's scheme involves time travel, the potential for confusion is quite high. However, the explanations are relatively sound. One doesn't need to be a die-hard Trek fan to understand.
There are plenty of surprises along the way. Thus an important lesson about prequels is apparent. Just because it's the past, that doesn't mean Enterprise has boldly gone there before.
This film is visually fresh and different from the original incarnation. Technological advancements in computer and film ensure amazing sets and action sequences like the exhilarating battle on top of a huge planetary drill.
The return to the Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock era was a challenging one, but Abrams' inspired choices for the cast fit their characters like gloves.
Pine, for instance, has the same boyish confidence as William Shatner portrayed. He has the always-get-the-girl (or maybe not) charm down perfectly. It's a triumphant return for the classic hero archetype.
Karl Urban (best known from "The Lord of the Rings") directly channels the spirit of the late Deforest Kelly as Bones. His delivery of the infamous "For God's sake, Jim, I'm a doctor, not a fill-in-the-blank" line is hilarious. There is also an amusing scene involving Kirk's allergic reactions to vaccine.
The real star of the show is Quinto as Spock. He lectures about logic and reason like a professional and could have been Leonard Nimoy's much younger brother. Nimoy himself puts on the pointy ears once more in a welcomed cameo, much to the delight of old school fans.
Only Bana's villain doesn't quite measure up to expectations. Sure, Nero is as ruthless and psychotic as aliens in prosthetic makeup come. But he lacks a certain memorable presence villains like the Borg or Ricardo Montalban's Khan carried with them.
"Star Trek" is an excellent start to the summer, as it will appeal to a wide variety of audiences. Furthermore, it's an awesome reminder of what the term "blockbuster" should mean and what good filmmaking is all about. Even a casual moviegoer will have an Enterprise full of fun with this warp speed ride.