Martok's NO SPOIL STAR TREK review...

martok2112 · May 8th, 2009, 06:17 AM

FILM: STAR TREK
DISTRIBUTOR: PARAMOUNT
DIRECTOR: J.J. ABRAMS
PRINCIPAL CAST: CHRIS PINE, ZACHARY QUINTO, ZOE SALDANA, KARL URBAN, BRUCE GREENWOOD, ERIC BANA, JOHN CHO, ANTON YELCHIN, SIMON PEGG, LEONARD NIMOY
MPAA RATING: PG-13 for SCI FI ACTION AND VIOLENCE, AND BRIEF SEXUAL CONTENT (reviewer's note: also brief mild language)
RUNTIME: 2hrs., 6mins.

Story: 4.5/5
Acting: 5/5
Sound: 5/5
Visuals: 5/5
Endorphin Factor: 4/5
Big Screen Experience: 5/5
Scoring system:
Average: 4.75/ 5

MOVIES IT COULD BE COMPARED TO: Any previous Star Trek film

DETAILS: Well, it looks like J.J. Abrams and his boys at Bad Robot have done it. Star Trek is officially, and quite satisfactorily rebooted for a new generation of fans, as well as fans of Trek come before.

This is sort of a how Kirk met everybody else story, and along with it is a great thrill ride.

I will admit, I wish there could've been just a bit more backstory to the main villain, one Romulan Captain Nero (played well by Eric Bana).

The story itself is very fast paced and starts off with an action sequence that actually had me almost in tears, given the nature of its resolution.

We are then treated to a quick backstory of James Tiberius Kirk, and Spock, and their troubled youth which will set the stage for their future exploits.

The movie moves along at a great clip, and never fails to entertain. Even at its slowest moments (of which there are very few) the movie holds your attention...especially with the presence of Leonard Nimoy. I do believe though that movie sometimes moved along just a little too quick. It was over before I knew it, and that's saying something for a movie with a 126 minute run time.

There are a few things that purists might say were wrong, and even my red flag got set off on occasion, but certainly not enough to detract from my enjoyment of the film. This is a complete reboot, yet there is some continuity/minor paradox that is logically handled for the story. While the characters stay true (largely) to their original iconic incarnations, these versions do have enough liberty to keep them fresh and interesting for today's audience. That is NOT saying that the characters are dumbed down. Refreshed does not mean that at all.

The visual effects of this film were stunning, as was the sound mix. My only minor gripe is that I wish they could've given the Enterprise just a wee bit more of a treatment from Star Trek The Motion Picture. As such, the introduction of the Enterprise felt just a tiny bit rushed. Again, such a minor complaint is hardly cause for me to completely dismiss the film. The lovely lady of the stars gets plenty of screentime, and she is worth watching every single second.

The story is tightly written, and is filled with action, humor, sadness, joy, defeat, and triumph, as well as the sense of wonder of a new beginning. There are plenty of nods for old Trek fans like myself, and they are certainly not going to be lost on potential new fans from this generation. Technobabble is kept to a minimum, but when it is used, it is used effectively.

The actors ALL turn in top notch performances. Zachary Quinto does an excellent job of straddling the emotional line inherent to Spock's half-breed nature. Chris Pine plays a fine, cocky, tongue in cheek Kirk that also has Kirk's better nature of command blossom out. Karl Urban as McCoy....I think DeForest Kelley would smile on him proudly. John Cho and Anton Yelchin do great respect to their roles, if also a bit tongue in cheek. Simon Pegg is hilarious as Scotty, but is also the miracle worker that we've come to know and love. A couple of self-surprised moments for the newcoming engineer really endear Scotty to the audience. Eric Bana's character, the Romulan Nero, almost has a feel of Shinzon from Nemesis....a little more fleshing out of the character's backstory would've been welcome, but Bana turns in a good, menacing performance. Zoe Saldana is very beautiful, and very charming as Uhura...and she is a character every bit as dignified and respectable as Nichelle Nichols' original version.

Some surprises in this movie, but none I will spoil. They are best experienced unspoiled, for the viewer to evaluate for themselves. As with all things in this movie, I found them refreshing.

This movie on all levels had a far more epic feel than any previous Star Trek film.

BOTTOM LINE: Go see Star Trek. It's a great reboot, and one that does far more respect for the original series than some of its premature detractors give it credit for.

evil_genius_180 · May 8th, 2009, 09:35 AM

And I give your review a 5/5. Thank you for an honest, nonprejudicial review with no spoilers (I'm particularly happy on that note.) I just checked on MSN and it seems that the overall response is very favorable. The lowest score I saw was Roger Ebert, who gave it a sixty-something out of one hundred, but I don't usually agree with him anyway.

As I said, thanks for the great review. I can't wait until it hits DVD 'cause I don't do movie theaters anymore.

Quote:

Originally Posted by martok2112

I will admit, I wish there could've been just a bit more backstory to the main villain, one Romulan Captain Nero (played well by Eric Bana).

There's a trend these days to release a prequel book before the movie. They did it with Transformers and I just bought the one for Terminator: Salvation from Barnes & Noble a couple days ago. There's a graphic novel prequel to Star Trek out (though I couldn't find it at Barnes & Noble when I went) that's supposed to give us the full skinny on Nero. I'd suggest picking that up, I plan to if it's every in stock. (though I might order it online.)

Thomas P · May 8th, 2009, 12:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by evil_genius_180

I can't wait until it hits DVD 'cause I don't do movie theaters anymore.

Could not agree with you more! And on your comments on the review too!

gmd3d · May 9th, 2009, 02:00 AM

I'll wait for the DVD .. I don't watch remakes in the cinema anymore..

evil_genius_180 · May 9th, 2009, 08:11 AM

Just remakes? You watch other movies in a cinema?

I find the whole practice of going to a cinema repugnant. You spend a mint on your tickets. If you want snacks, you've either gotta sneak your own in or pay way too much for the stuff at the cinema. Then there are the snacks of other people littering the floor. And, if you're really lucky, someone talks and/or kicks your seat during the entire movie. I swore off cinema going after I had a bad experience a few years ago. Plus, with Netflix, I can get the DVDs the day they're released if I plan my returns correctly.

gmd3d · May 9th, 2009, 11:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by evil_genius_180

Just remakes? You watch other movies in a cinema?

I find the whole practice of going to a cinema repugnant. You spend a mint on your tickets. If you want snacks, you've either gotta sneak your own in or pay way too much for the stuff at the cinema. Then there are the snacks of other people littering the floor. And, if you're really lucky, someone talks and/or kicks your seat during the entire movie. I swore off cinema going after I had a bad experience a few years ago. Plus, with Netflix, I can get the DVDs the day they're released if I plan my returns correctly.

well very few film at all .. these days can not remember the last film i saw ..

but my sister liked it (STAR TREK) who is not normally a fan or supporter of the show

evil_genius_180 · May 9th, 2009, 12:00 PM

It's not surprising that your sister likes it. This one is supposed to be totally different and is intended to ensnare a new audience, as well as bring back the fans that are fed-up with Trek from the last several years. I'm *almost* tempted to break my rule about not going to movie theaters but I haven't done it yet. I didn't do it for Transformers, (which I was a fan of long before I was Trek) I'm sure I can resist temptation on this one also.

martok2112 · May 9th, 2009, 08:46 PM

Evil Genius,

Thank you for the kind words and the "review" of my review. LOL!

I do endeavor to give the most balanced and objective reviews in anything I rate...be it movies or video games. I have a template and system which I go by if I want to do in-depth reviews, and the format you just read is what I use.

That said, I plan on seeing this movie AT LEAST two or three more times on the big screen...in IMAX if possible. (The movie was mind blowing in IMAX....the Enterprise..indeed all the ships that were prominently featured looked larger than life!)

martok2112 · May 11th, 2009, 09:15 AM

As it stands right now, the new Star Trek's opening weekend has outgrossed Search For Spock, Final Frontier, Undiscovered Country, Generations, Insurrection, and Nemesis in their entire runs.

evil_genius_180 · May 11th, 2009, 11:46 AM

Well, it helps that movie ticket rates are astronomical these days. Has anyone heard yet if it beat X-Men Origins: Wolverine to be the #1 movie in the U.S.?

martok2112 · May 11th, 2009, 05:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by evil_genius_180

Well, it helps that movie ticket rates are astronomical these days. Has anyone heard yet if it beat X-Men Origins: Wolverine to be the #1 movie in the U.S.?

Star Trek debuted at number one this week. Wolverine was second this week. Wolverine opened respectably (I think with about 80 mil) and it did 27 mil this week.

evil_genius_180 · May 11th, 2009, 08:54 PM

Cool, thanks for the info. I want to see both movies when they hit DVD but I was hoping Trek edged out Wolverine since Wolverine already had its huge weekend last week.

May 14th, 2009, 12:03 PM

Your review seems fair, but even so I've my two cents to add.

The movie has a different feel and pace than "your father's Star Trek" which is undoubtedly what Abrams and Co intended and why it fared so well with publicity and at the box office so far. At the same time, the break-neck pace coupled with bright lights and general flash, glitz, and glam at times seemed overwhelming. The movie crams A TON into its two hours, so much so that much of the interesting character development that proved central to previous reboot enterprises (Batman, etc) seems lost. There are a lot of characters here deserving of screen time, but at the pace set by Abrams by jumping from scene to scene many get short shrift. The back story of Kirk and Spock, touted to be central to this film and likely of most interest to perennial fans, remains overly truncated, at points showing scenes either to give a nod to Trekkies/ers or simply for their adrenaline value. Many of the interesting stories remained untold in the interest of blowing up the big baddie.

A far as the acting goes... Quinto/Pine/Urban as the Spock/Kirk/Bones trio has huge potential. I was less impressed with Chekov, Sulu and Scotty...particularly Scotty and his over-done "comic" relief. His appearance with a sidekick and his general antics seemed to take a bit too much from the new Star Wars trilogy's reliance on "comic" dialogue from C-3PO or Jar Jar Binks. A seemingly unnecessary addition.

Those, without spoiling any plot, were my primary gripes or critiques. On the whole, the movie was surprisingly tastefully done in regard to canon and established fans. I only wish there could have been a more happy medium between excitement/action and character development.

gmd3d · May 14th, 2009, 12:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Micaelus

I only wish there could have been a more happy medium between excitement/action and character development.

ahh that the problem with reworking or re-imaginings of a established product or show in this case.. you never going to hit the mark in a single film. character are in my option the first to suffer. Story second .. action never .. mores the shame.

for me Star Treks home is on TV not film (just my option) ..

still my sister like it new cast and action included . so what do i know

anyway welcome aboard Micaelus