Movie Review: Star Trek

I have been and always shall be a fan of the Star Trek franchise. When I was younger I always thought it would be great to join star fleet and explore the galaxy; it’s the one geeky vice I have. The first movie to pop my Star Trek cherry was Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982). Ever since then I’ve enjoyed watching the crew of the Enterprise. My favorite cast of any Star Trek movie or show is by far the original crew starring William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy. When I heard that they were doing a reboot of the movie franchise without the original crew, naturally I was both excited and worried. I don’t claim to be the biggest trekkie in the world, but there are some basic concepts that every trekkie should be aware of with regards to this film franchise. And knowing these concepts, I was a little worried that J.J. Abrams might take the risk of ignoring the standard that’s been set by the original movies. I am happy to say that J.J. Abrams, for the most part, made a good Star Trek film.

I thought that the new cast did a good job portraying the characters we’ve come to know and love. The best portrayal coming from Karl Urban as Leonard McCoy, with the worst coming from Zachary Quinto as Spock (that’s not to say he was bad, just not the best comparatively speaking). I thought the storyline was very good, and this plot allows for many new movies to be made without having to worry about the original storylines of the previous films or episodes. J.J Abrams was able to strike a decent balance between appeasing trekkies, while making the film mainstream enough to be lucrative, and gain a new generation of fans.

What I didn’t see in this movie, which I hope will be in the next, is the symbolic relationship between Kirk, McCoy, and Spock. These three represent a trichotomy where McCoy represents the emotional side of Kirk, with Spock being the logical. What I also hope to see in the next film, is an end to a certain relationship that was introduced to us that I know many trekkies won’t appreciate (if you’ve seen the movie, then you’ll know what I’m talking about). I know that I might be going out on a limb here, but I would love to see the future films reintroduce some of the more lovable villains like the Klingons or Khan (being one of the best villains in my humble opinion). It would also be nice to see the Enterprise in a dog fight with another equally matched ship.

Overall, the film was good and I’m sure trekkies around the world will not be disappointed. The movie wasn’t just action or special effects driven; the movie was well written and it provided a plot that was well within the vain of a Star Trek story. Acting was good and I think the fans will find that this cast did a great job overall. I believe that J.J. Abrams and the entire cast did the original movie franchise justice. If Abrams can produce a sequel that’s on par with this film, than I’m sure there will be many more Star Trek films to come; this new franchise, I’m sure, will live long and prosper.

Fanboyz Grade: A-