All you need to know about the new “Star Trek” is that it’s the best pilot director J.J. Abrams has ever done.
The guy who helped launch “Lost”, “Fringe”, “Alias” and a host of less successful television series has made “Star Trek” fun and exciting for a generation stuck watching poorly translated remake and reimagination.
The shoots back to a time when James T. Kirk and his Vulcan counterpart, Spock, were just starting out in Starfleet. But instead of heading down the road already traveled by nearly a dozen Star Trek movies and handful of television series, the new “Trek” takes a turn in a new direction thanks to time-traveling bad guy Nero, who is looking to destroy the entire Starfleet and the planets they reside on.
What “Star Trek” does so well is telling its own story. There are plenty of call-backs and nostalgia trips for dedicated Trek fans (“I’m giving her all she’s got, captain,” for one), but takes all of the overly complicated jargon and story lines out of the equation. The word “phaser” makes only one appearance and a ship is a ship, a gun is a gun and a torpedo is a torpedo. There’s no pointless renaming of everything. It’s just what it is.
Abrams carries the franchise to new heights by making the action spectacular and candy colored, but within reason, unlike last year’s “Speed Racer.” Abrams also manages to tell an origin story without making it feel like the movie is stalling to introduce each character. Chekov, Sulu, McCoy and Scotty are introduced in due time and without an overabundance of fanfare. Unlike last week’s “Wolverine”, “Trek” gives each character a proper amount of screen time and will endear them to you quickly and seemingly without trying.
Abrams’ career in television really shines through with the casting of “Star Trek.” He bands together a group of relative unknowns that gel together well. Chris Pine is perfect as the daredevil captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise who goes all out all of the time. He handles the comedic and dramatic scenes of the movie without a problem.
Also fitting in nicely is the new Spock, Zachary Quinto. Pulled from his sinister role on “Heroes”, Quinto pulls a full 180 to the not-so-quiet and calculated Spock. While he is more often than not citing logic and crunching numbers in his head, Quinto adds some weight to the lines making sure it’s clear that he’s not a true, emotionless Vulcan.
It’s not easy launching a franchise, especially one with so much history behind it, but J.J. Abrams did it and made it look easy. “Star Trek” will undoubtably get comparisons to the original “Star Wars” trilogy for its mix of action, drama and comedy. Don’t knock the comparison, because it’s more than fitting. But unlike the “Star Wars” movies, we won’t be waiting three years for the next one. The sequel has already been green lighted and is set to be released in 2011.
Filed under: Review | Tagged: Jeff Mason
