Review: Star Trek

The difference in style is due to the fact this review is being published in my village's magazine.


Before the beginning of 2009, if someone had mentioned Star Trek, the average person would have thought of dated CGI, unintentionally funny acting and, of course, those mythical, overly obsessed fans known as “Trekkies”. This is exactly what JJ Abrams would have thought of, too, before he signed on to direct Star Trek.

Those familiar with JJ Abrams will know he has a veritable Midas Touch when it comes to his creations. Nearly every project he has immersed himself in has been greeted warmly by critics and fans alike. Those unfamiliar with JJ won’t know he is the creator of such TV triumphs as Lost, Alias and Fringe as well as producing 2008’s monster movie/Blair Witch classic Cloverfield (****-On DVD). He also has tried his hand at directing before, taking on 2006’s Mission Impossible: III (****), arguably the most exciting of the trilogy.

Abrams has freely admitted to not being a big Star Trek fan, always citing himself as much more of a “Star Wars guy”. The fact, then, he was hired to direct the reboot to an all-but-dead franchise shows the new direction the enterprise was headed. Many people are afraid of Star Trek. The fact is that with its army of loyal fans, newcomers will feel alienated trying to get to grips with another chronological film. The original Star Trek series and its predecessor, The Next Generation spawned 10 films together before the brand was run into the ground by an all-too tired formula. This is why for a new Star Trek film to work, it had to gather new fans of today’s generation. Enter Abrams, a man with no romance for Star Trek, a man who would only make the film on the grounds it entertain, pleasing the hardcore fans was no longer a priority.

Star Trek is what’s known as a “reboot”. This is where a franchise with potential loses its way, and a new director, cast and story save the day by taking the franchise back to its origins. Recent examples of this can be seen from Chris Nolan’s take on Batman. a sequel to 1997’s disaster Batman And Robin was an all-too-horrific prospect and the series died. Come 2005 and along came Batman Begins. A darker, more adult take on the series.

Star Trek takes us back to the beginning, before the Enterprise ever took off. We are introduced to the iconic characters, played, on a whole, very well by the young cast, the biggest disappointment of any of these characters being Zoe Saldana as Uhura. That and SImon Pegg’s accent as Scottie. Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto play Kirk and Spock respectively, both lending their unique spins on the characters (to great effect) whilst simultaneously paying tribute to the iconic characteristics already perviously established. The story is functional enough and is sure to pull in new fans with its “less talk, more action” philosophy. Existing fans will be kept happy also, with Leonard Nimoy returning as Older Spock in a more prominent role than one might imagine.

As with any sci-fi, the impossibility at which the protagonists overcome the odds becomes little more than irritating, rather than inspirational. I’m not a huge fan of action for the sake of action and outside of the opening 40 minutes, that’s pretty much what to expect. Saying that, it’s a worthy beginning for a new take on the journey, one that can be enjoyed by people of all ages, and all degrees of Trek fandom.

Rating: ***
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