Called upon to right the ship is TV mogul JJ Abrams (“Lost” and “Alias”). With only one directorial effort to his name, the lackluster Mission: Impossible III, Abrams is still very much untested. Needless to say, he does seem to know what the public wants and made serious inroads to the silver screen by producing the viral hit Cloverfield. Now it is up to him to take the bridge and re-energize a science fiction treasure.
Star Trek 2009 begins with a bang as an astronomical aberration brings a new evil to the far reaches of space. Called to investigate is the starship USS Kelvin whose crew includes George Kirk, father of James. Pitted against a force like no one has ever seen before, Kirk sacrifices himself to save those aboard the Kelvin including his pregnant wife.
An origin story then unfolds as we pick up with the young and gifted James struggling to find his identity. The absence of a father figure has caused him to lose direction and get involved in the misdeeds of a troubled youth. On a collision course of self destruction, James is saved by Captain Pike who convinces him to use his talent and enroll in Starfleet.
At the Academy, James meets his future crew members (Uhura, Checkov, Sulu, etc.) and a peculiar Vulcan named Spock. A disturbance near Spock’s home planet forces the USS Enterprise to launch prematurely with the recent graduates of the Academy at the controls. The timing couldn’t be worse as the evil that once destroyed Kirk’s father is still lurking in the bowels of space.
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| The young Kirk takes over the ship so Bones can get some worrying done. |
Thundering more like a product of nature rather a studio creation, the sound design is never obtrusive or offensive as most films of the like are prone. Instead, it is so well-mixed and orchestrated that it expands the viewer’s sensibilities rather that becoming a distraction or a threat to the overall experience. The theatre literally rumbles as the Enterprise blasts into the beyond. But the caveat that ‘bigger is better’ holds true in this case so please visit a theatre equipped with the means to do the film justice.
The anointed successors to the classic characters all do well and inject the film with a refreshing vitality. Zachary Quinto as Spock and Zoe Saldana as Uhura deserve mention for bringing the correct amount of intensity and emotion to the roles. This vitality that the film has does border into foolishness at times, but the periods are short-lived and accepted as a ploy to widen the demographic. It is precisely this youthful exuberance that nearly backs the new Kirk (Chris Pine) into a corner and destroys the credibility of the character. Pine, however, survives these moments and doesn’t hold the production back.
The plot appears at first to be a convoluted mess. Thankfully, this is only on the surface as it comes together nicely enough to warrant a few post-pic discussions. The central argument between Spock’s rigid logic and Kirk’s intuition once again provides a solid foundation. That is not to say that the plot does not experience problems. A surprising misstep comes in the form of Leonard Nimoy in his extended ‘cameo’ as Spock. We all love Nimoy, but the picture gives him too much screen time and manages to disrupt an otherwise taut storyline.
All in all, the new voyage into the final frontier is a tremendously exciting experience that easily eclipses its 126 min runtime. From the nearly unrecognizable Eric Bana as the exceptionally evil Nero to death-defying space suit plunges, it all comes together. Even the curious homage to Star Wars is well-intentioned and doesn’t disrupt the work at hand. Wonder has once again reached the screen as the remodeled Enterprise wastes little time hitting warp speed.