Movie Review: Star Trek

With my shinging Starfleet Phaser within arms reach, I can’t help but think about how awesome Star Trek was. The Starfleet Phaser in front of me is not part of a collection I already have, rather, it was an inspired purchase after watching Star Trek late last night. Please be warned, my review has some minor spoilers.

My expectations were high as well as my anticipation as I was with a group of friends, first in line waiting to be seated for the reignited franchise that is Star Trek. Finally settled in my seat, the projector rolled on and sounds sci-fi goodness began. The movie began with no credits, no fancy logo or title… rather the simple sound of the ever-so-familiar Star Trek bridge ping… and the movie begins.

Casting was brilliant for this film. Not only did Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Sulu, Chekov, Ohura, Scotty and the rest of the crew look like youthful spitting images of their original counterparts, they were able to carry the weight of acting on an equal level if not better than I expected. Let’s face it, looking the part and acting the part is a tough feat to accomplish, even more so with a heavy fan following. What was great was that each actor embraced their character as their own, not trying to mimic the acting format of the originals. Kirk and Spock especially, which almost made me say “William Shatner who?” The tongue-in-check phrases such as “Damn it Jim I’m a doctor” and “I’m giving it all she’s got captain” stuck out like sore thumbs, but were cleverly placed in dialogue enough not to be terribly annoying.

Pacing of the film was moderate. My only complaint (which was very minor) was the transition of James Tiberius Kirk being the rebellious street punk in a rowdy bar to being a Starfleet Cadet within a matter of minutes. Before you know it, he’s being snuck into the Starship Enterprise. I got the feeling that a lot of footage during this transition hit the cutting room floor to keep the tempo of the film on a consistent beat. Do I hear “Blu-Ray extras?” Again, pretty minor complaint which can easily be overlooked. The rest of the film paced well, with no dragging scenes or overuse of action {ala Wolverine and Ultraviolet)

I couldn’t help but sit back and feel like a kid again watching this movie. You’ll laugh and cheer and in the end you’ll realize how bad ass Captain James T. Kirk is. The end of the film couldn’t have been better. Leonard Nimoy, the original Spock closed with the “Space, the final frontier” verbatim. A perfect segway to jump right back into the original series.