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Star Trek – Review (Reboot takes off at warp speed)

by Jane Boursaw on May 8th, 2009

It’s not often you get a reboot that takes you right back into the story and characters without being cheesy. But "Star Trek" manages to do just that. Under J.J. Abrams’ skillful directing, the movie is funny, sweet, and engaging, with good special effects that keep you hooked through to the end. I wasn’t sure he’d be able to pull it off, but he did.

The story takes us back to the time of James T. Kirk’s dramatic birth. His father, George Kirk (Chris Hemsworth) suddenly finds himself promoted to the captain of a Starfleet vessel. During an attack, he saves his wife (House’s Jennifer Morrison) and new baby, as well as the rest of the crew. It sets the tone for the movie and James’s life. Those are some pretty big shoes to fill.

The tone immediately picks up with James aging a few years and nearly driving his mother’s boyfriend’s (or perhaps husband’s?) hot sports car off a cliff. The scene is gripping and intense, and gives some insight into the young boy and his brash, impulsive behavior we’d come to know and love/hate later on the U.S.S. Enterprise.

Jump ahead a few more years, and James (Chris Pine) is getting into a bar fight and being recruited by Capt. Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood) to enroll in Starfleet Academy. James isn’t interested, but Pike is persuasive in his own way. As the movie hurtles along through space and time, we see how he meets Spock (Zachary Quinto), Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy (Karl Urban), Nyota Uhura (Zoe Saldana), Scotty (Simon Pegg), Sulu (John Cho), and Chekov (Anton Yelchin).

Spock’s parents, Sarek (Ben Cross) and Amanda (Winona Ryder) also play a pivotal role in the story, as does the villain Nero (Eric Bana) and his henchman Ayel (Clifton Collins, Jr. – read my interview with him here).

I appreciate that the actors who took over the familiar roles somehow manage to put their own spin on them, while at the same time paying homage to the originals. Karl Urban probably comes closest to DeForest Kelley; if you close your eyes and just listen to his voice and inflections, it really does seem like he could BE Kelley. There’s a few moments where Chris Pine certainly channels William Shatner, too. It’s remarkable really.

And because of some space-time continuum shenanigans, we also get to see the original Spock, played, of course, by Leonard Nimoy. I can see why he had to be talked into doing the role by J.J. Abrams – you don’t want to mess with a good thing, after all – but his presence really brought some legitimacy to the movie, helping to launch the reboot in just the right way. I don’t even mind the time-jumping, because you can’t have a good "Star Trek" movie without it.

The movie is also very funny, bringing in nearly all of the pop culture "Star Trek" references, like "Live long and prosper," "Dammit, Jim, I’m a doctor, not a [insert job here]," and "I’m givin’ her all she’s got, Captain!"

Whether you’re a fan of the original series or a newbie just getting your Trek feet wet, "Star Trek" is definitely worth the price of a movie ticket and some popcorn. Sit back and enjoy the ride at warp speed. I look forward to the next "Star Trek" movie with anticipation (yes, I’m sure there will be more). 

NOTE TO PARENTS: There’s quite a bit of violence, including fist-fights, explosions, and encounters with Romulan war vessels. There’s also one scene where a character is chased by an alien being, but you get the feeling he’s not in any real danger. Overall, most of the action is sci-fi violence, and the PG-13 rating is spot on.

Images: Copyright, Paramount Pictures

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