Movie Review - Star Trek

Rated PG-13 for sci-fi action and violence, and brief sexual content. Running Time of 126 minutes.

Starring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Eric Bana, and Leonard Nimoy.

I struggled with this review all weekend. I actually had a chance to watch Star Trek last Thursday morning before the big premiere and wrote a review then that I decided to trash. The reason? It was all about Star Trek. While that is obviously a good thing because the movie is, indeed Star Trek - but I was talking about the original series, the movies, the next generation cast, and more. Eventually I decided that the history wasn't what made this movie great. This movie made itself great but reinventing what made the original series beloved by all the 'trekkies' out there. To say that I'm a fan of Star Trek is a misunderstanding - I really didn't like Star Trek before this film. I had seen a couple flicks and watched a couple episodes of the original series, but none of them managed to really excite me. Star Wars did and as many people do - I picked a side and fought for Star Wars as the better sci-fi series. Now, I'm not so sure. This new Trek is very good - so good in fact that it made me want to watch the old Trek again, which is hard to do because I already know I didn't like it.

The new Star Trek is an origin story that we thought we all knew. Everybody that is a fan of the original Star Trek knows that the history of Kirk and Spock is already covered from beginning to end, so making a movie about their origins is almost like covering territory that has already been taken care of. However, this flick warps the entire universe around a time-traveling villain that manages to disrupt the timeline of events that puts the young Kirk and Spock into an alternate universe where the audience doesn't know how the story will end anymore. This sets the stage for some great story, awesome acting, and wonderful special effects, as well as many, many sequels. Without thinking about what the story does for the sequels - it's an amazing plot and story as it, but when you think about how they managed to have the story also act as a really cool way to resurrect a franchise that had boldly gone just about everywhere - then we start talking about some movie making magic.

When it was announced, I did not want to see this film. When it was announced to be a tentpole summer flick, I was unimpressed. When I saw the first trailer, I kind of thought it might be okay to watch. When I saw the final trailers, I got a bit excited. When I read the reviews that started flooding in about a week before the flick was released, I got extremely excited. (The reviews were all extremely positive and the movie is setting on a 95% review rating from rottentomatoes.com which is a site that compiles movie reviews from across the net to get an average) When I watched the film, I fell in love. Star Trek is now something I find quite amazing and I can't wait till the next one - which is already announced as being in development.

The new movie has some great effects including some of the most visually stunning space battles you've ever seen on the big screen. Star Trek is known for its different races and the makeup/special effects on these races of people are perfectly in place and balanced with the surroundings. But, the special effects and the previously mentioned spectacular script aren't the only reason this movie works - the actors/actresses have a major part. All of the casting was top-notch. Chris Pine as the new Kirk was excellent and he does such an amazing job becoming Kirk that you root for him the whole way. Zachary Quinto nails the role of Spock so well that it's hard to imagine that everybody once thought no one could do it as well as Leonard Nimoy. There is one scene in which Quinto is perfectly balanced between logic/reason and emotion that I wish I could tell you the details but it's much more exciting to witness it on your own. Spock's in the elevator when it happens. The supporting roles of McCoy, Scotty, and others are perfectly cast. Scotty is played by Simon Pegg which seems a bit odd casting, but once you see him in the role - it's quite perfect. McCoy is played by Karl Urban who doesn't really look like Karl Urban in this film. Karl hits the right amount of sarcasm and wit to play the iconic doctor and mutter his famous phrases. The acting is really good.

Star Trek is worth watching whether you've never experienced a Star Trek film or you're a veteran. It's also more than worth watching if you've ever disregarded Star Trek as something you don't like or wouldn't enjoy. I'd also recommend it to the 'old' fans who are a bit upset that they didn't let William Shatner play a role and that they are warping the history to be able to retell stories in a different way. It's the signs of one of the longest movie franchises growing and changing with the times and it works gloriously. I also think it respects and shows plenty of admiration for the original Star Trek to appease those that are a bit upset with the rumors they have heard about it, so go check it out.

Star Trek is playing at Cinema 3 in McCook. Check www.fridleytheatres.com for showtimes and more information.