Battlemouth

Growing up, I was a very specific type of nerd. You could say, in many ways, I still am. I favored video games over tabletop games, Marvel over DC, and most importantly, Star Wars over Star Trek. Without even experiencing a lick of it, I always dismissed Star Trek off as “bland” or “not nearly as good as Star Wars.” So yeah, I came pretty late into the Star Trek game. Like two years ago at best.
A friend of mine would have a ton of movies on his server that he and his brother would constantly watch, a big chunk being the Star Trek films. Starting with Wrath of Khan (arguably the best one) I eventually made my way through the rest of them. I found them to be fun, ridiculous, hilarious, and overall entertaining (I also found the earlier films to be way more enjoyable, The Voyage Home is my personal favorite). Sadly, none of the series could capture my attention as well as the movies did (especially Voyager, ugh).

When I heard about the new Star Trek film being a reboot of sorts, I was mixed. On one hand, you can’t get more ridiculous and over the top than Star Trek VI, so it can’t be bad-bad. But will it be at least decent? Can it capture the audience’s attention? Will the characterization be there? Will there be wacky/mysterious overtones because J.J. Abrams is directing/producing it? My questions were answered when I went to see it. And the verdict? I was very pleased.

This movie delivers. It’s hard for me to say that this movie was made for fans because while it is riddled with tons of Easter eggs and elements that would make a fan squee, it also is a fun, engaging sci-fi film that anyone can enjoy. My cousin, who doesn’t know anything about Star Trek loved it. You don’t need to know anything about Star Trek to enjoy it, and if you do, you’ll enjoy it even more. A nice bonus.
Without giving away too much, the movie is a re-telling of Captain James T. Kirk’s early days at Starfleet, and how he becomes the plucky Captain we all come to know and love. But don’t get me wrong. This is Spock’s story as much as it is Kirk’s. The movie explore’s Spock’s human side and his battle with the emotion that his Vulcan side shuns. This being a reboot, there are certain canonical differences, but are explained about halfway through the movie. Trust me, everything works out very well by the end.

Characterization was one of my many worries when I read the cast list. John Cho (Harold and Kumar series) as Sulu, while a funny choice, didn’t seem like it would work to me. Though you can’t lose when you have Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) as Scotty! All in all, I shouldn’t have been worried in the first place. The casting was near perfect. Chris Pine’s Kirk is the perfect blend of charming and cocky, I knew he was perfect the first time he shows up. Zach Quinto as Spock shares the spotlight and brings a new life into the character. My personal favorite casting job goes to Karl Urban as ‘Bones’ McCoy. The moment you hear him off screen for the first time, it’s clearly evident who is about to turn corner. However unlike Urban, Cho’s performance of Sulu wasn’t a carbon copy, which wasn’t a bad thing. He made the role his own and even has a little hand-to-hand combat action. Zoe Saldana as Uhura was enjoyable as well, and wasn’t too over the top, a trend that strong females characters in movies have these days. Anton Yelchin as Chekov cracked me up just as much as Walter Koenig. And of course, Simon Pegg was great comic relief as Scotty.

And of course, where would a Star Trek movie be without an imposing bad guy? Eric Bana played Nero, a pissed off Romulan who has a grudge against Spock. Bana is no Ricardo Montalban, but he does a fine job as the evil, sinister Star Trek bad guy. His line delivery takes me back to the older movies and his theme music is so loud and booming, you know the dude is evil. The motivations for his actions are questionable, but you could chalk it all down to “he’s the bad guy, therefore he must be nuts.” Leonard Nimoy also makes more than a cameo in this flick, and it’s quite a doozy. There also is more action than you would normally see in a Star Trek film, making the appeal for a larger audience wider. There are several scenes that left me on the edge of my seat, both times seeing it, so be prepared to brace yourself for excitement.

I have to hand it to J.J. Abrams. I’m not the biggest fan of Lost anymore, and I hated Cloverfield. But Star Trek? Nailed it. I urge anyone to give this movie a fighting chance. Especially if you’re a Star Wars geek.-AK