Husher315
"Are you out of your Vulcan mind?! Star Trek Review!"
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J.J. Abrams reboot/prequel to the "Star Trek" film franchise.
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I grew up with "Star Trek: The Next Generation." Since I didn't have cable, I rarely got the chance to watch the original Star Trek series. As I grew older, however, I got to watch TOS and found myself preferring it to TNG. It didn't matter how many new incarnations of Star Trek hit the television or the big screen, so long as no one messed with the original characters and the actors who portrayed them, I was fine. Then comes along J.J. Abrams. I have to admit that I followed the developments of the latest, re-imagined "Star Trek" film quite closely. I had my doubts about what could be done to the characters and the storyline. When it was finally announced that the new film would be one of the first big summer flicks out of the gates in 2009, a part of me cringed whilst another part of me flooded with joy. I was excited to see a new Trek, but I was also worried about how screwed up it might be. Fellow Trekkers rest easy. J.J. Abrams has pulled off a near-perfect film here. He's taken the best parts of TOS and blended it into a storyline that pays homage to the original show but also leaves the characters open to entirely new adventures. In the film, a rogue Romulan named Nero (Eric Bana) has a bone to pick with Spock. In order to exact revenge on Spock, Nero and his allies travel back in time and literally split history into two pieces when they change a key event. With this new timeline in place, we get a chance to watch old friends develop under new circumstances. We get to see Kirk, Spock, Bones, and the rest of our favorite crew develop and grow in an entirely different (yet always familiar) setting. Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto and Karl Urban have, quite possibly, the biggest shoes to fill in this film. Pine does a wonderful job as Kirk. He has all of the William Shatner Kirk's swagger and many of his mannerisms as well. Quinto does an excellent job as Spock, although his version of Spock is placed into a much more emotionally challenging situation and thus we get a much more emotional Spock. Of all the actors taking over these classic roles, Karl Urban stands above them all. He simply nailed the character of Dr. McCoy. From Bones' famous "I'm a doctor, not a (insert any other occupation here)" to his grumpy attitude, Urban seems to have channelled DeForest Kelley for this role. The space battle action is taken up quite a few notches under Abrams' guidance. While Shatner's Kirk was oftened restrained by his crew (and the show's budget), Pine's version gets to go wide open most of the time. The special effects look excellent in this film and do not deter from the storyline. So what didn't this new Trek get right? While Nero is a good villain, he isn't a great one. Much like a lot of the baddies in the Trek universe, Nero just doesn't stand out from the pack. I'm not knocking Bana's performance, I just think that the character could have developed a bit more. Also, the film gives a nod to the re-imagined "Battlestar Galactica" by using jittery, in-focus/not-in-focus camera work. While the technique works well some of the time, I find it a bit annoying while watching the film. Some would argue that the camera work adds to the "realism" of the action going on. This works in a film like Abrams' "Cloverfield," but when you're dealing with Star Trek, I prefer to see as much of the battle happening as I can. Other than these two points, I loved the film. It was funny, exciting and dramatic all at the same time. It was also nice to see such wonderful characters get polished off a bit and ready for a whole new set of adventures. If you enter the film with an open mind, you'll leave knowing that although this is a "new" Star Trek, it's still the same old Enterprise. Highly recommended to fans of any form of Star Trek. Also recommended to fans of science fiction and action films as well as the casual filmgoer who believes that all summer films are popcorn flicks. This ain't no popcorn flick by a longshot.
+5
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TheJohn
September 29, 2010
I loved this movie and I'm glad you did too. It's a great action movie and I think it could have used some quieter moments here and there, not long but there. Thank you for writing.
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review by Stephanie_Smith19.
December 12, 2010
Let's just be clear, I am not a trekkie nor have I ever been a trekkie, and this film did not make me a trekkie, but that didn't stop me from enjoying this reboot of the franchise. The acting was great, the special effects were great, the story was great, and I recently found out that this was the only Star Trek film to win an Oscar (best makeup). It did tend to drag/ be too talky and sometimes hard to follow in some scenes, but for the most part, the movie worked. … more
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review by Husher315.
May 03, 2009
Just as a warning, this review is going to be very spoilerific, so if you hate spoilers don't read this, but I just can't help myself. Now then, may I just say that this might be the BEST Star Trek Film ever?! And that's not comparing it to The Wrath of Khan or First Contact. This Trek film stand alone among all of the other ones. When J.J. Abrams set off to make a Trek film that was accessible to both non-fans and fans, he apparently knew just what he was doing. This film was also an ensemble piece. … more
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To be honest, I didn't think it could be done. I'm one of those old-time fans. I grew up on episodes of Star Trek in syndication. I cheered the return of the original cast to the movies. I followed closely -- at times more with a sense of loyalty than enthusiasm -- the various series set within the Next Generation, and I even stepped back in time to the early days of Enterprise. But when Hollywood chatter turned to rebooting the saga from the start, placing new actors in the roles of … more
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review by kagami.
May 07, 2009
Honestly speaking, Star Trek is something I had never gotten into, though that slightly changed when an online friend of mine kept posting episode commentaries on the original TV series she was rewatching.. Of course, when I saw the trailer for the new movie in the cinemas, and seeing how amazing Zachary Quinto looked as Spock(I personally love Quinto), I knew it was a movie I had to see. The fact that J.J. Abrams was directing was a bonus. After watching … more
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review by DavidLeavitt.
December 01, 2009
It's 2233, and the USS Kelvin is researching a space anomaly. George Kirk (Chris Hemsworth) is left in charge of the ship when Nero (Eric Bana) orders Captain Richard Robau (Faran Tahir) to board his ship. When Robau tells Nero the star date, Nero kills Robau and attacks the USS Kelvin. When Kirk realizes that he cannot save the ship, he orders an evacuation or everyone else. His pregnant wife Winona (Jennifer Morrison) begins to give birth, and asks Kirk what he wants to name his son. Kirk decides … more
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review by newtonooi.
September 07, 2010
If there is one industry that puts out better products every year, it would have to be the global movie industry. In the past decade, Hollywood has put out the best comic book movie ever (Dark Knight), the best zombie comedy ever (Zombieland), the best pirate movies ever (POTC 1-3), and now the best Star Trek movie ever. Coming after a series of so-so Trek films from both the original and Next Generation genres, this is the first Star Trek movie not based on a TV serial. Instead, all the actors … more
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review by Steveo.
April 06, 2010
Reinventing Star Trek, a much adored franchise by all of its dedicated fans, was a brave move to make and one that few had ever dared and J.J. Abrams finally took the dream to the next step. Abrams, producer of the much loved Lost TV show seems to be the next big name in the moviemaking business and is truly a man with great talent. His last film, Cloverfield, was a massive blockbuster success and this, regardless of actual story quality, was bound to achieve the same. Luckily, this wasn't … more
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Relaunch of the series and it seems to be set in an alternate universe.
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review by heyzeus7.
May 20, 2009
I remember vividly the first time I watched Star Trek as a young boy. It was the movie "Generations" and it was utterly bewildering. I had watched "Star Wars" some time before that and in comparison Trek seemed artificial, a bit dull and just plain weird. But the series eventually grew on me with its infectious optimism about the future, its vision of human potential and-for a TV series anyway-its outstanding visual effects. My brother and I would get into bitter arguments over which was cooler, … more
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review by rachlanger.
May 27, 2009
I am currently coming off my second viewing of J.J. Abram's "Star Trek", and am still reveling in the excitement I felt during both screenings. I come at Star Trek primarily as a fan of TNG (The Next Generation, in non-geek) and of late, Deep Space Nine. I rarely watched the original series though I have seen all the movies (The Undiscovered Country being my favorite; no hate from the Khan lovers please.) I went into Abram's adaptation feeling a certain amount of trepidation. Like so many other … more
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About the reviewer
Kendall Fontenot (kfontenot)
Ranked #4
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Despite looking extremely cool, I have to admit that I'm a dork. I grew up on the outskirts of the small town of Oberlin, LA. I have since relocated to the Lake Charles, LA area.I love my home state … more
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About this movie
Star Trek tells the story of James T. Kirk, Spock and the rest of the Enterprise crew, following their time together at Starfleet Academy as well as their first mission together.
Cast:
- Chris Pine as James T. Kirk
- Zachery Quinto as Spock
- Leonard Nimoy as Spock Prime
- Bruce Greenwood as Captn. Christopher Pike
- Karl Urban as Leonard "Bones" McCoy
- Zoe Saldana as Uhura
- Simon Pegg as Scotty
- John Cho as Hikaru Sulu
- Anton Yelchin as Pavel Chekov
- Eric Bana as Nero
- Ben Cross as Sarek
- Winona Ryder as Amanda Grayson
J.J. Abrams Star Trek represents the first time in sixteen years since Leonard Nimoy has played the character of Spock.
Originally, Star Trek was slated for a Christmas 2008 release, but it was decided that the film would fair better as a summer blockbuster. It would also allow for more media coverage as well as more time to work on the films visual effects.
This Film also represents the last time that Majel Barrett Roddenberry played the voice of the Enterprise Computer. She died shortly after she had finished her work on the film.
J.J. Abrams' 2009 feature film was billed as "not your father'sStar Trek," but your father will probably love it anyway. And what's not to love? It has enough action, emotional impact, humor, and sheer fun for any moviegoer, and Trekkers will enjoy plenty of insider references and a cast that seems ideally suited to portray the characters we know they'll become later. Both a ...
Movies, Action, Adventure, Science Fiction Movies, Science Fiction, Scifi, Star Trek, Sequel, Hype, Adaptation, Jj Abrams Movies
Cast:
Eric Bana,
Ben Cross,
Leonard Nimoy,
Karl Urban,
Winona Ryder,
Anton Yelchin,
Bruce Greenwood,
Zoe Saldana,
John Cho,
Simon Pegg,
Chris Pine,
Zachary Quinto
Director:
J.J. Abrams
Genre:
Action,
Sci-Fi
Release Date:
May 8th 2009
MPAA Rating:
PG-13
Screen Writer:
Roberto Orci,
Alex Kurtzman
DVD Release Date:
Unknown
Runtime:
126 minutes
Studio:
Paramount Pictures,
Bad Robot
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