Director: J.J. Abrams
Writer(s): Robert Orci/Alex Kurtzman


Cast:
Chris Pine – James T. Kirk
Zachary Quinto – Spock
Eric Bana – Nero
Bruce Greenwood – Capt. Pike
Karl Urban – Dr. Leonard McCoy aka Bones
Simon Pegg – Scotty


Preamble:
Was Star Trek in need of a reimagining or should JJ Abrams and company have simply gone with a new franchise? Those of us who cringed when seeing a young James Kirk dive, full extension, from a car as it drove over a cliff had to wonder. Note: spoilers are present in the plot description and review.

New Spock, same as the old Spock

Plot Points:
In 2387, a star will threaten the galaxy with its impending supernova. Spock will develop a remedy, throwing red matter (don’t ask for more details) into the super nova and creating a black hole to swallow the explosion. It works, but isn’t in time to save Romulus, the home planet of the Romulans. Capt. Nero (Eric Bana), helms a distant Romulan mining ship, which now holds the only Romulan survivors. He begins taking revenge on Spock and then the rest of the galaxy when he is transported through the black hole 154 years into the past. This coincides with the time period when James Kirk, a Spock, and the rest of the familiar Star Trek characters are joining the fleets’ new starship, the USS Enterprise.

The Meat:
With this time travel device, Abrams allows the franchise to be completely freed from past obligations to plot continuity, while also allowing him to reference the traditional characters and races. Kirk and Spock are given the lengthy origins, appropriate since their animosity and later friendship are the foundation of the movie.

Erica Bana’s Nero provides the counterpoint, a relentless, revenge-driven force with nothing but violent motivations. There is, though, a largely confusing hole in his character’s existence. If he travels 154 years into the past (which he is told to be the case a full 25 years before the Enterprise has to face him), he has to know full well that his home planet will not be destroyed for another 150 years. He claims to have “seen his family and planet die” , but he also has seen that all of the federation’s starships are far less advanced than his own and the stardate confirms his time travel. For what reason then, does he not stop pursuing these lesser targets and return to save his home world if its destruction is his entire motivation? And if he did still want to take revenge on the federation of the past, why not give the solution to the rest of his home planet and then have them join him? Considering this is the entire motivation for the violence in the movie this should have been addressed, without more depth his character is a bit wasted.

Equally confusing was the use of the term singularity, which seems to be thrown around here in the same way “Noc List” was thrown around in Mission Impossible. It’s true that the term singularity refers to entities like black holes, but the capacity for a black hole to be spawned by “red matter” could have used more explanation (‘some’ in this case meaning ‘any’) especially in weaponized form. It’s also never clear if Abrams is completely past his Armageddon screenwriting days, with scenes such as Kirk’s aforementioned car theft and leap accompanied by the Beastie Boys song “Sabotage” which his character shouldn’t have been aware of. Modern audiences are of course which is the point, but it comes across as pandering precisely because of that. It’s not as bad as this scene Abrams wrote for Armageddon, but he does have some Baby Bruckheimer moments:

These gripes aside though, the film works exceptionally well. It’s smartly directed and paced (Abrams has always understood action), with nice touches like lens flares and quick pans adding intensity to the scenes aboard the ship. It also features an exciting space diving scene, and has very likable characters. The plots presumably will improve, and the universe is now wide open to interpretation. The special effects and visual design – in contrast to the recently released Wolverine movie – are top notch throughout. The Romulan ship in particular has the same kind of aggressive design that was so effective on many of the shadow ships in Babylon 5, and Eric Bana’s makeup lets him completely sink into his character. We’re also given fun nods to the famous lines and traits of the original Star Trek’s characters, such as Kirk’s womanizing and Bones’ one-liners. Simon Pegg naturally steals his scenes, which is encouraging after a few less than memorable American movies. It’s not clear if hardcore Star Trek fans – who seem to prefer technological/intellectual solutions to problems – will appreciate the over-the-top action, but everyone else should enjoy the increased entertainment value.