JJ Abrams' Star Trek reboot - the first review!
Not a Trek fan? Well, let's cut to the chase here - IT DOESN'T MATTER. Star Trek is the sci-fi movie you've always dreamed of, fan or no fan.
Mixing the explosive bombast of Transformers with the time-travelling twists of The Terminator films, it's a majestic mix of old-school space adventure with 2009 guts. You can't help but watch it and think of those original Star Wars movies, how they combined action with a real sense of epic drama - Trek does all that but without the 70s haircuts. You just wish it had been director JJ Abrams to reboot Annakin and friends back in the 90s instead of boring beardy George Lucas
Plot-wise, Trek has plenty going on. We see the origins of its lead characters, cocky James T Kirk and uber-serious Mr Spock (Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto), as well as Eric Bana's mentallist bad-guy Romulan called Nero, who travels back in time to get his revenge of the nice guys of the Federation. Abrams handles monumental moments with suitable reverence - the first shot of the starship Enterprise, the crew getting 'beamed up'
- yet also knows when to take the mick and show this isn't just for geeks. Spock's trademark deadpan has never been funnier.
Speaking of Spock, the original actor to play the half-Vulcan, Leonard Nimoy, makes an appearance that's way more than just a novelty. The old-timer ties everything together beautifully, giving Trek emotional weight that's rare in sci-fi. The fact that the movie can mix those tears with gags, FX, romance, great acting and a real sense of its own epic history makes it a night out with pretty much everything. Even Simon Pegg's Scottish accent works. For Trekkers around the world that's a big relief (and the best film of the series) For non-fans it's just a massively fun night out - what more could you ask for? 5 stars.
Comment number 1.
At 17th Apr 2009, craig-maclellan wrote:Thank you, thank you, thank you James.
As a self-professed Star Trek fan (there's no same in it), there was always a slight worry that this reboot might be balls (see the Star Wars sequel). But with J J Abrams at the helm, I should really have had more faith.
Can't wait - roll on May 8!!!!
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Comment number 2.
At 29th Apr 2009, Zyyb-Dendar wrote:Watched this film at a preview last night, thought it was awesome. Very different to the TV series, not sure it can go back to TV now, but there could and definitely should be more movies.
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