For my first movie review I have chosen to review last summers smash hit Star Trek. I hope you enjoy!!
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It has been about 8 months since the release of J.J. Abrams re-imagining of the Star Trek franchise. I have never been much of a Star Trek fan and have always been a little more interested in Star Wars but when I saw the first teaser trailer of this new Star Trek movie about a year before it’s initial release I knew it was going to be awesome! What follows will give just a little hint of what I liked about Abrams reboot but be warned it is filled with potential spoilers.
Unlike other similar reboots Abrams Star Trek does not try to ignore past continuity (and piss off hardcore Trekkers). The film uses time travel to create a pocket universe separate from the original Star Trek universe. The story begins with a new bad guy, Nero attacking a Federation ship in deep space. What we as the viewers discover is that this bad guy, Nero is from the future and he has accidentally traveled through a black hole in pursuit of him nemesis Spock (he himself a older version of the Spock we know from the Original Series, played brilliantly by Leonard Nimoy). Since Nero and his crew have travel through time to a place that they do not belong they change how future events were suppose to occur most notably causing the death of George Kirk the father of the most famous Star Trek Captain, James Kirk . What follows can only be described as the new origin story of what happens in this parallel universe and to the characters from the original series. In this new film James Kirk is played by a young actor named Chris Pine who is already starting to make a name for himself and has been selected to also helm the new incarnation of the Jack Ryan Series. Kirk’s First Officer Spock is played by Zachary Quinto who many geeks will already know as Sylar from the NBC Superhero Drama, Heroes. There are many things that make this story work so well but these two actors and their characters are the heart of the story. What follows his an action packed Sci-Fi thriller!
The reason why I believe people will enjoy this movie is that it is written for everyone to enjoy and not just fans of past Star Trek incarnations. The movie does not get caught up in continuity and instead embraces what it is which is a smart, well-designed space opera. I would suggest this to Sci-Fi fans and non-Sci-Fi fans alike because I think this movie is for everyone! It is available on Blu-Ray (the preferred choice) or DVD.
There is a podcast commentary track by some friends of mine available at http://www.hhwlod.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=504:lod-movie-commentary-star-trek&catid=55:lod&Itemid=61.
Let me know what you think of the movie and also comment if you have any suggestions for what you would like reviewed next!
Good review! Star Trek was definitely one of the best films of last year. It made Star Trek “cool” again, even though I thought the older films and series were great as well. You should review The Patriot and District 9! You could also write something about the season premiere of Lost after it airs.