Star Trek (2009) Review

Star Trek

2009

A prequel to the old series, the eleventh film followed the original Enterprise crew (Kirk, Spock, Bones and company) throughout their final days at Starfleet Academy and onto their first mission, which of course, is a doozy. This new age "teen-Trek" had enough action, special effects, and sex appeal to excite even a Vulcan. I had low hopes but was pleasantly surprised. It was not only entertaining, it succeeded where the Star Wars prequels failed, in creating a believable and interesting backstory to the classics. It was fun to see how the young characters met and watch the initial rivalries between eventual best-buddies Kirk and Spock. The new Trek also learned from the new Wars’ mistakes. In order to avoid creating continuity errors, the script cleverly used time-travel as a plot device to create in an alternate universe, free of the old timeline. Unlike Hayden Christesen and his whiny, teenage Vader impression, each of the actors here were very well cast. They looked and felt like their grownup counterparts. The only disappointing character was the Romulan villain, Nero. Perhaps the writers had so much fun reviving the old characters they forgot they also had to have an antagonist in the script until the final draft, where they threw in some forgettable goon just for a little conflict. But the most obvious flaws were the universally agreed upon bad scenes which stood out like sore Klingons, such as little Kirk’s rebellious convertible ride or the out-of-place, out-of-nowhere Spock-Uhura love story. I also longed for the themes explored in all of the previous films. Yeah, there’s plenty to nitpick, but the bottom line is, the film succeeded at pleasing both Trekkies and newcomers alike. It’s a good gateway film for the franchise, and one I think should be left alone, though I’m certain the inevitable sequels are not far behind. 3.5/5 stars.　

Overall, I think the Star Trek film franchise has certainly succeeded in creating a unique universe that’s fun to immerse yourself in for a couple hours (or, in my case, a couple dozen), although I don't think any of the films themselves are as great as the world they've created as a whole. For all you young filmgoers who saw the eleventh film first, hopefully I’ve inspired you to seek out some of the others. I especially recommend the old "trilogy." It’s interesting seeing how the Trek films evolved, as each are very representative of the films of their time. They’re also still very easy to find. I was able to rent the first ten from my local library for free, and by the time I caught up to film eleven, it was at the dollar theater. Until my next series review, live long and prosper!

If you enjoyed these reviews, check out my Star Wars Reviews.

Star Trek: Nemesis Review

Star Trek: Nemesis
2002

Following a political coup, a mysterious young Reman leads a group of Romulans in an attempt to destroy earth with a new biogenic weapon. Wow, look at that title. That’s easily the worst in the series. They might as well have called it, Star Trek: The Bad Guy or Star Trek: The Phantom Menace. So, right from the title screen, I wasn’t expecting much. But the opening scene was an awesome, C.G.I.-laden assassination, similar to episode VI. Then there’s a cheesy wedding scene that features a joke-telling Picard, a singing Data and a drunk Worf. None of it’s funny. Then there’s an awesome chase scene between high-speed jeeps on a desert planet. Then we meet an “evil twin” of Picard and a prototype of Data named B-4 (get it?), both of whom have a knack for atrocious dialogue. Then there’s another awesome action scene as Picard fights his way out of the enemy starship. Get the idea? The visuals are top-notch; the writing is not. The “destiny” theme was interesting in the one scene it was mentioned in. I wish they would have gone deeper with it. Much like the ending of Search for Spock, I totally thought I saw a great twist coming at the end, but again, it didn’t happen! Nemesis was entertaining, but ultimately just another blockbuster. I’ve never heard it put this way before, but I think of this film, along with the two previous episodes, as a “trilogy” of their own, though it’s definitely sub par to the first trilogy. 3/5 stars.

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Star Trek: Insurrection Review

Star Trek: Insurrection
1998

Data goes haywire during a covert op mission and attacks fellow Federation members while spying on the peaceful, primitive Ba’ku people. The Enterprise crew is called in to capture and repair Data, then ordered then depart immediately. But the crew decides to stay and solve the mysteries behind Data’s malfunction and why the Federation was spying on a seemingly innocent race in the first place. This one started off dull and confusing but eventually became an interesting mystery with some nice twists. The central theme was less clear in this one, which I liked. It urged you to come up with your own interpretation. I saw it as a film about sociology. It dealed with the customs, beliefs and rights of different cultures, which was all very cool. But then there’s F. Murray Abraham’s character. Don’t get me wrong, he’s an excellent actor, but here, he plays basically the same role he did in Amadeus: a vengeful villain with about ten pounds of wrinkly makeup on his face. Only here, he doesn’t have any memorable lines other than his two “NOOOOO!” scenes. That's right, two. Three, if you count his indecipherable, dying scream. The majority of the film had very little action yet the story still held my interest. In fact, the occasional bursts of action seemed forced and unnecessary, like they were just thrown in every thirty minutes to keep the immature audiences awake. Once the action picks up in the third act, the film sinks. The climax pits Picard and Salieri in a boring gunfight set in a room full of blue walls -- clearly bluescreens that were never filled in (whoops, maybe they shouldn’t have gone so over-budget on the C.G.I.). Insurrection took a while to get going, but when it did, man, it was going warp-speed. Sadly, it ran out of dylithium fuel before the end. 3.5/5 Stars.

Warp to my Star Trek: Nemesis Review

Star Trek: First Contact Review

Star Trek: First Contact
1996

Earth is under attack by the Borg, a race of half-human, half-machine beings who attempt to travel back in time to prevent earth’s first contact with an alien race, thereby crippling the planet’s technology in the present and enabling the Borg to defeat them. After the disappointment of Generations, I thought the series was surely dead. But this one caught me off guard. Finally, villains that aren’t Klingon! The Borg were truly menacing, as was their seductive Queen. They all share a collective consciousness, so what one of them knows, they all know. They can quickly adapt to projectiles, renduring phazers practically useless. And they can “assimilate” their victims, which turns them into a fellow Borg. It’s like a zombie movie in space. However, the race did have a moronic weakness that prevented them from defending themselves until provoked, even when surrounded by armed Starfleet officers. The theme was revenge. Jean-Luc had a bone to pick with the Borg because they had assimilated him six years earlier. Luckily, he was deprogrammed/rehabilitated/whatever, but the traumatic experience also provided him unique insight into Borg strategies. The cast finally won me over, mainly due to Patrick Stewart's stellar lead performance. Oh, and here’s some food-for-thought for you Trekkies: remember the “machine planet” in The Motion Picture? Could that be the Borg? Great use of C.G.I. and another excellent score by Jerry Goldsmith made this the Khan of the Next Generation series. 4/5 stars.

Warp to my Star Trek: Insurrection Review

Star Trek Generations Review

Star Trek Generations
1994

After a lengthy prologue showing how Kirk was killed by a mysterious energy ribbon called the “Nexus,” we jump 78 years later, where the Enterprise is now run by The Next Generation crew (the third television series), including Jean-Luc Picard, Data and the rest, whose names I don’t care to remember. With the help of some evil Klingons, a bad guy named Soran (not to be confused with Sauron) attempts to actually get inside the Nexus. This film served as the bridge between the old series and the new, or should I say, the first and the second. The theme was Time -- which seems promising, but trust me, it turns out to be a waste of just that. For starters, I didn’t care for the new crew. I actually found myself missing the old characters -- one of the same complaints I had of the new Star Wars films. And talk about reusing old concepts! Klingon villains again? Really? Aren’t there any other races in the Trek universe? The android character, Data, was learning to understand emotions just like Spock was. The villain wanted to “join” with something strange and unknown just like in episodes I and V. And I lost track of how many cheesy shots there were of the Starfleet crew reacting to an attack on the ship, bouncing around the rooms while the camera had a seizure… don’t they have seatbelts on starships? We’ve seen this all before. The filmmakers were still squeezing a dry sponge. The one great scene came when they finally got inside the Nexus -- think your own personal Matrix where life is absolutely perfect to provide maximum happiness. Too bad the rest of the film had the opposite effect. 1.5/5 stars.

Warp to my Star Trek: First Contact Review

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country Review

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
1991

The Federation and Klingons are finally on the eve of making peace when Kirk is framed for assassinating a Klingon chancellor. This one was a return to form, boasting a really good plot and superb special effects. The theme was the future. The first act takes its time, tension slowly boiling as humans and Klingons share an awkward dinner aboard the Enterprise. The tension finally erupts with a fantastic assassination scene set in a zero-gravity, where pink drops of Klingon blood float weightlessly in midair. What follows is essentially an old-fashioned murder mystery set in space, complete with futurustic takes on Hitchcockian plot devices: there’s an isolated location (a starship), plenty of suspects (300 red-shirts) and a MacGuffin (magnetic boots). It was a brilliant setup, and although it is fun to watch it all unfold, it leaves something to be desired. The “whodunit” was far too obvious -- you’ll know long before the revelation. The supporting cast is excellent, but the leads evoke an ambiguous response. It’s like watching elderly actors come out of retirement for one last show; great to see them still doing their thing, though obvious they’ve left their prime. The script is too reminiscient of other films; among a galore of pop culture quotes, there's a planet covered in snow *cough, HOTH!*, slaves forced to work in a mine *hack, TEMPLE OF DOOM!* and a sniper at a political convention *gag, MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE!* Ahem. Episode VI was kind of a rip-off, though still a good last hurrah for the original cast. Shatner delivered a very emotional farewell, marking the bittersweet end of an era as he ushered in the real undiscovered country. 4/5 stars.

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Star Trek V: The Final Frontier Review

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
1989

The crew’s vacation at Yosemite Nation Park is cut short when they’re called to rescue political hostages on a nearby planet. But it turns out to be a trap arranged by Sybok, Spock’s half-brother, who hijacks the Enterprise to see if there’s a God beyond The Great Barrier, the scary area in deep space that many ships have entered but none have returned from. Oh, and all the while, they’re being pursued by vengeful Klingons. Ouch. This one sucked! It recycled too many old concepts, such as Klingon villains, an out-of-shape ship and “becoming one” with a mysterious entity. Unlike in Journey Home, the humor here fell dead flat. The film had a campy, B-movie quality that really set it apart from the previous films, which was surprising, considering it was the first in the series I consider "contemporary." The theme was religion, which could have been interesting, but there were hardly any attempts at philosophical dialogue, and the ending was way too Wizard of Oz. The film had its moments but not enough to compensate for its flaws. Skip it. 2.5/5 stars.

Warp to my Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country Review

Star Trek IV: The Journey Home Review

Star Trek IV: The Journey Home
1986

A deep-space probe reaches Earth, transmitting a message in an unknown language. When Starfleet is unable to decipher the message, the probe begins causing planetary power failures and disastrous weather. The Enterprise crew discover the language to be that of humpback whales (which are extinct in the twenty-third century), so the crew casually fires up the time-warp drive and jumps back to 1986 to retrieve a couple. What sounds like a recipe for disaster is actually a true delicacy. Episode IV was the most daring and different of them all, shooting for more of a romantic-comedy than an action-drama. Surprisingly, it works. Very well, I might add. It's very Back To the Future, or should I say, Back to the Present. Watching the nerdy crew trying to adapt to the 1980's proves thoroughly hysterical. The film achieves the perfect level of sophisticated humor without descending to a dimwitted screwball. There’s even a nice love story between Kirk and the marine biologist he needs the whales from. There’s no central villain, but the stakes are still high enough and the story is so fun that you’ll hardly notice. The theme is communication, or the lack thereof. Journey Home was a radical change of pace, but that’s exactly what made it my favorite Trek of all. 4/5 stars.

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Star Trek III: The Search for Spock Review

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
1984

Well, now that you know who died in the last film… Spock’s body is laid to rest on the newly revived planet Genesis, and guess what. The device revives Spock, too. The problem is, his “katra” (the Vulcan soul) is missing. Meanwhile, a crazy Klingon commander named Kruge (played by the always delightfully over-the-top Christopher Lloyd) is after the Genesis Device. It’s kind of lame that they simply replaced Khan with another villain that had the exact same goal. Granted, most villains desire world domination, but to have two back-to-back baddies attempt to achieve it in an identical way just lazy. However, Kruge does establish himself as a worthy and original adversary. And this time, he and Kirk actually duke it out man to man -- er, man to Klingon -- in the middle of a planetary apocalypse! You’ve all seen climactic duels set against a volcanic backdrop before, but none ever this good. The theme was Life, forming a great yin yang with Khan. However, the film is full of minor disappointments that really add up. When we meet Kruge, he has a reptilian canine beside his throne. It’s a great “plant” but there’s no “payoff.” Hell, I wanted to see that dog sic some Federation balls! The film spoiled a golden opportunity for a twist ending by foolishly letting us in on the trick. I’m going to give it away because the film does, too: Kirk’s crew stages a phony surrender, tricking the Klingons into boarding the Enterprise just as it self-destructs. It was clever, but would have been brilliant if we didn’t discover the double-cross until the Klingons did. Moments like that made me realize both how good the film was and how much better it could have been. 4/5 stars.

Warp to my Star Trek IV: The Journey Home Review

Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan Review

Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan
1982

Starfleet is looking for a planet to test their new Genesis Device, a project that can theoretically turn a dead, barren planet into a living, hospitable one. But an old villain from the television series is back to use the Genesis as a weapon to lay living planets to waste. Khan was the first of what is commonly referred to today as the “Trek trilogy,” comprised of episodes two, three and four, due to a) how closely the stories tie together, b) the shared writing and directing credits, and c) just how damn good each of them are. This one had a much faster pace than the first film, a better screenplay and more action. Khan was a great villain (after you get over the ludicrous, 80's disco look). My only major complaint is that Kirk and Khan only battle twice, both times ship to ship. I was hoping for a third battle, face to face (however, the film did inspire me to Youtube the old television episode with Khan, which granted my wish). The theme was Death. The aging characters were growing ever-closer to it. Kirk refused to face his own mortality, cheating death time and time again, even in a “no-win” simulation test back at Starfleet Academy. And at the end of Khan, a main character actually dies, though I wouldn’t dare give away who. 4/5 stars.

Warp to my Star Trek III: The Search for Spock Review

Star Trek: The Motion Picture Review

Star Trek: The Motion Picture
1979

An unknown entity is discovered on a direct course to Earth and the starship Enterprise is sent to intercept it. The entire cast of the original (and the animated) television series united for the first feature-length Trek film. The big-screen Enterprise got off to a bumpy start. Episode one is a long, slow burner with some very W.T.F. moments. There’s acid-trippy editing, “subliminal” cameos from Darth Vader and Miss Piggy (really), and one of the most mind-boggling endings I’ve ever seen. The screenplay is full of the incessant “techno-babble” that made the shows so inaccessible to all but the uberest of geeks. Despite its shortcomings, the film still manages to deliver a decent sci-fi epic. The mystery surrounding the entity is very intriguing, and slowly learning more about it really held my interest. I especially liked the central theme of the film: knowledge. Each of the main characters are after it in their own individual ways. William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy were a joy to watch. They had the advantage of playing Kirk and Spock for a whole decade prior to the film and it really pays off. You can feel genuine chemistry and history between the characters. The Motion Picture is bound to please the fans, and although it does fill in newcomers on all “the basics” (Vulcans are emotionless, Klingons are assholes), I don’t think it’s a good introductory film for the franchise. I recommend trying the other films first, and only ordering this one if you’re still hungry. 3.5/5 stars.

Warp to my Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan Review

Star Trek Reviews (Intro)

The one thing I actually like about Hollywood’s mass-production of remakes and sequels is that they renew interest in the originals. I had never seen a Star Trek film before, I’m not sure why. Maybe because I never followed any of the six television shows. Maybe because I didn’t enjoy the few episodes I did catch. Or maybe because I simply would have considered it cheating on my beloved Star Wars. However, when word spread that a new Trek film was finally hitting theaters in '09, I thought, perhaps it’s time I caught up. There are now a whopping eleven films in the franchise, so join me now as I boldly go where many nerds have gone before… on a Trek-a-thon. Warp speed, Scotty!

Warp to my Star Trek: The Motion Picture Review