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.