Yeah. I saw it. Now I'm reviewing it.
This film was hyped more than any movie since Dark Knight. Cross-promotion in Esurance and Burger King commercials, commemorative toys and glasses, teaser trailers two years in advance of release, interviews on nearly every major channel, a pre-screening for our troops in the Middle East. Not to mention, every Trekkie out there has been looking forward to this film with an ambivalent mix of dread and anticipation.
Suffice it to say, general expectations were high. Even given that, I tried to go in completely unbiased. This is something I'm quite capable of, given that my experience with Star Trek goes only so far as watching a few episodes of the original series late at night on basic cable, and watching Star Trek 4 just for its campiness (this was the film where the crew travelled back in time to 1984 to save a blue whale; very convoluted, yet fun in an it's-so-bad-it's-good kind of way). I'm no Trekkie.
That said, I loved this film.
Chris Pine has received loads of praise already as the young Jim Kirk, and I add my voice to the choir on this. He was excellent, and my hat is off to J. J. Abrams on picking up this relatively-unknown talent. Coincidentally, thanks to his performance, Chris Pine's IMDB page has seen a 900% increase in popularity since the film's release. Not too shabby.
Simon Pegg as Scotty is charming as hell, and Karl Urban, playing Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy, is outstanding. Even Eric Bana, who's never been anything wooden in any role I've seen him in, is utilized well.
The script is perhaps the most unexpected standout. As has been touted by Abrams for quite some time now, this film isn't made strictly for Trekkies, it's made for everyone. There is nothing here that requires any previous knowledge of Star Trek lore. There are very few instances of nonsensical techno-babble, and even those few are explained in layman's terms immediately. My suspended disbelief was never shaken, there were no dues ex machina, and the characters were all written much better than I would have ever expected of a Star Trek film.
The special effects were spectacular, the action was intense, and I left the film with a smile on my face. What more can you ask of a summer blockbuster?
Also, I'd like to include a side note about the plot: I'd heard a Trekkie or two complain about a certain event in the movie that they claimed contradicted the storyline of the original series. To this, I can only say that if you're not intimately familiar with the entirety of the Star Trek universe, you won't even know what they mean (I didn't till I looked it up, and still don't care in the slightest).
If I were to quantify my review for the movie... I'd say it gets a solid 90% from me. A truly fun film to watch, and suitable for the completely uninitiated Star Trek fan. Go see it.
Post a Comment