Star Trek: First review
Saldana, Pine and Quinto in the brilliant Star Trek
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Monday, 20, Apr 2009 04:52
By Lewis Bazley.
Directed by JJ Abrams, out May 8th in cinemas, starring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Eric Bana, Simon Pegg, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, running time 126 mins.
In a nutshell...
Relentless, hilarious intergalactic action wonder
What's it all about?
Lost creator JJ Abrams assembles a promising young cast to chronicle the early days of James T Kirk (Pine) and his fellow USS Enterprise crew members.
In this new vision of the greatest space adventure of all time, a young new crew venturing boldly where no man has ever gone before and joining forces to combat evil Romulan Nero (Bana), who has journeyed back from the future to threaten the United Federation of Planets.
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Who's in it?
Having forged a middling career as a pretty boy love interest in the likes of The Princess Diaries 2 and Lindsay Lohan romcom Just My Luck, Chris Pine moves to centre stage as James Tiberius Kirk while Zachary Quinto - best known as the villainous Sylar in Heroes - is eerily convincing in capturing the spirit of Leonard Nimoy as Spock. Co-stars include former Hulk and stand-up comedian Eric Bana, British comedy great Simon Pegg, Harold and Kumar actor John Cho and Lord of the Rings' Karl Urban.
As an example...
"Do you like being the only genius level young offender in the Midwest?" - Captain Pike
"Maybe I love it." - James T Kirk
"Are you out of your Vulcan mind??" - Leonard 'Bones' McCoy (Entertainment Editor - say the line quickly)
"Are you from the future?" - Scotty
"He is, I'm not." - James T Kirk
"That's brilliant! Do they still have sandwiches there?" - Scotty
Likelihood of a trip to the Oscars
It's a strong favourite for success at the Empire and MTV Movie awards, and is that rare beast that'll find favour with hardcore fans, newcomers and critics alike.
What the others say
"It is confident, clever and above all spectacular enough to please die-hard fans and newcomers alike." - Nick Curtis, Evening Standard
"Star Trek manages the astonishingly tricky balancing act of delivering an entirely fresh, yet wholly familiar, slice of Trekdom. But more than that; it’s really entertaining on so many different levels." - Mark Pickavance, Den of Geek
"The first full-fledged A-level Star Trek movie since Star Trek: The Motion Picture and the first truly successful one." - Harry Knowles, Ain't It Cool News
So is it any good?
Remakes, reboots, reimaginings - whatever you want to call return visits to oft-explored franchise, JJ Abrams' take on Star Trek is hardly a journey into the final frontier. Yet in handing the Lost creator the reins to overhaul a landmark, 40-year-old TV series with ten film spin-offs, Paramount Studios have not just kicked off an inevitably lucrative new movie saga, but also managed to give a much-parodied source new life and devotees. Abrams has more than proved his dramatic and comedic credentials in the likes of Felicity, Alias and - before it went a bit mad - Lost and revealed a surprising talent for action direction in 2006's Mission: Impossible III but in Star Trek, he is now confirmed as the one of the most talented filmmakers of his generation. The pulse-raising, balls-to-the-wall action filmmaking on show here shows he is able to breathe new life into a potentially stagnant source, to find humanity in a profoundly absurd situation and to satisfy the fanboys while attracting new converts.
His stamp is evident throughout, from the consistent humour - a welcome relief from the gloom of the likes of The Dark Knight - to a cameo from Keri Russell and Kirk's ice planet run-in with a monster who bears a passing resemblance to the Cloverfield monster. Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzmann's script is another stellar success, from its deeply emotional, unfailingly tense prologue, through deftly handled character introductions and a comic touch that lightens the quickfire action sequences, while the score feels timeless and fitting.
Clearly no expense has been spared in creating the lavish battle sequences and effects the original makers could only have dreamt of, but without a largely magnificent effort from the cast, none of the kiss kiss-bang bang would matter. Thankfully, casting is impeccable. Quinto is Spock and a revelation in a role a galaxy apart from his Heroes villainy while Urban superbly channels DeForest Kelley as Bones and late arrival Pegg gives the climax some comic legs. Criticisms are few, and trivial at that - Yelchin's comedy Russian accent grates while Bana's is all over the place and a romantic arc between Uhuru and Spock seems forced and unnecessary, especially when the script has so successfully earned emotional investment from the audience.
But it's Pine, stepping into the staccato-delivery shoes of William Shatner, who's the standout, with an instantly star-making turn. His grin veers just the right side of smackable, luring in even the most sceptical of viewer while his stand-offs with Quinto's Spock add depth and huge dramatic tension to a film that already excites, moves and compels.
With countless spine-tingling action sequences, a perfect recreation of Vulcan and a script full of loving nods to its forebears, Abrams has made the continuing missions of the Starship Enterprise one that millions will be eager to follow.
There's a perfect set-up for a sequel and as an unmistakeable baritone utters the legendary series voiceover and that familiar score rises, you'll be desperate to beam up again.
8/10
Lewis Bazley