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April
24, 2009 by Jason P. Hunt [UPDATED May 9, 2009]
This
review will be broken into sections dealing with various aspects of the
film. And what few spoilers may be included will be toward the bottom, and
I’ll warn you first. Deal?
UPDATED:
Just to clarify, I have a hard time recommending this movie to die-hard TREK
fans. Our TREK is gone. Those folks out there who have a passing fancy for
the franchise - or are brand new to it - will probably love this movie. And there's a lot to like, as I detail below.
And as a
writer, I can accept why they've done what they've done. I get it.
Really. After a while, I may be able to appreciate it. But not yet. But the Abrams team changes
too much in the course of establishing an alternate timeline, and some
things you just don't mess with - in my opinion.
And
it's just that - my opinion. Which may not match yours. And that's what
makes it fun, right?
The following is a gut-level reaction from a lifelong fan who also
happens to be a writer and filmmaker.
On
the one hand, the general overview:
It’s a roller coaster ride, typical of Abrams. And despite any
reassurances to the contrary, it feels more like Star Wars mated
with the "Battlestar Galactica" reboot. It’s frenetic and
hectic and fast-paced most of the way through, which makes those quiet
moments even more effective. Industrial Light & Magic outdid
themselves on this one. If any of the other TREK movies had been able to
mount this kind of budget, the franchise would never have sputtered.
The battle sequences are exciting and take full advantage of the fact that
space is three-dimensional. And there are several shots and sequences that
are quite literally breath-taking. The first shot of the
Enterprise
in orbit (and the very first image ever released is that moment) is a lot
more effective than I expected it to be. This ship really does look like the
Enterprise
of yore. Granted, it’s more along the lines of the movies (and that’s
been the subject of numerous debates already, so I won’t rehash it
here). But it works, in its own way.
The opening sequence with the attack on the USS Kelvin
is perfectly nuanced. And although the uniforms don’t look anything like
TREK – with the exception of the delta shield that is the only insignia
anywhere – the shuttle design is in keeping with the original Galileo, with some minor differences that give it a little more
realistic feeling. The Narada
reminds me of V’Ger from Star Trek: The Motion Picture – all
space inside and even a portal reminiscent of the “V’Ger Orifice”.
The attack just keeps coming. And George Kirk’s final moments are
intercut with the birth of James Kirk on the shuttle, all backed by what I
can only describe as a symphonic ballet from Michael Giacchino (for a
detailed review of the music, see the sidebar).
And then, there’s that big “STAR TREK” on the screen. I got chills.
I really did.
Then we’re chasing the Corvette in Iowa. The cop is not a robot. We meet James Tiberius Kirk after he destroys
the Corvette, and then it’s off to Vulcan. Spock is undergoing tests
similar to those he faced in Star
Trek IV: The Voyage Home – a frantic machine-gun attack of questions
that he answers flawlessly. And then promptly fails the next challenge –
the teasing from his classmates.
These elements of the story have been pretty well established, so I’ll
stop there with the blow-by-blow. Spock eventually makes the decision to
go to Starfleet, while Kirk does the same thing on Earth after the bar
fight with Crewman Cupcake in
Iowa
. The Pike/Kirk dynamic is fully formed, even though the two don’t know
each other very well. It’s clear that Pike has had an interest.
Of course, Kirk goes to the Academy, meeting McCoy on the shuttle. I have
to say this about Karl Urban: even though he looks more like Gary
Mitchell, his McCoy is so letter-perfect. We even get an origin for the
nickname “Bones”. Urban is so perfectly cast as McCoy, and there are
several points throughout the movie that hearken back to the relationship
the good doctor has with a certain “pointy-eared hobgoblin”. The
McCoy/Spock dynamic is there, and it’s just as fully realized in its
infancy as we always saw it on the original series.
The same can be said of Winona Ryder as Amanda. I was hesitant when I
first heard of this casting, but Ryder very much resembles a young Jane
Wyatt. The character doesn’t get much to do except reassure her son, but
there’s a depth in the performance that I wasn’t expecting. I was
impressed, to say the least.
As the story progresses, of course, we learn what drives Nero to wreak
havoc in the past (and more details on this are in the “Countdown”
comic book). The core of the movie is really getting all the characters
into their familiar places, even though at times it seems rather
contrived. Before going over to the Narada, Pike basically gives Kirk a battlefield promotion from cadet
to first officer – presumably because of Pike’s relationship with the
senior Kirk. I had a tough time accepting that.
And when we get to Delta Vega, all bets are off. Seeing Leonard Nimoy once
more as Spock – words can’t begin to describe the (dare I say it?)
emotions. It was a near-perfect moment.
Scotty’s entry into the story is what it is – comic relief. By this
time, though, it’s a much-needed relief. After ___________ happens, and
after seeing ______________, it’s a point in the story where you have to
laugh at something. Simon Pegg wouldn’t have been my first choice as
Scotty, but as has been noted by others, his approach to the role is
appropriate for where the character is in this story. And we’re still
waiting for Admiral Archer’s beagle to reappear.
Once we’re back on the “exciting” ship, there is the showdown
between Kirk and Spock, mainly because Spock has the ship going the other
way while Nero takes the Narada on a course to Earth, because he’s done what he needed to
do at Vulcan. So Kirk gets his
ship. And everyone is pretty much where we expect them to be just in time
for the epic confrontation with Nero.
And it’s epic. Very grand on a scale no STAR TREK movie has ever before
accomplished. The final battle is just as frantic as the first – with
bright flaring torpedoes and phasers sputtering and debris and flames
flying everywhere.
Of course, you know how it’s going to end, right? I mean, everyone’s
signed on for two sequels…
And
on the other hand:
There are moments in this movie that are there for the TREK fans. Things a
passing fan (or new fan) just won’t pick up on. These are the moments I
had to smile in appreciation for the history of TREK:
- Mention
of Kohlinar and the testing of Spock
- The
Kobyashi Maru scenario and
the subsequent discussion over Kirk’s refusal to accept a no-win
scenario. There is dialogue here that ties in to Star
Trek II in a way that just feels right.
- In
that hearing, there’s a name plate for Admiral James Komack, whom
die hard fans will recognize as one of the Starfleet brass from the
original show.
- Uhura
(and she finally officially gets the first name Nyota) gets assigned
to the Farragut, which was
Kirk’s first assignment
- The
sky-dive suits look a lot like the environmental suits from the first
two movies, and there’s an admiral’s uniform that looks almost
exactly like Kirk’s in TMP
- The
transporter may look a bit different, but the sound is there.
- Statues
on Vulcan – much like in the remastered version of TMP
- We
get “I’m a doctor, not a physicist.” And “I’m givin’ her
all she’s got!”
- Spock
quotes Sherlock Holmes
- In
the credits, there’s a song attributed to the performer Cyrano Jones
- And
I saw the tribble.
[UPDATED: The performances
are first-rate, for the most part. All of the main cast have significant
challenges in coming to roles that have been defined by others for so
long. But they all do pretty well. Anton Yelchin's accent was a bit too
thick, for my taste. Chris Pine has the biggest Shatner-sized hurdle, but
he does pretty well, all things considered. However, I don't think he's a
strong enough actor to be the sole lead in something like this. In some
places, he's Jim Kirk Lite.
No. William Shatner is not
in the movie.
And the swollen balloon hands
don't look as bad as many were fearing...]
The shot of the
Enterprise
rising up through the rings of Saturn is just amazing. Saturn looks just
like the recent Cassini photos released by NASA. If I’m not mistaken,
it’s the same image. Has to be. It’s too good.
And the final shots, just before the Alexander Courage theme is brought
in, are so very much STAR TREK of old, complete with the Speech.
Now,
(for the Arex fans) on the third hand:
This
is where you stop reading if you want to remain spoiler-free. I’m going
to cover a few items and you don’t want to read them.
Really.
Last chance.
OK, for those still
with me: I really wanted to like this movie. I really did. I wanted to see
STAR TREK return to the mainstream in all its glory and confidence and
sprawling optimism of the future and humanity’s brilliant jump out into
the stars. I wanted to see these new actors and new situations as a
rebirth of a 43-year-old franchise that has given me years (days?) of
escape.
But I can’t.
Sitting in the theater while the credits were rolling, I felt like I’d
been kicked in the gut. There are so many great moments in this movie, and
yet it takes everything that has been STAR TREK since 1966 and spaces it
out the nearest airlock. It’s a ham-fisted attempt at a reboot within
canon, thus creating a new timeline that gives the creative team license
to erase everything we’ve known about this universe since the beginning.
I know Roberto Orci likes to invoke quantum mechanics in his explanation
that the original universe is still out there somewhere, but that’s a
cop out.
I want my STAR TREK back, and it’s gone forever.
Production
design & cinematography:
Scott Chamliss missed it. The production design was sloppy when it comes
to the
Enterprise
. I still hate the bridge, and I felt like I was on two different ships
– one with white walls and electronic hoot-noise devices, and one with
pipes (and man! are there a lot
of pipes…). The engine room is all
pipes. And not an intermix chamber to be seen anywhere. I got my hopes up
toward the end when the bridge started cracking apart. I thought “OK,
we’ll get a new bridge module in the end.” But alas…
The delta shield is everywhere.
It’s too much. I mean, it’s Every. Where. There is a definite 21st-century
“Let’s put our brand on everything!” mentality there, and it’s
annoying. I liked it when each ship had its own insignia. That’s gone.
And like others, I’m not a big fan of the lens flare aesthetic of the
camera work. The hand-held cinematography is fine. I use it myself quite a
bit in my own films, but the lighting was annoyingly in the lens too much.
It’s fine for the action sequences, but Daniel Mindel should have dialed
it back a lot for every other scene.
I saw Majel Barrett
Roddenberry’s name in the credits as the ship’s computer voice, but
stick a Ceti eel in my ear and I still couldn’t tell you where. I
didn’t hear her. At all. And that bothers me. A lot.
Story:
Here’s where they lost me. The fact that STAR TREK is now in an
alternate timeline just rubs me the wrong way. Watching this movie, I felt
like a parent who’s child has been missing for years, only to return
home an unrecognizable stranger who may or may not be the child you lost.
I’m not thrilled with the changes in the Kirk character. I don’t have
to see him as an angst-ridden rebellious youth. If you’re going to play
that card, let’s see it as a result of Tarsus IV, not because he’s
some young punk with a chip on his shoulder. That change in his history
renders completely unbelievable his meteoric rise from cadet to captain
over the course of a few days.
At this point in the review, I’m torn between respecting the fans who
really want to remain spoiler-free, and spoiling the whole thing to keep
you from going.
There are a lot of elements in this story that I don’t like. To tell you
why would be to reveal major plot points. Heavy duty plot points that I
don’t feel right in revealing yet. But at the same time, I feel an
obligation to go over at least the generalities.
There are a lot of
scenes that seem lifted from other incarnations of the franchise. Several
episodes are invoked, most notably "This Side of Paradise", and
there are a lot of vibrations from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
There's even a slug that's looks remarkably like a Ceti eel - and it
attaches itself to the brain, too! I can't tell if these scenes are these
because the writers are fans or because the writers wanted desperately for
this movie to feel like STAR TREK of old that they recycled scenes.
Since it’s an established “alternate timeline” from which there
doesn’t appear to be an escape, the writers have wreaked havoc with the
TREKverse as we know it. Despoiled it. Sullied it. Our STAR TREK is gone.
This new timeline has differences that left me reeling. There is a reason
why Uhura is hugging Spock, and it’s not one that sits well with me (or
the Missus, who was also in attendance). And the death of a particular
character put a taste in my mouth that will take me a long time to erase.
It was probably necessary to this particular story, but I’m still not
convinced this was the best story to tell.
In the April 20 Advertising Age
magazine, Paramount mouthpiece Katie Martin Kelley said, “There’s a
core fan base that you have to cater to. But with a reboot, you
have an opportunity to wipe the slate clean [emphasis mine].”
That’s just what they’ve done – found a way to start with the
43-year history of TREK and turn it on its ear with a convenient time
travel plot device that allows them to completely ignore and destroy
everything that’s come before.
Is the writing good? Yes. And that's what's so frustrating. The writing is
exceptional. I just don't like the story they told.
Is it the best for
STAR TREK? The box office will ultimately tell that tale. But let’s just
say I’m glad I saw this movie with a free pass.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>WARNING!
MAJOR SPOILERS
AHEAD!>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
AND
NOW THAT PEOPLE ARE STARTING TO SEE IT...
Here's
what I really REALLY don't like about STAR TREK:
1.
The Spock/Uhura relationship - completely out of nowhere, no set-up at
all. And the fact that Spock, who's been battling his emotional control
his whole life, would suddenly be displaying affection for a junior
officer in front of others, while on duty, in the middle of a crisis, is
just (dare I say it?) illogical. I didn't buy it for a second, and I
didn't like it.
2.
The death of Amanda - OK, I get it that this is an alternate timeline.
They made that really clear when they discussed it on the bridge. But
Spock is going to have enough trouble with his emotional control simply
with the destruction of Vulcan. Spock Prime even says it to Kirk.
"His home world has just been destroyed. He's going to be emotionally
compromised." Fair enough. The death of Amanda was unnecessary. And
it happens in the same moments that Chekov has demonstrated that he can
use the transporter to snag two bodies out of the sky falling at thousands
of feet per second.
3.
The science is all over the place. Black holes for time travel? I don't
believe it. And the miracle transporter completely ignores the laws of
physics. I mean, really, is anyone with any ounce of intelligence going to
believe that the transporter can reach that far? Think about this:
in the time Kirk's been left on Delta Vega (why didn't they just throw him
in the brig? Oh, wait. He has to meet Spock and get the exposition.), and
the time it takes to meet Spock and then walk to the station, meet Scotty,
re-formulate the transporter, argue with the Oompa-Loompa, the Enterprise
has been travelling at warp the entire time! The ship, by now, is
so far away from Vulcan... You can't change the laws of physics, but these
guys just ignored them completely! And the destruction of Vulcan - the
effects weren't felt on Delta Vega (which somehow has been transplanted
from the Edge of the Galaxy to be a next-door neighbor now...)?? To
quote Khan: "Ceti Alpha Six exploded six months after we were left
here. The shock shifted the orbit of this planet, and everything was laid
waste." Cosmic events like the destruction of a planet will have an
effect on the rest of the star system. It's simple physics.
4.
There is no story. This is a roller-coaster ride, no question. And it's
made for the "ME" generation - non-thinkers who have grown up
having everything spoon-fed to them. This is not a movie for people who
like to think. The appeal of "Star Trek" has always been the philosophical
and thought-provoking stories. Especially in the original series - with
notable science fiction writers like Theodore Sturgeon, Harlan Ellison and
others - "Star Trek" offered action while also giving us an
introspective look at the human condition. What is it to be human? And is
it always a good thing? Can we do better? Those questions would be
completely out of place in this movie.
5.
There are way too many coincidences. The twists this movie takes to get
everyone on the ship by the end of the movie, just boggles the mind. And
to see James Kirk turned into James Dean just insulted me. Is this the
only way the audience will identify with this hero? If he's riddled with
Teen Angst? They did that in Top Gun, complete with motorcycle. The
label "Star Trek 90210" was not without justification.
6. In
every incarnation of "Star Trek", whenever something happened to
change the time line, our intrepid heroes have always done their
dead-level best to correct the change and restore the original
universe. They don't just shrug their shoulders and say "Well, that's
that. We're in uncharted territory now." Even in other time travel
stories, there is always a responsibility to maintain the integrity of the
universe. Leaving the timeline changed has usually fallen under the
heading of Very Bad Thing. No such attitude here. The writers have very
cleverly used canon to create a story that completely erases canon so they
can go tell all the familiar stories their way. I really don't want
to see Khan again. There is only one Khan.
I
could go on, but it would just sound like I was mad because they throw
canon out the window. As I've said at the beginning of this, there is a
lot to like about this movie. But making a popcorn action flick and then
slapping "Star Trek" on it, doesn't make it STAR TREK. Go see
it, enjoy the ride. But don't expect it to be any more than it is - Starship
Trooper Wars in gold, blue and red.
This
is not your father's "Star Trek". I don't think it's Gene
Roddenberry's "Star Trek", either.
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THE MUSIC So
many folks have been asking about the music in this movie, so here's a
separate overview of the score. Simply
put, it's incredible. There
are hints of Jerry Goldsmith, James Horner, and John Williams. There are
dark themes that feel like Klingon elements, and there are winks at some
of the episodic music. The moments when the choir sing are epic moments in
the story that just scream for choirs and very large music cues. My
favorite moment was during the attack on the Kelvin, as the
shuttles are speeding away and George Kirk makes his last stand while
James is being born in a shuttle. The music there is a ballet, and it's so
perfect I wanted that moment in a jar on my nightstand to keep for those
bad days at work. It was transcendent. While
I think there could have been more diversity in the cues, I think this
score is top notch, exactly what I would expect from Michael Giacchino, he
of The Incredibles. The
battle on the drilling platform over Vulcan: listen carefully, and you
might actually hear similar tones to what played when Spock fought Kirk to
the death on Vulcan in "Amok Time" (da da DAH DAH DAH DAH DAH
DAH da da Dah dahh - you know it. You sang it with me, didn't you?) And
there are quiet cues, where the music just floats on the side, just enough
of a presence to reinforce the emotional core of the scenes. Even
though the original Alexander Courage theme doesn't appear until the end
credits, I was very impressed with the score. It's worthy of all who have
gone before. Giacchino has hit a home run. Maybe not knocked it out of the
park, but he's got a solid score that adds depth to the story the way a
good score should. Fans of TREK scores will not be disappointed.
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