| Overall Grade: |
A |
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| Story: |
A |
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| Acting: |
A |
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| Direction: |
A |
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| Visuals: |
A+ |
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Star Trek
by Bisonguy (movies profile)
May 7, 2009
61
of
73 people found this review helpful
Origin stories, prequels, and the rebooting of an obsolete franchise can be a tall order for any film-maker to accomplish. Just ask directors George Lucas and Gavin Hood (X-Men Origins) how big a task it can be. Now its J.J. Abrams turn and he’s going for one of the holy grails of science fiction mythology…STAR TREK!, A franchise whose time seem to have ended in film the year 2002 with the underwhelming Nemesis. Unlike Lucas and Hood, who could not create a good movie by taking a beloved universe and explaining their origins all over again, Abrams has seemingly done the impossible. He has created one of the best science fiction movies I’ve ever seen, and he done it with a prequel/origin story.
J.J. Abrams really has only one real film under his directorial belt and that’s Mission Impossible III which was good on action and thrills, but kind of confusing when it came to telling an interesting story. It would seem his time creating the hit Lost Series has paid off in making him a more complete film-maker. From beginning to end, Abrams is able to find the perfect balance of strong character development, story telling, and outstanding special effects and action pieces. This is J.J. Abrams new baby and the first time he really showed that he can be a top notch director in the industry today.
The screenplay, written by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, is also deserving of the praise that is thrust upon this movie. Here’s another example where studios need to take some notes. When it comes to creating a good story for cinema, one must not completely placate to a certain audience. That means striking a balance that will make the hardcore fan base ecstatic, but also bring in the casual movie-goer as well. Star Trek’s story is so well written that whether you’re a Trekkie or not, you’ll love this movie, and if you are a hardcore Star Trek fan, believe me you’ll have moments where you’ll just have to applaud. Also, I won’t spoil it, but there is a certain twist that completely reinvents the Star Trek series and will allow us to love the new crew of the U.S.S Enterprise for years to come.
Which brings me to the actors, all of whom had big shoes to fill and they all pull it off. Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, and the rest of the cast in this film just seem perfect for their roles. For me personally, Karl Urban’s McCoy at times completely stole the show. He just pulls off the one-liners so well and had the entire audience clapping at the nostalgia. The one performance that people might nit-pick about it will be Eric Bana’s Nero. He’s not the most memorable villain of all time, but he does his part which is really all that is asked for.
Star Trek (perhaps by default) is the best prequel of all time. Everything just clicks and it will keep you completely enthralled. J.J. Abrams has not only rebooted this franchise, but he has taken it to heights that no one could have possibly imagined when this project was first announced. It’s the best Star Trek ever, it’s one of the best science fiction movies I’ve ever seen, and it’s a great start to hopefully an outstanding new series. As long as this team is on board, Star Trek will indeed live long and prosper! |
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