Review Of Star Trek (2009)

J.J. Abrams is possibly the smartest film maker on earth right now. With Star Trek, he managed to make fun at some of the silly aspects of the original, while being respectful and paying homage to the old series. He wanted to provide a 21st century Trek but also understood the importance of respecting the source material and fans of the series that have been around for more than 40 years.

The best part is that one does not need to know much about Star Trek to be able to enjoy this movie. Abrams ensured that every character is given a background and history so that viewers know a little about each character.

The action scenes rival anything in Transformers and the space battles are totally breathtaking. Action starts right from the moment the movie begins and never lets up. But what really made the movie outstanding were the actors that played these roles and they might have been real people. Chris Pine as Kirk radiates star quality, Zachary Quinto as Spock and Karl Urban as Dr. McCoy (Bones) gave excellent performances. The casting of these three characters was spot on and contributes a great deal to the movie’s success.

To give viewers a feeling that they were just younger versions of Leonard Nimoy and DeForest Kelley, both Quinto and Urban took on some of their mannerisms and expressions. It is almost like watching baby pictures of people you have always loved. Quinto’s performance as the logic-led Vulcan fighting the emotions instilled by his human mother (Winona Ryder) is the soul of the film. He is a young man trying to cope with his Vulcan and earthling heritage. His delivery of Spock’s signature line, “Live long and prosper,” is wonderful. Some of the funniest moments of the film are with Karl Urban as Dr. McCoy. Even in his youth, he is an old man in spirit and keeps complaining about everything, and leaves no chance to say, “I am a doctor!”

Chris Pine’s role is certainly the most memorable in Trek history. This Kirk is not just a bad boy and womanizer who transforms into a captain, but he is also someone with intelligence and bravado. Young Kirk, at ten years of age, takes the family car out for a joy ride, and gets into bar fights as a young man. He has plenty of brains and nerve to spare, but for him, nothing is happening on Earth and Space is the answer.

The plot of Star Trek involves an angry Romulan, called Nero, who wants to destroy every Federation planet. Because supernova destroys the planet Romulus and its inhabitants, including Captain Nero’s wife and unborn child, he attempts to exact revenge on Spock, whom he blames for this destruction. However, both ships, including Nero’s mining ship Narada, are caught in the black hole’s event horizon and travel into the past.

This great adventure of the maiden voyage of a young crew onboard U.S.S. Enterprise, the most advanced starship, takes viewers on an emotional roller-coaster, with people experiencing various emotions they never knew had. On this journey, filled with action, comedy and cosmic peril, the crew must find a way to stop this evil, who threatens to destroy all of mankind.

The fate of the galaxy is in the hands of two rivals; James T. Kirk (Chris Pine), the delinquent, thrill–seeking Iowa farm boy and Spock (Zachary Quinto), who rejects all emotion having been raised in a logic-based society. The fiery instinct of one and the calm reason of the other make a powerful partnership that leads the crew through unimaginable danger, going where no one ever dared venture.

You can see the past and the future in a most magnificent setting. Abrams created an alternate universe where viewers would want to get lost in. This movie is simply an invitation for irresistible fun. It is certainly a movie worth watching.

Writers: Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman
Producers: J.J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof
Director: J.J. Abrams

Cast: Chris Pine as James T. Kirk; Zachary Quinto as Spock; Leonard Nimoy as Spock Prime; Eric Bana as Nero; Bruce Greenwood as Pike; Karl Urban as Bones; Zoe Saldana as Nyota Uhura; Simon Pegg as Montgomery Scott; John Cho as Hikaru Sulu; Anton Yelchin as Pavel Chekov; Ben Cross as Sarek; Winona Ryder as Amanda Grayson; Chris Hemsworth as George Kirk and Jennifer Morrison as Winona Kirk.