That word, "reboot," has been tossed around a lot lately. When sequels start to get stale, studios take recognizable franchises and basically give them a fresh start. Many franchises have tried, and some have succeeded. The Batman franchise is perhaps the biggest success story we can cite. Others, including various horror franchises, haven't gotten it quite as right.
Thankfully, J.J. Abrams' new Star Trek movie falls in that coveted category of success. His new Trek is both welcome and fresh, and puts a new spin on the beloved franchise, which was in dire needed of a new direction.
One way Abrams provides this is through spot-on casting. Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto are this Trek's leading men, playing James T. Kirk and Spock, respectively. Both step into their roles expertly, with particular credit going to Pine for reinventing his character so well. This is Kirk, but it isn't William Shatner. Quinto plays Spock well, but Leonard Nimoy's presence in this movie gives Quinto a little less room to take liberties with his character. This isn't a problem, because I wouldn't have picked anybody else other than Quinto to play Spock.
The rest of the ensemble step into their roles very well. I particularly enjoyed Simon Pegg's funny turn as Scotty, though I would've liked to have seen a bit more of him in Star Trek. Anton Yelchin assumes Chekov's strong Russian accent believably and comically, and provides laughs just as Pegg does. Karl Urban's "Bone" McCoy is also a comic joy to watch.
Hopefully you see a trend here: comedy. This Trek has its serious themes and moments, but the entire film is permeated with laugh-out-loud funny ones too, many of which come about when characters like Bones and Scotty speak their iconic lines from the original television series. Even Eric Bana's villainous character Nero has a funny moment or two.
This is only one aspect of J.J. Abrams' expert directing. Although I might tone down the lens flare a bit for the next Trek installment (to avoid headaches), everything else pertaining to this one's visual style is pretty much pitch-perfect. It's colorful, frenetic, and an absolute joy to behold. Abrams has said that he's more of a Star Wars fan than a "Trekkie", and he doesn't try to hide this. My favorite Star Wars moments are undoubtedly the space battles, and Star Trek has its share of ridiculously cool ones.
Some moviegoers might have some trouble with the story at first, but after three viewings I've managed to embrace the time travel plot and appreciate it for what it is. This movie is more about seeing a new cast take on these characters and make something new out of them. The story is primarily a tool to complement this and make sense of it, and in that respect it does an excellent job. I don't want to spoil anything, but suffice to say that this Star Trek is a prequel that gives new meaning to that aforementioned word "reboot." Impressively enough, it manages to make sense of it too, even if a real life Spock might find parts of it "illogical."
As is generally expected from big summer blockbusters like this, the sound and special effects are topnotch in every respect. The epic soundtrack complements the movie very well, providing new but strangely familiar Trek sounds to hear and enjo. The visual effects manage to be a treat for the senses without being too intrusive or overused in an obvious way. If only the same could be said about the CGI used in the Star Wars prequels.
It's safe to say that Star Trek is the most fun I've had at the movies in a very long while. J.J. Abrams' Trek started this summer off with such an explosive, colorful, high quality bang that I don't know if anything else can top it, and that's perfectly okay with me. I'm hoping Abrams and the screenwriters can write a strong story for the inevitable sequel to go alongside this wonderful cast that's been assembled.
Consider the franchise rebooted, now let's see where we can journey next with the U.S.S. Enterprise and her crew. If the next Star Trek movie is anything close to the quality of this one, then beam me up to explore the Final Frontier again with the Enterprise.
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