…Please!
The movie is good. Great, even. An excellent restart to a classic series that lost its way in recent years.
JJ Abrams was brilliant. The cast was superb. The special effects were incredible (so much so, in fact, that I had to keep reminding myself that the starships were CG). The art was…well…it was ART. I’m looking forward to wallpaper images of the freaking credits.
Above all else, though, Star Trek was true to what made Star Trek tick: It’s about the people. What makes James T. Kirk tick? Who is Spock beneath that cool Vulcan exterior? Where did Sulu learn to fence like THAT? What made the crew of the Enterprise the best in the fleet? Why did they work so well together? Star Trek was almost more than just a story about good vs. evil–it was about the people that made life and death decisions every day. The story is just the backdrop. The reason to get to know the people. but it’s still a great story.
I’ve heard a lot of advance doubt and criticism about some of the casting choices. I shared some of those doubts. Chris Pine as Kirk? Who’s he? Would I be able to look at Zach Quinto without expecting him to start whipping people around rooms and sawing scalps off? And John Cho as Sulu? Karl Urban as McCoy? Simon Pegg even? Those fears were all for naught, as this is probably one of the best-cast films I’ve ever seen. It ranks right up there with Lord of the Rings for a casting director who needs a big, big raise.
There were so many little gems in this movie, too. People who have never seen Star Trek before will love the movie, but Abrams threw in so many little inside Trekkie jokes, nods, and winks that it’ll take watching the movie a couple times to catch them all.
And yet, Abrams managed to pull the movie off in such a way that he cleared the slate for new Star Trek movies, TV shows, or other media that deviate from the existing canon. It was a brilliant move. He pays homage to where Star Trek has been, and to the fans who have kept it alive for so many years, yet still manages to hit the reset button without it feeling cheap or contrived.
I was amazed.
For the first time since Lord of the Rings, a movie has actually met, and maybe even exceeded, my expectations.
Live long and prosper, JJ Abrams.
P.S. I hope you have the cast locked in to multi-film contracts, and you’re ready to start filming. I would like to see more Star Trek as soon as possible! TV maybe? Please? Pretty please?
