Star Trekking

So I've boldly gone where everyone has gone before. The local theater.

Ah, yes, I couldn't resist that particular line. But it's still a pretty good idea to venture, no explore, the possibility of seeing Star Trek on the big screen.

Having thought that perhaps other summer films coming out such as Wolverine and even the second Transformers would be the biggest blockbuster of the summer, it has turned out that Star Trek may actually beat all the odds to become the season favorite of the year. It has turned against all expectations to become a sleeper hit.

Once thought as a dead duck in space, a weight of disappointment hanging over it like a crushing blow, audiences can find that Star Trek has much to offer. The film has plenty of action to pass for a summer movie, but the story develops characters, a sense of humor that eases us, and a formidable return of cultural icon favorites.

This has turned out to be a hell out of a movie.

Why is that? What makes this one any different from the last few Star Trek films that hit the screens? The last few featured the lackluster attempts of the Next Generation crew to attempt into breaking the difficult mold of the box office. It seems, however, that the old crew was the one with the box office appeal that accepts them into popular culture. It was probably during the fourth film, the one with the whales, that the old Star Trek crew hit the height of their popularity with a story that can be easily accessible to the audiences.

It's done it again. Star Trek has reclaimed its once lost stardom using a very good storyline that isn't too terribly complicated. It makes for an easy thrill ride with plenty of energy that spills over the cinematic experiences. But it is the performance of the core actors, from Kirk to Spock to the others, that holds the film intact with their remarkable interpretations of the old. They have brought us everything we have known and loved about the old Star Trek shows.

Kudos to the main lead of Chris Pine who must take the difficult challenge of replacing an actor who has played Kirk for more than thirty years. But he does so without mimicking, playing any parody that could easily be careless stutter of dramatic pauses, “I... we... must communicate with... you!”

Pine does make the part his own with qualities of arrogance, recklessness and striving determination that makes the Kirk character his own. He's picked out the most recognizable symptoms that would evolve into the Kirk character and yet playing it with remarkable struggle.

It makes sense now why Kirk does the things he does, why he is headstrong in any situation. He has been asked Captain Pike in a bar scene, “Your father was a starship captain for twelve minutes. I dare you to do better.”

Now we understand the Kirk character.

It reflects the amazing challenge that faces the newfound actors as they must find the middle ground of what made the old characters work and finding something refreshing in their personalities, expounding on their qualities.

My own favorite character is Spock in the Star Trek mythos who remain the dignified center and the cool facade of the crew... his bold and striking figure, so alien, is wonderfully managed by Zachary Quinto is so sharp, calculating that it is a perfect reflection to the original character. A beautiful homage that does not make us forget the old, but welcomes the wonderful memories of the ground breaking 1960s series.

Karl Urban hits it right on the nail with the character of “Bones” McCoy along with Simon Pegg bringing a great sense of comedy that was a perfect deriviation in the film. Zoe Saldana is very sweet and perfect balance of beauty in the character of communications officers Uhura. Every one of the characters get a nice spotlight that gives perfect weight of feminine charm. John Cho who plays Sulu has a great bit in their extracts from the original character as a very unbeatable swordsman, nothing to be missed here.

I liked the one scene where the captain of the Enterprise asked for anyone who has hand to hand combat and Sulu raised his hands to volunteer alongside with Kirk. When Kirk asks him what his combat training was, the Japanese crew member said quietly, “Fencing.”

But let's just say it is Sulu that kicks some Romulan ass in this film.

Lastly, it's nice to see one of the favorite actors of Star Trek to come back in the role of the original Spock, his recognizable features remain one of the most popular traits of the myth of Star Trek. Here, the actor Leonard Nimoy makes more than just a cameo to the film, but plays an intricate part of the story that makes him a prime mover of events. There are just a few scenes with him, but he is a force to be reckoned with. With his character having caused a ripple through time and space, he may have well been responsible for finding this parallel universe which will be slightly different than the original cast... yet finding similarities as well.

If there are any flaws in the movie, it can be found in the character Nero who is the Romulan commander who controls the planet destroyer from the future... his character is a little dull and nothing is developed... we know he's upset about the death of his wife. But why would that instantly make him want to destroy the universe with his craziness? There should have been a better realization for his character and making him more sympathetic to the audience if his character would work. But it's a minor discrepancy.

Yeah, he's the bad guy. But why? Why? There isn't enough weight to carry his anger into destroying the universe. It should have been more explained.

The science is crap in the story. With plot holes that the U.S.S. Enterprise could fly right through at warp speed.

But one science flaw example in the film... there's the one bit with Capt. Pike and his crew are onboard the shuttlecraft and they are ready slip down into the planet in their atmosphere suits. Pike said "good luck" and sends Kirk, Sulu and the other guy down there. He pulls down the lever and it opens up to space. The only thing that is separating him from the rest of that shuttle are a bunch of plastic curtains. Hardly enought to keep Pike from suffocating to death in space when exposed to it. All the oxygen would have been sucked out.

Vulcan would have to be at least three times the the size of the sun to become a black hole. Maybe not. I don't think even Jupiter would be able to turn into a black hole... not big enough. Not even our sun. It's not big enough. That wasn't explained in the film either. I'm not sure if the planetary size when squeezed down would cause enough pressure to rupture space and time continuum.

But it is the human story that makes it big this time. We have come to understand the dynamics between the characters and understand how the characters got their in the first place. The rebooting from the cast of director J.J. Abrams and the writers knew how to fine tune the film and make it a pretty good ride, an exceptional one, which makes this one the number one summer movie.

It had been a good idea to restart the franchise just as they have done with the James Bond and Batman movie series. Give it a right kick to the engines to get it working again.

There might have been no lines like “Beam us up, Scotty!” But it comes pretty close. And we can come away feeling that this film is a good addition to the science fiction genre, but also a dramatic one with its human touches. And that is what Star Trek explores at best, the emotional side. The side that makes all of us human one way or the other. And Star Trek gives us a side of the story we have never known. Star Trek is back in the game with a lot of heart. And touching humor.