You know what I like about the new Star Trek movie?
Everything! It kicks ass – brutally!
Star Trek lives up to its hype. It’s strong from start to finish. It’s a visual stunner, but don’t be fooled into thinking that this is just another movie with a continuous string of breathtaking special effects. The impeccable direction of J.J. Abrams – and yes, the special effects, too – enhance the solid story, an element which some previous Trek films have lacked. It’s visual storytelling at its finest. It reins you in for a two-hour thrill that delves into how and why the beloved crew of the Enterprise came together, before they officially came together.
****STOP HERE IF YOU DON’T WANT SPOILERS!****
Set aside any concerns that this new cast doesn’t convincingly play the characters that we already know and love. Nothing is compromised here. It is obvious who is who without going over the top, and yet the younger faces come with the stipulation that these are versions of these characters that we do not fully know. The amount of care that went into developing these rawer versions of Kirk, Spock, et. al – the primer for the people we got to know in the original series – is obvious, because not one defaulted into a clone of the original, nor strayed too far away. A perfect amount of distance was established for the new cast to portray the characters with their own spin while staying true to what’s been long-since established. Bravo.
Speaking of the original characters, Leonard Nimoy makes an appearance as an older version of Spock. Despite the potentially hokey (but not) time travel elements that bring him into the mix, his place in the story is, uh, logical. It’s not an appearance just for the sake of making an appearance because the story doesn’t use time travel just for the sake of time travel. This is somewhat refreshing, given that Star Trek has repeatedly gone to the time travel well when it is in need of a good story, only to exhaust the novelty of what makes a time travel story so great in the first place. In this movie, time travel is not a major feature of this story because it is integrated into everything else so nicely. Such subtlety is what makes everything belong, including Nimoy’s role as (older) Spock. On top of that, it is not lost that this could be Spock’s last adventure with Nimoy in character. If that is the case, this is a respectful farewell without actually saying goodbye. Leonard Nimoy has expressed in interviews that if this is indeed his final voyage with the crew of the Enterprise, he’s satisfied. Can’t argue with the man.
As a long-time Star Trek fan (since age six), I appreciate the fact that everything in this story hung together. Nothing felt superfluous, gratuitous, or out of place. Surprisingly, it wasn’t drowned in techy jargon – a major plus for those not fully acquainted with the Trek universe. And that’s another thing – this story is user-friendly for longtime fans and newcomers alike without compromising the fact that this is a Star Trek movie. Again, bravo to the makers of this film for pulling it off gracefully. It’s not an easy accomplishment for a franchise with a rabid fan base to make itself accessible to a general audience as well. Star Trek has struggled with this on and off through the years, but this installment is a winner.
So much a winner that I, along with all the other people living in the hype, do believe that this movie revitalizes Star Trek, and does it in a way that returns it to its relevance in pop culture, but in a slightly different light. Gone are the days of the stereotypical nerd defining Star Trek fandom. Today, it is hip to be a Star Trek fan. Yeah, you read that right. Don’t deny it. Star Trek is reborn and, nerd or not, you aren’t cool if you’re not digging Star Trek. Take that, Star Wars.
