"Star Trek" (part 1)

Star Trek

Let me get the joke out of the way - J.J. Abrams boldly went where no director or producer ever went before, and made Star Trek "cool". There, I said it. Not only is the obligatory cliché out of my system, but it's the truth. Star Trek (the 2009 movie) is a snazzy, sexy, cool, fun romp through time and space; it will entertain new fans unfamiliar with the franchise's history, and (pleasantly) surprise older fans all-too-familiar with the franchise's history.

Abram's Star Trek looks at the origins of the crew we've come to know and love - Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scott, Uhura, Sulu and Chekov. While conforming to what we know of the characters (Kirk chases tail, Spock is coldly logical, and Chekov is just oh-so-darn cute), the movie also expands on the relationships between them: Kirk chases Uhura, Uhura and Spock have a thing, and Kirk and Spock butt heads. For those who know these characters, it's interesting to see them in new, different lights, while not rewriting already-established history (or canon, which is infinitely more volatile than history).

Chris Pine leads the cast as James Kirk, a role he fits into easily and authoritatively. While most of his other crewmembers channel their original counterparts to one degree or another, Pine makes Kirk very much his own character (minus the inevitable womanizing). Pine's Kirk is much more arrogant than the boyish charm of William Shatner's version, making the 2009 version a fresh and thematically, quite adventurous take. Zachary Quinto's Spock is eerily reminiscent of Leonard Nimoy's take on the character, and when the two encounter one another, you know that this isn't just another fun romp through the final frontier - Abrams, Pine, Quinto, writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman are serious about this, too. This isn't a half-hearted, hopeful attempt at reviving a sinking franchise. These guys are in control, they're in command; the voyages are most definitely new, and they will definitely take us where Star Trek hasn't ventured before.

Eric Bana plays Nero, an evil Romulan who, motivated by revenge, seeks planetary destruction and the death of James T. Kirk. If that won't please old school fans, nothing will. Unfortunately, Nero is a pretty by-the-numbers villain, with nothing to make him memorable or especially menacing. That said, this movie is about the crew of the Enterprise - while Nero makes up the numbers, he does it well enough without too many plot elements clamoring for our attention. One does hope, though, that when Abrams and this crew returns for the sequels (and maybe even a new television show, who knows?), the antagonists will have a bit more mettle to them.

(contd.)