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After ten films and six TV series which together amassed 30 seasons, Star Trek seemed dead. Not only was its moneymaking potential diminishing, it had also been inflicted with that dreaded, almost-impossible-to-shake tag: "uncool". The only logical way to resuscitate the franchise, it was decided, was to rebuild it from the ground up. The man handed this task is J.J. Abrams, co-creator of TV's Lost and Alias, producer of Cloverfield and director of the underrated third instalment in the Mission: Impossible franchise. Like the vast majority of blockbusters, this new incarnation of Star Trek had to be tailored to the widest possible audience, which of course meant that it had to reach beyond the core fanbase of Trekkies/Trekkers. But whereas attempting to appeal to everyone has resulted in many an event film ultimately satisfying nobody, Abrams' Star Trek manages to succeed where so many have failed. It's accessible to non-aficionados (like yours truly) while paying respect to the classic series and not feeling dumbed-down in the process. It's a delicate tightrope to walk.
As the film is an origin story, it meant that the original group of characters - Captain Kirk, Spock, Scotty, et al - needed to be recast, which seemed like a difficult job for such iconic names. Casting aside such concerns, everyone here fits their part to a tee. In particular, Zachary Quinto (archvillain Sylar from TV show Heroes) is uncanny as the reborn Spock. Not only does he look almost the spitting image of a young Leonard Nimoy, he handles the arcane, jargon-heavy dialogue with apparent ease. Little known Chris Pine is Kirk, whose generic tween-pic looks belie an evident acting ability. He may not channel Shatner as much as Quinto replicates Nimoy, but he's a very watchable presence as the film's central figure and makes the character more than the two-dimensional annoying self-centred brat that he could've been in other hands. It's disappointing that Eric Bana's baddie Nero doesn't get more screen time because he's certainly enjoyable when he is around.
Certainly the main difference between this and old Trek is the action quotient. Here it's almost wall-to-wall, from an explosive prologue to the exhilarating finale. Its longest breather is in the obligatory scenes of Kirk's and Spock's respective adolescences, which comprise probably the least compelling, most predictable section, but these perfunctory bits of exposition are mercifully brief. Once Kirk decides to join Starfleet, the film promptly skips three years and the main thrust of the story is set in motion. Abrams proved with M:i:III that he can shoot an action set-piece, and these really get the adrenaline pumping. If anything, there are perhaps a couple too many action beats, but none of them outstay their welcome and the film does not short-change character development. The effects are top-notch too, refusing to go for the quantity over quality option as is common lately. If Abrams' action prowess is surprising given his TV background, the way he films other scenes is not; he really likes his tight close-ups, which can become a bit suffocating on the big screen (particularly IMAX). This, however, is a trifling flaw in a film that basically deserves to be seen as a case study in how to craft a blockbuster.
The summary
Wildly entertaining and frequently ingenious. Shows a certain Mr. Lucas how prequels should be made.
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