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Star Trek. A name which some sci-fi fans swoon over, a sacred franchise that shall not be tampered with. It must have involved a fair bit of trepidation then for JJ Abrams to tackle the franchise head on by completely turning it on its head.
Any lesser director would suggest a new crew and a different era, a next-next Generation as it were, but Abrams has taken the herculean task on his shoulders of bringing us a new cast playing some of the most iconic roles in sci-fi history. It’s brave, bold and most importantly; it pays off.
Why does it work? Well, firstly because of the cast. Chris Pine, the new Kirk, is great, despite the plot trying to make us hate his initial ‘space-brat’ character. He makes the part his own without tripping over the obvious clichés of William Shatner-esque old Kirk. Zachary Quinto seems to have been born to play young spock, with Nimoy going on record as being suitably impressed with his protégé. Karl Urban does his best Bones impression, maybe trying too hard at times to be a young Deforest Kelly and to those who doubted Simon Pegg could pull off Scotty for the whole film – you’re wrong!
Then there’s the plot. It’s here that Abrams shows the rabbit up his sleeve. This is not just a prequel, oh no. Those who are familiar with Abrams’s other projects (Lost, Fringe, Cloverfield etc) should know better than to expect mere prequels and simple storylines. No, this involves {holds breath} an alternate universe. It’s such a simple concept and one that is used a million times in Star Trek already, but it’s done in such a way that it opens the page for the story to be fresh and new. It means the characters could do anything, be anything. With this one move the film releases its ties to the past while still staying faithful to the much-loved series (and trust me, it’s more faithful than you might first think, right down to the end scenes).
Of course, there are always going to be some errors in judgement or pitfalls, you get the feeling that Urban tries too hard for that Bones impression and THAT music is missing from the start of the film (how dare they!). The plot doesn’t really let up enough to develop character beyond the initial half hour of introductions and the whole ‘red matter’ is explained away all too simply for the Star Trek universe (where are the complicated chemical names?) wrapped in a simple plot with little in the way of sci-fi overtones. But who cares when it feels so right?
Star Trek is a sight to behold, the detail, the explosions, the new bridge of the Enterprise. It looks good, sounds good and most of all it feels good. Abrams has done the impossible and the franchise is all the better for it.
9/10
Any lesser director would suggest a new crew and a different era, a next-next Generation as it were, but Abrams has taken the herculean task on his shoulders of bringing us a new cast playing some of the most iconic roles in sci-fi history. It’s brave, bold and most importantly; it pays off.
Why does it work? Well, firstly because of the cast. Chris Pine, the new Kirk, is great, despite the plot trying to make us hate his initial ‘space-brat’ character. He makes the part his own without tripping over the obvious clichés of William Shatner-esque old Kirk. Zachary Quinto seems to have been born to play young spock, with Nimoy going on record as being suitably impressed with his protégé. Karl Urban does his best Bones impression, maybe trying too hard at times to be a young Deforest Kelly and to those who doubted Simon Pegg could pull off Scotty for the whole film – you’re wrong!
Then there’s the plot. It’s here that Abrams shows the rabbit up his sleeve. This is not just a prequel, oh no. Those who are familiar with Abrams’s other projects (Lost, Fringe, Cloverfield etc) should know better than to expect mere prequels and simple storylines. No, this involves {holds breath} an alternate universe. It’s such a simple concept and one that is used a million times in Star Trek already, but it’s done in such a way that it opens the page for the story to be fresh and new. It means the characters could do anything, be anything. With this one move the film releases its ties to the past while still staying faithful to the much-loved series (and trust me, it’s more faithful than you might first think, right down to the end scenes).
Of course, there are always going to be some errors in judgement or pitfalls, you get the feeling that Urban tries too hard for that Bones impression and THAT music is missing from the start of the film (how dare they!). The plot doesn’t really let up enough to develop character beyond the initial half hour of introductions and the whole ‘red matter’ is explained away all too simply for the Star Trek universe (where are the complicated chemical names?) wrapped in a simple plot with little in the way of sci-fi overtones. But who cares when it feels so right?
Star Trek is a sight to behold, the detail, the explosions, the new bridge of the Enterprise. It looks good, sounds good and most of all it feels good. Abrams has done the impossible and the franchise is all the better for it.
9/10
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Nice review pb :)
Star Trek. A name which some sci-fi fans swoon over, a sacred franchise that shall not be tampered with. It must have involved a fair bit of trepidation then for JJ Abrams to tackle the franchise head on by completely turning it on its head.
Any lesser director would suggest a new crew and a different era, a next-next Generation as it were, but Abrams has taken the herculean task on his shoulders of bringing us a new cast playing some of the most iconic roles in sci-fi history. It’s brave, bold and most importantly; it pays off.
Why does it work? Well, firstly because of the cast. Chris Pine, the new Kirk, is great, despite the plot trying to make us hate his initial ‘space-brat’ character. He makes the part his own without tripping over the obvious clichés of William Shatner-esque old Kirk. Zachary Quinto seems to have been born to play young spock, with Nimoy going on record as being suitably impressed with his protégé. Karl Urban does his best Bones impression, maybe trying too hard at times to be a young Deforest Kelly and to those who doubted Simon Pegg could pull off Scotty for the whole film – you’re wrong!
Then there’s the plot. It’s here that Abrams shows the rabbit up his sleeve. This is not just a prequel, oh no. Those who are familiar with Abrams’s other projects (Lost, Fringe, Cloverfield etc) should know better than to expect mere prequels and simple storylines. No, this involves {holds breath} an alternate universe. It’s such a simple concept and one that is used a million times in Star Trek already, but it’s done in such a way that it opens the page for the story to be fresh and new. It means the characters could do anything, be anything. With this one move the film releases its ties to the past while still staying faithful to the much-loved series (and trust me, it’s more faithful than you might first think, right down to the end scenes).
Of course, there are always going to be some errors in judgement or pitfalls, you get the feeling that Urban tries too hard for that Bones impression and THAT music is missing from the start of the film (how dare they!). The plot doesn’t really let up enough to develop character beyond the initial half hour of introductions and the whole ‘red matter’ is explained away all too simply for the Star Trek universe (where are the complicated chemical names?) wrapped in a simple plot with little in the way of sci-fi overtones. But who cares when it feels so right?
Star Trek is a sight to behold, the detail, the explosions, the new bridge of the Enterprise. It looks good, sounds good and most of all it feels good. Abrams has done the impossible and the franchise is all the better for it.
9/10
Any lesser director would suggest a new crew and a different era, a next-next Generation as it were, but Abrams has taken the herculean task on his shoulders of bringing us a new cast playing some of the most iconic roles in sci-fi history. It’s brave, bold and most importantly; it pays off.
Why does it work? Well, firstly because of the cast. Chris Pine, the new Kirk, is great, despite the plot trying to make us hate his initial ‘space-brat’ character. He makes the part his own without tripping over the obvious clichés of William Shatner-esque old Kirk. Zachary Quinto seems to have been born to play young spock, with Nimoy going on record as being suitably impressed with his protégé. Karl Urban does his best Bones impression, maybe trying too hard at times to be a young Deforest Kelly and to those who doubted Simon Pegg could pull off Scotty for the whole film – you’re wrong!
Then there’s the plot. It’s here that Abrams shows the rabbit up his sleeve. This is not just a prequel, oh no. Those who are familiar with Abrams’s other projects (Lost, Fringe, Cloverfield etc) should know better than to expect mere prequels and simple storylines. No, this involves {holds breath} an alternate universe. It’s such a simple concept and one that is used a million times in Star Trek already, but it’s done in such a way that it opens the page for the story to be fresh and new. It means the characters could do anything, be anything. With this one move the film releases its ties to the past while still staying faithful to the much-loved series (and trust me, it’s more faithful than you might first think, right down to the end scenes).
Of course, there are always going to be some errors in judgement or pitfalls, you get the feeling that Urban tries too hard for that Bones impression and THAT music is missing from the start of the film (how dare they!). The plot doesn’t really let up enough to develop character beyond the initial half hour of introductions and the whole ‘red matter’ is explained away all too simply for the Star Trek universe (where are the complicated chemical names?) wrapped in a simple plot with little in the way of sci-fi overtones. But who cares when it feels so right?
Star Trek is a sight to behold, the detail, the explosions, the new bridge of the Enterprise. It looks good, sounds good and most of all it feels good. Abrams has done the impossible and the franchise is all the better for it.
9/10
Page: