Click to view the trailer!

I have now seen Star Trek.

Twice.

If you want the absolutely completely spoiler free review, stop reading after the following words. Star Trek was incredible and you should go see it now.

For the rest of you, I promise to try and keep it as spoiler free as possible. Of course, my following credentials are that I’m a fairly obsessive trekkie. I’ve never gone to a con dressed as a klingon mind you. But I’ve seen all the episodes of all the series (yes even Enterprise…) and do geekily well on just about any trivia I’ve ever come across. I’m the guy people roll their eyes at because I know why Riker is referred to as number one. And I excitedly explain why, listing every small detail along the way, as though I were stating true history. Then I forget the name of something actually important.

So as a true Trek fan, I liked this movie. Enough to see it twice. The second time in the Imax theater. With a small thread of something that bothered me. I think that would bother any true Trek fan, and probably made mad the diehard fan that showed up dressed as a klingon.

I’ll get to that in a moment. Let me assure you that each person chosen to take on the old roles does an incredible job in that role. No one truly imitates. Although there is a lot of homage. Honoring the previous actor who made the part so iconic. But each new actor brings something new to the characters. To bring them back to life again. Zachary Quinn becomes Spock. Which I worried would be problematic because I am used to seeing him as Sylar from Heroes. But I never once thought of it while watching this movie. When I heard Karl Urban, Eomer from the second and third Lord of the Ring movies, was playing Leonard Mccoy, again I wondered about the choice. And again I was proven wrong. That has to be the most fantastic Leonard Mccoy possible without bringing back the dearly departed DeForest Kelley. Leonard Nimoy also plays a wonderful turn of older Spock from the future in this movies that I promise adds to the plot (is necessary even!) without being mere fan service. I could go on about each main character but let me just say, that yes they are all very well played.

But you probably want to know about Chris Pine as Kirk. Can anyone play Kirk besides legendary William Shatner? The truth is both yes and no. I’ll warn you that I am going to vaguely spoil plot. This story is not set in the universe of Star Trek we have come to know and love. From the very get go, time travel happens, and a major event is changed causing everything to change. And essentially, this James T. Kirk is not the Kirk from the original series. They are similar. Very similar. But they lead different lives. It’s one of the things that bothered me, but that I accepted because it made for an incredible story. And Chris Pine does become Kirk. From the moment he appears on screen. And in fact, at the end of the movie he actually manages to exude Shatner. The mannerisms, the posture, and he pays proper homage by sitting cross legged in the captain’s chair with that smile. This isn’t the same Kirk as Shatner’s. But this is Kirk. And Chris Pine does a wonderful job on it.

The story is top notch. It has wonderful dialogue, numerous laugh out loud moments. (Literally laugh out loud, the audience could be heard over the speakers) And a lot of the trademark Trek themes, and even hokey moments are there. (It just isn’t Star Trek without Kirk trying to seduce a green skinned female alien is it?) The bond between Kirk, Spock, and Mccoy begins to develop by the end of the movie. And I was truly glad for that. This is an iconic relationship that really defined the original series of Star Trek.

It’s also open enough that you can go as a person who never was a fan or has never seen Star Trek, or never seen the original series, understand and enjoy what is going on. What is changed in the timeline is stated to have been changed at one point to even make that point very clear. If you are a true fan, those changes may bother you. It really does make it a new Star Trek. But I might urge you to put it aside. Because those changes allow for not a reboot, but more of a rejump to the series. Endless new possibilities are now available. The dying franchise is revived. Again, it really does make it a new Star Trek! And I left the movie both times wishing that a sequel was made and planning to watch some good old Star Trek episodes.

I encourage you to give your thoughts, and before reading any comments I might remind that there could be spoilers in them.

~CT