Star Trek…
This was the movie I was most looking forward too this summer season. But it didn’t start out that way; the marketing campaign was straight up phenomenal. I have watched that third trailer over 100 times. I almost skipped work on Friday to go see a morning showing, even though I already had tickets for Saturday. The movie is extremely good; better than I could have imagine when they first announced it many years ago. Yet with every two steps forward there is one step back.
The alternate timeline makes things disappointingly too convenient for the writers going forward, as the entire canon can be thrown out the window, a canon that I have invested a good chunk of my life in. Yet there is no other more perfect way I could think of to reboot the entire franchise, so simple and elegant.
It’s pretty much non-stop action, with small gaps in between to let everyone catch their breath. Without a doubt it’s certainly the biggest trek movie in terms of spectacle. Hand to hand combat, ship to ship combat, chase scenes, sky diving scenes, and more, it’s packed to the gills. The funny parts are funny, the dramatic parts are dramatic, and the campy parts are campy (maybe just a little bit too much). And yet, despite a unified planet, where one would expect more genetic & social blending, Chekov’s accent is so thick, it almost sounds like he has a speech impediment. I don’t remember the first Chekov having such difficulty speaking.
My biggest complaint is that I wanted more from the academy. Kirk’s academy years are left out with the film showing just the last few days. I wanted to see the three years that were skipped. Did anyone at the academy like Kirk? Was he popular, or was he a loner? Did people gravitate to him or was his rebellious nature off putting? Did he have any friends beside Bones? How did he reprogram the Kobayashi Maru? Did he do it himself or get help? I never got to know Kirk, or the rest of the characters outside of the introductory 30 seconds that gets thrown in our faces. Sadly character development takes a backseat for the roller coaster ride.
First Contact is still my favorite Trek film, but this is a definitely number two. Although First Contact has something going for it that this one didn’t…seven years of emotional attachment to the characters. Star Trek didn’t have the luxury that First Contact had. All I know about these characters can be summed up in one line, probably the same one line used at the beginning of the script.
The action was big and loud, but I was never drawn in 100%. I never lost myself in the film, I was very much aware of my theatrical surroundings. I didn’t walk out of the theater saying “wow” just a smile on my face. Sure it’s an adventure on screen, and some of the fastest 126 minutes you will ever spend, but it’s just short of greatest. Star Trek is definitely the first must see movie of the summer season, for everyone, not just Trekkies/Trekker.
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