After much waiting and anticipation from the world, the next movie to get the reboot treatment has arrived. Star Trek opens in Cork cinemas today. And yes, this is the same Star Trek that made William Shatner a household name and probably got him the TJ Hooker gig at the same time!
Star Trek as many of you know dates back to the 1800’s or something and has some of the most hardcore fans the world has ever seen. So, I would speculate that the director, J.J. Abram's (Yes he of Lost and Cloverfield fame) grew some very large testicles before he took on. the monumental task of bringing Star Trek, once again, back to the big screen.
The story starts before Jimmy Kirk was born and immediately you know this is a very, very different Star Trek universe from what you may have been used to. James Tiberius Kirk (Chris Pine) is born and the story progresses from there, with his induction into Star Fleet and his eventual clamber onto the captains chair. The story is basic enough and I don't want to go into much detail as not to give anything away, but the world needs saving!
There are some fantastic moments in this movie including an uncanny Mr.Spock and a fantastic performance from Simon Pegg as Scotty . But Chris Pine is the show stealer. While some of the Shatner mannerisms are still intact, he brings a whole new lease of life to the character who I never liked in the first place. The new Captain Kirk is one cool dude and a tough son of a bitch to boot. Nero, the bad guy doesn't have a whole lot of screen time and Eric Bana doesn't do much to melt your mind, he’s adequate at best.
The special effects are stunning (excluding the teleporting scenes which just look weird) and the first glimpse you get of the USS Enterprise is a very special moment. It has never looked better and the battles and scale of the movie are absolutely huge. There is great pace here and the picture thunders along at a frantic pace or warp speed if you like. You are never left hanging around wondering what will happen next.
As a devout Star Wars fan I am very surprised I enjoyed this so much. That said, I wonder how the hard core trekkers or trekkies (or whatever your called this month) will feel about it. Abrams version has far more grit, action and intensity than any of the other movies combined and this may lead to some of the hardcore fans hating it! That said, it still is great to see the evolution of Kirk and Scott and the second most famous ship in the galaxy, the USS Enterprise.
So the reboot is complete and like most reboots, the following movie should be better again. Finally, Star Trek is a hugely enjoyable movie for all, no doubt some of the real fans may be disappointed, but J.J. Abrams really has brought the Star Trek franchise into the true, next generation!
9/10
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