J.J. Abrams' Star Trek (2009)

I have a confession to make. Growing up, I was a Star Wars kid. Star Wars was filled to the brim with accessible action, good vs. evil elements, and cool looking aliens that instantly attracted me to the trilogy of films. I never really gave Star Trek a chance. I knew that there was plenty to like about the other sci-fi phenomenon, but I was too busy with Luke, Leia, and Han to really give a damn about a bunch of squares in tight shirts. Indeed, Star Wars was my holy grail of sci-fi cinema ... until 1999. As we all know, the prequel trilogy was terrible. Great special effects and action were weighed down by awful acting and even worse writing. Star Wars had been turned into a low-rent space opera. George Lucas tried to make a shiny new addition to the franchise while keeping the core concepts and spark of his original films, but failed miserably. If he ever decides to give it another shot, his first order of business should be to call J.J. Abrams.

Abrams' resume as a director is a bit thin, but in a short amount of time he has shown a creative flair nearly unrivaled in Hollywood today. We all know about the television sensation Lost, but to me, the real precursor to Abrams' work on Star Trek was Mission: Impossible III. Abrams took a moribund franchise that was basically on life-support and breathed new life into it with startling efficiency. The film was well constructed and full of excellent and creative action sequences which seemed to arise relatively naturally for such a film. Despite its reported budget of $150 million, this reboot of Star Trek feels much the same way. The Phantom Menace, this is not.

The film opens with a breathtaking sequence in which a monstrous mining vessel attacks a lone Starfleet ship. It is the setting for the birth of James T. Kirk and is marvelously effective, not only at introducing us to this newly re-imagined universe, but at setting a tone for the two hours that follow. This is a character-driven film, despite all of the great effects and action. I'd heard that Star Trek was more character-driven than Star Wars. Now, I can see why. What follows is a funny, exciting, emotional, and wondrous tale of the origins of Kirk, Spock, and the U.S.S. Enterprise and her crew. The film is accessible to newbies like me, while retaining all of the elements that endeared the original franchise to fans all over the world. Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto star as Kirk and Spock, respectively, and each actor knocks it out of the park. My only previous experience with Pine was as a raving neo-Nazi in the awful Smokin' Aces, but any doubts I had were quickly erased as he exhibits just the right amount of swagger, courage, and humor needed to portray an immensely likable hero. Quinto is also excellent as Spock. His performance conveys a wisdom which seems to elevate him above the oftentimes chaotic events and characters that surround him. It also helps that he looks the part. Indeed, the audience will even get a chance to compare him to the original Spock, Leonard Nimoy.

The rest of the cast is great as well, although since this is really the origin story of Kirk and Spock, the supporting cast doesn't get all that much to do. Still, it is worth mentioning Karl Urban as Bones McCoy and Bruce Greenwood as Captain Pike as both actors turn in performances that leave you wishing they had more screen time. Eric Bana is tasked with playing the villain, Nero, and it is an interesting role. This is not an evil genius out to conquer the galaxy. He is not motivated by greed or thoughts of galactic domination. No, he is just a miner, albeit a very angry and homicidal miner who has come from the future. Nero provides a very believable threat to Starfleet and our heroes and Bana acquits himself well in a rare chance to play the bad guy.

There is plenty of action, more than I anticipated in fact, and the visual effects are stunning. Many of the action sequences even manage to include some subtle nods to the importance of science in the Star Trek universe, such as the dead silence of space during an explosion-filled battle. Although I don't have a history with the franchise, I get the feeling this is how Star Trek is meant to be. Grandiose spectacle with some science to back it up. Thrilling action with characters the audience actually cares about. And somewhat of a surprise to me -- a healthy dose of humor, as well. A sequel has already been announced and I'm not surprised. Star Trek plays like the opening act in what should be a very satisfying series of films. As a fan of not just science fiction, but movies in general, I can only hope that this rebooted Star Trek franchise will "live long and prosper." Judging by the quality of this film, that shouldn't be a problem. 4.5 out of 5 stars.