My god Jim! It's full of lens flare!
The first few mentions I heard of the new Star Trek movie didn't really bode well for it. A prequel? With 'younger versions' of Spock and Kirk? Directed by J.J. Abrams? Star Trek meets Lost? Oh my. This can't end well.
The funny thing was, it did. It even broke the curse of the odd-numbered Star Trek movies being worse than the even numbered ones. Not only was it good, it was surprisingly good. It's possibly the second or third best Star Trek film ever, actually. Which is really impressive, frankly. Aside from a few minor annoyances, like the heavy use and abuse of lens flares (apparently everything in the future is so bright it causes lens flares. That's how you know it's the future!)
So what's the move like overall? Click below to read the rest of the review and find out!
The movie follows Kirk and Spock as they grow up, and it's pretty funny at times, especially as you see hints of the people they will be in the future. Kirk, played by Chris Pine is a womanizer, lover, and at times the brash, risk-taking leader that's so familiar from TOS. He also has swagger, bravado, and a surprising amount of intelligence. He's no caricature of Kirk, but someone who makes it look like you're seeing a younger version of Kirk all the same.
Spock is played by Zachary Quinto, and while he's not quite Nimoy's spitting image, at times it's almost eerie how well he captures the character. Aside from a few odd moments (Vulcan has school bullies?), it's great to see him grow into the character we all know and love.
Dr. McCoy is played by Karl Urban, and he really does look the part. At times, you could swear he was channeling DeForest Kelley, especially when he's being grumpy and complaining about something. Best of all, you never get the sense that he's trying to play the character of McCoy, just that he happens to be a younger version of him - no easy thing to pull off.
The antagonist of the movie, a Romulan by the name of Nero (terribly clever name, no?), played by Eric Bana is a bit lacking by comparison, though perhaps more for lack of decent scripting than any lack of skill as an actor. He's a miner who watched Romulus go bye-bye in the future, and he has it in for the older version of Spock. He may have bugs that tunnel into human beings to make them do as he pleases, but he's no Khan Noonian Singh. You get the feeling that most of the Romulans would rather just go home rather than wreck their vengeance on the people they blame for the loss of their planet.
The threat manages to bring all the characters onto the Enterprise and the movie hits a fast pace and doesn't let up from there.
Leonard Nimoy plays the older version of Spock, and it's a real treat to see his role in the movie - something you won't want to miss.
The movie is excellent, and if the ones following it are even only half as good, the franchise is better off than it has been ever before, and will certainly be something worth coming back to time and time again.
To sum it up, it's worth your $9 and then some - go see it!
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