Star Trek (2009)
J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek is a flashy reboot of one of the most successful sci-fi franchises ever, and gives the franchise a new relevance as well as potential in new millenium. Cliched as this statement may sound, the film is nevertheless a full-hearted piece of summer escapist entertainment – it’s great fun.
The film boldly attempts to give the original characters a whole new angle by introducing a rather convuluted alternate universe narrative. Because of the time traveling endeavors of certain protagonists and antagonists, young Kirk and Spock et al. find their lives along a completely new track, and the young crew aboard the maiden voyage of the USS Enterprise find themselves in perhaps the most critical mission ever – to save Earth from certain destruction from the energetically bad bad-guy named Nero (portrayed by Eric Bana).
Kirk, played by up-and-coming actor Chris Pine, is cocky and assertive. Spock, played by that spooky guy (Sylar) from Heroes, Zachary Quinto, is almost a perfect find for the role. And the rest of the cast, while not spectacular, is equally on par (with Simon Pegg landing a delicious role as Scottie, providing ample comic relief). Of course, the cameo role by Leonard Nimoy as Spock will certainly bring tears of joy to die-hard fans.
Speaking of which, I’ve also saw a fair share of the original series when I was that kid living in UK. And some episodes from Star Trek: The Next Generation, as well as a number of the big screen films. Perhaps what’s most fascinating and engaging about the series, is the simple mission stated by the USS Enterprise – to boldly go where no man has gone before. It perfectly captures that enduring aspiration of man to outgrow oneself, to jump higher and reach further. This is Star Trek‘s ultimate charm.
8/10