Star Trek 2009 Is Breath of Life to Dead Series
J.J. Abrams' Starship Enterprise Has Old Names, New Faces, Same Fun!
May 11, 2009
Star Trek 1966, and its subsequent film adaptations, have always been representatives of optimism and open-mindedness, one of few futuristic entertainments to steer opposite the bleak Mad Max-like depiction of the world-to-come. Many of its fans, on the other hand, have been responsible for its undoing.
Aside from the downright bizarre conventions and fan-made customs that would persist for decades, the limited masses of Star Trek zealots (self-known as Trekkers, but more appropriately and condescendingly known as Trekkies) continued to increase demand for more product until the creative scope and old-school sex appeal grew bogged down in a subculture of dysfunctional morons, who considered themselves bilingual because they could speak English and Klingon.
As demand increased for more Trek throughout the eighties and nineties, the franchise finally died on the vine in a final phaser battle of incompetence with series such as Voyager, Deep Space Nine, and, to a lesser degree, Enterprise, as well as a dismal tenth feature film, Star Trek: Nemesis.
J.J. Abrams Resurrects Kirk, Spock, and Crew
Enter J.J. Abrams -- and much to the chagrin of any Star Trek fan that ever spoke a tangible phrase of Klingon, or worse, held an entire conversation in it -- Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and crew are back in the spotlight where they belong.
Star Trek 2009 benefits from a lengthy recovery period, a stellar cast, and a director that is respectful to ordinary fans of the series, while understanding what it takes to win over general audiences. In 2 hours and 6 minutes, Abrams manages to take a series littered with the canon of numerous novels, comics, TV shows, and role playing games, and somehow make it all bright, clear, and fun again.
Invariably, this will piss off many of the zealots, who did their best to kill Star Trek's appeal and exclude casual fans for years, but it will also win over a new legion of fans and earn back the trust, and the dollars, of audiences that loved Roddenberry's original vision enough to make it grow in the first place.
Best Star Trek Ever?
Zachary Quinto as Spock...Karl Urban as McCoy...Zoe Saldana as Uhura...Simon Pegg as Scotty...John Cho as Sulu...all these performers brought their A-game, giving their own voice to the original characters, and creating something that is nostalgic, respectful, and original. Anton Yelchin, on the other hand, has a humorous moment, which was clearly a product of the writing. The rest of his performance? Irritating and overdone.
And the biggie, Captain Kirk? Chris Pine takes the reins. While his snippets on the trailers were worrisome, it is a great relief to find his overall performance to be one of the biggest surprises in the film. His is not the best interpretation...that would have to go to Urban as McCoy...but it is a solid foundation for the rest of the film.
As for the script, it does a fine job of re-energizing the series and allowing the possibility for new adventures, although the means for getting there is clunky and convoluted. (Sorry, Leonard Nimoy.) Still, when taking a step back and looking at the Star Trek 2009 whole, it is a satisfying package of entertainment that takes these characters where they have never gone before.
For more on the Star Trek franchise, visit the official site.
To learn more about J.J. Abrams, visit IMDB.
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