TNMC Recent Reviews

This week’s movie is J.J. Abrams’s “Star Trek,” starring a bunch of new people that you probably all know by now.

Full disclosure:  This reviewer is a total Star Trek geek, so I went in to this movie with a bit of apprehension.  So far, in my long misbegotten career of watching Star Trek television series and movies, they have all been shepherded by either original creator Gene Roddenberry, or his hand-picked successor, Rick Berman, and they all conformed to the same ethos, which I loved.  Now, we have a new guard, selected by the suits at Paramount.  Naturally, I was apprehensive.  But, I am glad to report that they very nearly got it right.

As a movie, for the casual fan or the new fan, it was very very good.  Lots of good action, good special effects, good acting, just the right amount of comic relief without going overboard (as the “first generation” movies tended to do).  Modern sensibilities, directing, writing, and so on, with no feelings of nostalgia.  So, if you are not a Star Trek geek, but love modern action movies like “Die Hard” and the like, I think I can unreservedly say that you will probably love it.

For the true geek, such as myself, there is the little nagging matter of violating “canon,” or those established “facts” that all previous incarnations stick to.  Since this movie hinges on time travel (which, I must confess, I’m really tired of in Star Trek plots), and a resetting of the time-line, you could argue that older, established facts are not “ignored,” but are truly changed within their own universe due to the time travel.  Whatever.  It bothers me a little, but not enough to take away from my enjoyment of the movie.  And, on the plus side, ST Geeks like myself will enjoy arguing about them for years!

What, the story?  Oh, all right: it’s an “origins story” about the early years, and how Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scotty, et. al., end up on the Enterprise and begin their storied careers.  The bad guys are Romulans who have been thrust back in time from a century or so in the future, and hold a major grudge, especially against the planet Vulcan, but with enough animosity left over for the Earth and the Federation, too.  Hilarity ensues.  No, not really hilarity, but major explosions and some nice butt-kicking.

So, bottom line: go see it, whoever you are.