Star Trek Review

I was going to make some clever pun using the title of the film, but that would seem to cheapen me.

Full disclosure: I am not, have not been, nor ever will be a Trekkie. As such, I have no strong feelings one way or the other for the Second Coming of Kirk. But that is kind of the point.

J.J. Abrams has made a film that appeals to everyone. At least, enough to get you to go see it. And it is worth it. Abrams takes out some of the science, adds a little more action, and grounds the whole thing with character - a typical move from his playbook as a director. And when Star Trek concentrates on character is when it shines. Case in point: the first scene of the film is heartbreaking, character-forming, story-defining, well-acted and written - it's the best scene of the whole movie.

Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto are the stars here as the young Kirk and Spock. Both actors bring a fresh take to the characters, adding their own touches without making the character unrecognizable. Watch out for these guys because they just became stars. Also notable are Anton Yelchin as Chekov and Simon Pegg as Scotty. These two are comedic gold.

The storyline is a bit of a mess. On the basic level of creating an Enterprise for Kirk to take control of, the story is fine. It is when it gets bogged down by adding time travel subplots and then trying to explain these subplots becomes difficult.

Minor note: No film has, or will ever need that much fucking lens flare. And I love lens flare. But honestly?

To sum everything up, Star Trek is good but not great. It's fun but not really exhilirating. It's a solid foundation to build upon.