Average User Rating: 
Star Trek
I've never been a Trekkie. It's probably because of my age, but I've always been in the Star Wars camp, rather than the Star Trek one. I've usually enjoyed the Star Trek shows and movies over the years, but there wasn't any breath-holding on my part as I saw this film
Nevertheless, I was pleasantly surprised—it's a fantastic movie, and a brilliant (and much-needed) reboot of a beloved franchise.It's probably because of my age, but I've always been in the Star Wars camp, rather than the Star Trek one.
Director J.J. Abrams (Lost, Cloverfield) took on an unenviable tightrope walk when he decided to helm this film. He had to keep longtime fans of the franchise happy by not messing with the characters too much. He had to find actors who could play younger versions of the beloved characters, while still making those characters unique enough to carry the films forward. And he had to convince people who think Star Trek is corny and dumb—or who just dislike science fiction in general—to see this film. Well he's accomplished all of these things in spades.
One thing I've always enjoyed about Star Trek is its optimism. This isn't the usual science fiction film with an Evil Empire squashing freedom, or a future where things have degenerated to a dismal, dirty, and grim existence. Sure you have evil people popping up, but the combined might of the Federation—and the Enterprise with its multicultural, multiethnic crew-can carry the day.
The young cast is great. Chris Pine's James Kirk is a perfect mixture of humor, arrogance, and decisiveness. Zachary Quinto is excellent in his role as Spock. The film really explores his struggle with being half human and half Vulcan. And he and Kirk spend much of the film disliking one another. Simon Pegg is hilarious as Scotty—it's a shame he doesn't show up until the last ¼ of the film. Bruce Greenwood adds some much-needed maturity in his role as the Enterprise's captain, which keeps the film from turning into One Tree Hill: Enterprise. And there's a character from the original series who makes an important appearance—one that ties everything together well, in my opinion.
Unfortunately, Eric Bana's villain Nero isn't fleshed out, and his story and motivation are waaaay too similar to the much-more-interesting Khan from the earlier Trek film.
The filmmakers haven't taken the usual Trek tact of addressing a Big Issue (saving the whales, nuclear war, and so on). Instead, they've come up with a fairly plain revenge story that serves to introduce us to the cast and get us ready for the sure-to-be-made sequels—the film destroyed expectations and made close to $80 million over the weekend.
The writers have used a tired trope (time travel) in an interesting way, and it's the perfect answer to how they're able to reboot the franchise with new storylines going forward. This is particularly refreshing after the Wolverine writers took the lazy way out and used amnesia to cover the plot holes.
As I watched this, the word that kept popping into my head was "fun." This is a fun summer movie, with wall-to-wall action, great characters that are now both beloved and fresh, impressive special effects, and promises of great things to come.
Rated PG-13 for sci-fi action and violence, and brief sexual content.
Discussion Questions:
Scott Firestone IV is the associate editor for Group Magazine, online editor for youthministry.com, and a huge fan of music and movies.
This review first appeared on ministryandmedia.com. Go there. Take the tour. Sign up.
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