TREKCORE > MOVIES > STAR TREK > Movie Review

Ronan O'Flaherty attended the London, England premiere of Star Trek. He is one of the founders of the upcoming Trek3G website. He has contributed his review of the movie exclusively to TrekCore!

Date: April 22, 2009
Author: Ronan O’Flaherty

Finally, after months of waiting, the new J. J. Abrams’ reboot of the Star Trek franchise has arrived. You can be forgiven for being very wary of this movie – recasting the original crew can be seen as such a bold move that it could play against the established fan base – but you need not fear.

The characters are extremely well written, and the casting is simply superb. It was particularly easy to believe that these new faces were the characters we’ve come to love. Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto and Karl Urban’s roles of Kirk, Spock and McCoy, respectively, are so scarily accurate and faithful to the original actors, that it makes watching the movie a dream.

Not to forget its supporting cast either. Anton Yelchin delivers a performance that Walter Koenig himself would be proud of - in fact his first line on screen could easily have been a recording of Koenig, with Yelchin lip syncing! Zoë Saldana’s stunning performance of Uhura is very fresh and new, and sets up a new story that can be developed in the future. Simon Pegg is Scotty – he brings such a fun element to the new film, whilst also delivering a vibrant recreation of such an iconic role. Not least is John Cho: his performance of Sulu is pitch perfect is every way. Even his sword fighting skills are a subtle nod to established fans. Simon Pegg is definitely the most stand out actor in the movie. As an actor who specialises in comedy, this was a bold choice of actor... and it paid off.

The sets of the movie are immense. I was very worried that the ship, whilst externally close to our classic constitution class ship, has been completely revamped internally, but I was won over (mostly). The bridge is so fitting and fresh; the stations are in roughly similar positions. A few nit-picks for fans is the turbolift to the bridge not in the right place and the engine room seems very out of context with the rest of the ship. However, Nero’s craft is visually stunning – it appears to be an immense stage, with echoes of Shinzon’s ship in Nemesis. Even the planetary scenes are breathtaking, so real and vibrant.

ILM were in charge of graphics and CGI for the movie, and oh boy, did they deliver! Graphics-wise the movie also remains accurate to Gene Roddenberry’s vision. From the Enterprise warp effect, right through to the transporter, the movie is enhanced by an electric mix of great acting and amazing graphics.

Finally, the story. Whilst not revealing much about the plot, you can be assured that the script combines so many elements which gave Trek great success in the past and merging them together that any viewer (Trek fan or not) will be astounded at the outcome. So much of the plot is unexpected, and such a bold move by JJ and his team, that it really does take the viewer by surprise.

The movie is packed with action scenes from the off, but it flows extremely well and mixes the quieter, more emotional scenes, with humorous incidents. Nero (Eric Bana) is the Khan of this new movie; he becomes a very terrifying villain through the course of the film, though some of his back story is not completely explained for the casual viewer (I have not read the Countdown comics). A strong performance from Bana, worthy of title to challenge Khan! For the ardent Trek fan, there are so many opportunities for a smile over nods to previous Treks, yet more than enough to entice new fans right into this new universe.

I loved this movie. So many elements present have been absent in previous films, and it is refreshing to see the ‘original’ crew back on the screen. This film has made it into my top 3 favourite Star Trek movies list. However, I must admit that I will have to see the movie again before I can accurately make a decision as to which position it will take! Paramount moved this movie to the summer as they expected it to be a blockbuster – and that is exactly what it deserves: to be one of the biggest films out this year. One thing is for certain – STAR TREK IS BACK..!

***** out of 5 stars.

Check out my videos from the UK premiere on the blue carpet at Trek Movie.