Star Trek: A Great New Start!

Well, the BIG NIGHT finally arrived, and after months of torturous speculation on just how good the JJ Abrams era of Star Trek would be, I have to say that it kicked off with a bang. It was, in a word, excellent.

BUT...before I get into a detailed review of the movie itself, I've got one huge, HUGE issue to address:

Where the HELL was everyone????????

We had tickets for the 11pm showing and arrived at the theater around 10:30pm. To my stunned amazement, there was not a single person waiting in line. Not one. In fact, there was not a warm body to be seen anywhere...not in the lobby, not at the concession stands...nowhere! Outside of the two or three people working the theater, it was a complete graveyard. In all my years of attending midnight showings, I have never seen a more empty theater. And, as if that weren't bad enough, when we walked into our screening room and took our seats, there were about two dozen other people with us, maybe. I remember when we saw The Dark Night at this very same theater, it was a complete madhouse of people. Even the midnight showing of Quantum of Solace had a full theater. Last night, on the other hand, was an embarrassment. For me, part of the whole movie-going experience is the excitement of the crowd, especially when you're talking about a major blockbuster movie. The minimalistic crowd that was present for Trek were complete dead heads. No enthusiasm, no excitement, and almost no reaction to what was happening on the screen. NOW, to be fair, this theater had started showing the film around 4pm, and then every hour since that till midnight, so the brunt of the crowd may have gone earlier in the day, but I can't believe that those who crave the "midnight experience" just up and bailed! I have to say that as far as theater experiences go for a big movie, it was one of my worst ever.

OKAY, ON TO THE GOOD STUFF!! Now, I'm going to assume that by the time most of you find this review, you will have already seen the movie, and probably more than once, so I will dispense with rehashing the entire plot of the movie. Suffice to say, the movie was excellent. First off, the actors nailed the essence of the characters perfectly. Zachary Quinto expertly embodied both the stoic Vulcan nature of Spock as well as the struggling emotional human within. The scene of his ultimate breakdown on the bridge and burst of rage that lead to his beating the snot out of Kirk, was priceless. This Spock has a raw, explosive persona just below the skin, and when it's unleashed, all should be afraid. Chris Pine brought all the swagger of Shatner to James T Kirk, but also made him flawed, broken, and in need of direction. Kirk finally became someone I could relate to. Karl Urban's McCoy was funny and spot on, exuding all the conspiratorial craziness of the original character. Zoe Saldana's Uhura had just the right amount of sexy and sassy, and John Cho made Sulu a formidable character, from his serious adeptness at starship piloting to his rugged hand to hand combat. Even Bruce Greenwood's Christopher Pike was a character I'd follow into battle. Unfortunately, Chekov was a bit of a disappointment. I thought Anton Yelchin acted the part well enough, but at times went overboard with the accent, almost to the point of annoyance. The part of Scotty was a bit of a disappointment as well, not because of Simon Pegg, who was awesome, but because the part was so small. We don't meet him till halfway through the movie, but his story moves quickly once we do. Too quickly. One minute he is marooned on some backwater Starfleet outpost, the next, he's the chief engineer on the Enterprise, all in the blink of an eye...literally! Leonard Nimoy reprises his role as the much older Spock, and does so with grace and perfection. Finally, there is Eric Bana as the mysteriously evil Romulan, Nero. Like Scotty, however, he also suffers from lack of screen time. His twisted story of going from a simple miner to the apparent leader of the entire Romulan race is a grand tale that I wanted much more of. Outside of Spock, Nero suffers the most trauma of all the characters, yet we are with him on his journey for the least amount of time. Intriguing villain, but a missed opportunity to make him the ultimate villain. Of course, you can only cram so much into a 2+ hour movie, and based on how well everything else was done, all is forgiven. (For a better understanding of Nero's past, pick up a copy of the "Star Trek: Countdown" graphic novel. It sets up the movie very well.)

Needless to say, the special effects were great as well. This movie benefited from a steep budget, allowing greater attention to detail and bringing a better sense of realism to Trek. I loved the new look of the Enterprise, too, as it captured some elements of all the previous Original Series versions, making it the perfect Enterprise. At times, some of the engineering department shots seemed larger than the ship itself, but again, something I can overlook.

Last but not least, there is the story itself, which I found epic. Many complained that Abrams and gang messed up everything we already know. These people are ignorant. It is very clear that there are now two timelines, thanks to the element of time travel that plays to the center of the story. However, the "original" timeline is, and always will be, intact. Yes, there is a major event within the original timeline, namely the destruction of Romulus, that really shakes up that universe...but ya know, maybe it was time for that. Regardless, this event does not affect any history of what we already know to be true in that original timeline. All of the characters, and their beloved origins, are safe. The "new" timeline, on the other hand, is its own universe now and, if anything, is wide open, with a future unset, and offers infinite possibilities for storytelling. Consider already the destruction of Vulcan, the death of Spock's mother, and the early presence of Romulans in this alternate timeline. As you can see, the "new" universe has some pretty hefty issues to deal with already...and it can only get more interesting from here. Bravo.

So, in conclusion, even though the crowd at my viewing was all but absent, and those who were there, retarded, the movie still gets a 9 out of 10 from me. (I can promise you that when I see it again, it will get a 10 out of 10!) It had all the action of a blockbuster, complete with great characters, an epic story, and wonderful nods to the Original Series (aka Kobayashi Maru, "Dammit Jim, I'm a doctor, not a..., and the classic Spock nerve pinch amongst other things). This was A Great New Start for the most beloved sci-fi opera of all time!!! Hats off to you, JJ. I can't wait to journey with this crew again!!

New Star Trek = More Time Travel. Good or bad?

By now, those of you who are diehard Trek fans probably know most of the story behind the new Star Trek film. (We are tenatious that way.) You also know that like Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Star Trek: First Contact, and countless TV episodes, time travel plays a major role in the plot. Additionally, if you read the prequel story, "Star Trek: Countdown", time travel rears its familiar head there as well. Many have questioned the wisdom of going to this tactic yet again. Are filmakers and storytellers beating a dead horse with "slingshot effects" and history preserving voyages through time?

For me, I agree with most that time travel has been a bit overplayed in the Star Trek universe, but in this instance, I think it works, and here's why. First, it's important to note that the time travelling that took place in the previous movies and many of the episodes was deliberate. The intention was to go back in time, specifically to undo damage to the timeline. In the new movie, however, time travel is completely accidental (per the events of Countdown). There is no pre-meditated grand scheme to undo or change history. Secondly, you need to accept the premise that JJ Abrams wants a fresh start to Star Trek and part of that fresh start means seeing our beloved characters in a way that may, on some levels, conflict ever so slightly with what we already know about them. Subtle changes in origin and character development to make them more accessible to you and I. But how do you squeeze a tweaked origin like this into an already well known, firmly established universe? Well, by creating an alternate universe, of course! I say that tongue and cheek, but consider. In "our" Trek universe, the one you and I grew up in, the "Countdown" story (and for those of you who haven't read it yet, run away now) takes place in the Next Generation era and depicts the most current events in that timeline. Nemesis has happened and Spock is still on his Unification mission. It is in this universe that Romulus is destroyed by an exploding sun and the galaxy now has to, or will have to, deal with the political, social and military ramifications of their absence. Again, still all part of the continuing, forward moving storyline. (Imagine being the lucky author who gets to write the first Next Gen or Voyager story in an almost Romulan-less universe!) But in the "alternate" universe, created by Abrams with the new movie, the introduction of Nero and the Romulan race (through accidental time travel) early in Starfleet's history changes forever the direction of that universe and the characters within it. A completely different timeline than the one we know is now unfolding before them. Yes, these are essentially the same characters, but the opportunity exists now for old tales of familiar lore to be told with bold new twists, all the while keeping the "original" universe and its timeline completely intact and relevant. This also plays well to the whole concept of introducing Star Trek to a new generation of fans.

So, although Abrams could have easily done an exciting adventure story set exclusively in the original era, I think it would have been hampered by what ultimately killed the franchise to begin with...just another story with the same familiar characters squeezed into an already overcrowded bookshelf. Worse yet, we already know the future of that timeline. However, in this "new" timeline, the future has yet to be set! Just imagine, for a minute, if this new timeline were the Alternate Universe timeline!!! What if the Kirk and Spock of this movie eventually become the evil Kirk and Spock we glimpsed in "Mirror, Mirror"? We might just be witnessing the birth of Emperor Tiberius Kirk, and how frakkin cool would that be????

The Franchise Reboot

Well, it seems like studio execs are boldly going where everyone wants to go these days, and that's the "Franchise Reboot". If it's broke, or tired, or gathering dust, then let's fix it. And you know what, in almost every case, it's worked. Take Battlestar Galactica for starters, a classic 70's sci-fi adventure that lasted a whopping one season (as I don't count that abortion series called Galactica 1980), but still managed a massive cult following. I loved the original as much as anybody, and Vipers and Cylons were part of my toy collection. But, in 2004, the "new" Galactica hit the airwaves and suddenly everything changed. We saw a female Starbuck, Cylons that looked like humans, and a Boomer that was a Cylon as well as a girl. People were in a state of panic. In fact, I hadn't seen such visceral hatred for something like this since the Republicans were in office. (Relax George W, I'm still your biggest fan.)

But in spite of the uproar, the Galactica refit worked. Why? Well firstly, I think sci-fi fans are more sophisticated today then they were in the 60's and 70's. Back then, science fiction was just that...fiction. Nowadays, more is possible and technology is starting to catch up with our dreams, so fans are more critical when it comes to how real the "science" of science fiction is portrayed. The new Galactica took that to heart. Sure, there were still wicked space battles and crazy looking ships, but it was presented in a way that made me believe it was real. Most importantly, though, Galactica was successful because, as the show's creator Ronald Moore stated, "it's about the characters, stupid". Galactica was, first and foremost, a drama. It didn't matter that it was set in space or that Starbuck was a girl. Nobody cared because everyone fell in love with the believability of the characters and their stories...stories as real and emotionally grounded as anything we face in our own lives. We related to these people, we rooted for them, and in the end, we cried when they left us. It was storytelling at its best, with the backdrop of space merely the canvas it played on. This is also why Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, and Casino Royale were all successful reboots as well. They transcended fantasy and became part of our world. And now, Star Trek, my favorite sci-fi show from the past, is set to undergo it's own reboot. Will it be as successful as Galactica? So far, the early reviews say yes. I will let ya know on May 9th! All I know is that May 8th can't get her fast enough!!!