Star Trek (2009)

Star Trek was released on DVD and Blu-ray last month, meaning most people will now be able to get a good copy of this incredible film. Sincerely, it is a testament to my incredible laziness that I have not reviewed my favorite movie of the year (so far). I originally planned to write this review earlier, but better late than never, I guess. So without further ado, let’s begin!

STAR TREK

“I have been and always shall be, your friend.”

How many of you are Star Trek fans? (*counts number of hands raised) Okay, that was sad. It is very true that most Malaysians aren’t fans of Star Trek. I didn’t even know who Captain Kirk was just 3 years ago! Unfortunately this causes many Malaysians to not want to give a chance to this latest movie. Some claim Trek is too old-fashioned, while others say that the action is lacking. Excuses, excuses, and let them hinder you no more! Star Trek is a GREAT movie!


For those not familiar with the premise (and many of you undoubtedly aren’t) the Star Trek TV shows and movies tell of a future where humanity has put aside their differences and has fostered harmony, peace and progress. Wealth and prestige are no longer sought, because these future humans view scientific enquiry as the ultimate goal. They seek to go “where no man has gone before”. It is through this utopian unity that humans have developed starships, explored the heavens and built numerous alliances with other extraterrestrial species. The most significant outcome of this is the forging of an intergalactic “United Nations” known as the United Federation of Planets.

Most Trek shows and movies focus on a crew of space explorers and their ship. This movie, in seeking to break of past conventions and to attract new audiences, portrays an alternate reality of Star Trek’s most famous crew, that of Captain Kirk and his USS Enterprise. The vengeful villain, Nero, has travelled back in time and altered history so much so that Kirk and crew will no longer have the same destinies as their 60’s counterparts.

This was a brilliant decision because now the filmmakers are free to deviate from the original series and create new stories of their own. They now have creative and artistic liberty to implement whatever they feel is appropriate to breathe new life into the franchise. The results are spectacular, showcasing breathtaking CGI and sound effects which bring Trek action to amazing new heights. It’s not that the special effects are the best in the industry, but rather it was how director JJ Abrams weaved what he had into heart-racing and fantastically directed action scenes. For example, the opening fight scene didn’t have anything that Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith couldn’t do 4 years ago. Yet, by muting the sound in certain scenes he created powerful moments of tension and adrenaline. Through this and other ingenious moments of directing ad cinematography, the movie used what available resources it had to excel (unlike Revenge of the Fallen, which had too many resources and couldn’t decide what to do with them).


What was really impressive however, is the amazing chemistry that existed between the various crew members off the USS Enterprise. One thing that I thought I would be disappointed with was the crew interactions, mostly because this was the biggest pulling factor of the original Star Trek. When I watched the original series, I didn’t watch it for the special effects (though those were decent) I watched it for the emotionally-laden friendships that existed between all the crew members, in particular the power trio of Kirk, Spock and McCoy. Imagine how surprised I was at how well these “newbie” actors took on their roles and at how they breathed new life into them. Chris Pine’s Kirk may not be the same as Shatner’s, but you can certainly see the main defining characteristics in his unique take on the character. The same goes for all the actors. Instead of replicating the original actors’ portrayals, the new group puts a new spin on the established characters why keeping the spirit of them intact.


Of course there are those story twists in the movie that will make the Trek fan in you scream, "OH MY -". Rest assured though, unless you really, really can't stand changes (then why are you watching this?) those twists are well justified and very dramatic and shocking.

There is so much more to say about this movie, but I really mustn’t keep you from watching it any longer. So in short, this movie really did a great job because it respected the franchise and at the same time brought innovation and creativity to the table. The most ironic thing is, it is the first Star Trek movie in years (since First Contact, 1998, in my opinion) to actually “go where no man has gone before”. Live long and prosper!



"Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Her ongoing mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life-forms and new civilizations; to boldly go where no one has gone before."