Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Monday At the Movies on Tuesday: Star Trek


Movie: Star Trek (2009)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Directed By: J.J. Abrams
Writers: Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman
Gene Roddenberry (television series "Star Trek")


I confess I was never a big fan of the original Star Trek television show. I did, however, like Star Trek: the Next Generation--at least the few seasons I saw of it. I did not jump into it right away, and only came into the show after it had been on air for a little while. Captain Picard was one of my favorite characters as was Deanna Troy. I figured if I could be anyone in the world, I would most want to be an empath. I also came to really like the least successful of the bunch, Enterprise. It had an unpolished feel to it; plus, I was happy to see Scott Bakula back on television.

My husband had been on pins and needles for quite awhile in anticipation of the new Star Trek movie; and I have to admit that his excitement was contagious. I am a fan of J.J. Abrams work. He hooked me long ago with Alias and Lost. And so it was with high expectations that we walked into the movie theater Friday morning (my mouth still numb from that morning's dental visit) and took our seats amongst the other moviegoers. I was eager to see J.J. Abrams fresh spin on the franchise.

Anjin and I were not disappointed. The movie chronicles the early years of Kirk and Spock in addition to other crew members of the U.S.S. Enterprise. They are a part of the Federation, an exploratory and peace keeping organization that travels through space. James T. Kirk and Spock are forced to work together despite their animosity when the planet Vulcan is threatened by a rogue Romulan hell bent on destroying it. He blames the Vulcans for being the ruin of his own family and home.

The movie is well cast; Chris Pine played the young James T. Kirk and Zachary Quinto took on the role of Spock. One of my favorite characters in the movie, Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy, was played by Karl Urban. I hope to see more of him in the sequel. For fans of the franchise, the new movie takes familiar relationships and makes them fresh again, adding unexpected twists, while at the same time being a great introduction to an unforgetable cast of characters.

Eric Bana was fantastic as Nero, the main antagonist in the film. There have been grumblings that the villain was not a big enough foe in the film, but I do not think he was meant to be. Star Trek is an origin film, and much of the focus is on the coming together of the crew, their developing relationships and their own internal struggles. Personally, I thought Nero's own issues fit in well with those of Spock and Kirk.

Before you think that the movie was all drama, there was plenty of action throughout the film. My husband couldn't help but gush about the sound effects afterward. Fans of Star Trek will see plenty of reminders from the original movies and television show (remember the Red Shirt?), and I doubt new fans will have trouble catching on quickly to the story. The movie was pure entertainment and great fun to watch. It definitely lived up to my expectations.

Monday's Movie is hosted by Sheri at A Novel Menagerie.


27 comments:

  1. I wasn't a watcher of Star Trek, but I've heard such good things about the movie that I'm curious. Can you watch the movie without knowing much about the show?

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  2. My hubby saw this Friday and he's ready to see it again.

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  3. Charley - I think you can watch the movie without having seen the show before. I wasn't too familiar with all the characters myself, and the way the movie is set up, it doesn't matter. Even fans of the show are a bit in the dark going into this one. If you like sci-fi action movies, I think you would be able to follow this one without any problem.

    Kathy - Both my husband and I wouldn't mind seeing it again. Hubby wants to wait until it is in a slightly smaller theater though.

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  4. Man, I want to see it so bad! But I want to go to the IMAX theater and I think it's only there for a few weeks, and I can't figure out time to get there. Oh, the dilemmas in my life....

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  5. I'm glad to read your good review. I want to see this too when it makes its way to our little overseas theater. Now I can get excited!

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  6. At the risk of having tomatoes thrown at me, I have never in my life seen anything Star Trek. Mostly by choice. I can't explain why. Maybe it was because some of my friends were so over the top about it that it turned me off. Don't know. But this movie got really good reviews in EW, and my kids have stated they want to see it, having gotten the thumbs up from their buddies at school. So I am sure, once school is out, we will give it a go!

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  7. Every review I read makes me want to see this just a little bit more. I haven't watched Star Trek in years, but it was a big part of my youth, (via TNG, which I watched with my parents when I was a wee lass), and the movie sounds amazing. Thanks for the great review!

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  8. I LOVED this movie! I thought the whole time travel element was fantastic. And - strangely enough - I found Spock to be quite sexy. Go figure!

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  9. This movie was awesome! We were not disappointed even though we had high expectations too. Your review on it is excellent. Thanks!

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  10. We're going to see it this coming weekend with our Trekkiest friends. I really hope they all like it, or else the lunch we're having afterward will be full of complaining :-)!

    Seriously, even though I'm more of a Next Generation fan myself, I've been looking forward to this movie, and as I keep reading/hearing good things about it I'm getting more and more anxious to see it! So glad that you and Anjin enjoyed it.

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  11. I've never watched Star Trek! But my hubby wanted to see it, and I enjoyed it a lot! :)

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  12. I am a life long Star Trek fan and CAN'T WAIT to see this movie. Only 10 more days until my husband and I have the babysitter scheduled for our Star Trek date:-)

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  13. I was not a big fan of the Original Star Trek, either. I much preferred TNG. I loved this movie, though! It was great! I want to see it again, but I will wait and buy it.

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  14. I've seen all things Star Trek since Mary Jo hooked me on the original, lo these many years ago. It's out? lol. It did look good!

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  15. Great review. I agree with everything you said.

    I cant wait for the squeal if they get everyone back on board.

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  16. I am so TORN about seeing this movie. I wasn't a fan of the original series or Enterprise, but I liked TNG, DS9, and Voyager and all but a couple of the movies. From the previews, this movie looks so different from all the rest that I don't know if I want to see it or not. Your review is pushing me more towards wanting to go see it, but I'm still not totally sure.

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  17. I never watched the original Star Trek but my hubby got me hooked on The Next Generation. I don't watch them too often these days, having seen most if not all of the episodes. I hope to see the movie soon.

    Btw, I have a little something for you here.

    --Anna
    Diary of an Eccentric

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  18. I loved it, too!!!!! And I love J.J. Abrams all the way back to the Felicity days! :)

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  19. Amy--I LOVED Felicity, too! :)

    Wendy - You've absolutely sold me. I've never been a Star Trek fan and have actually stayed away from it on purpose (no real reason--not big fan of Star Wars either). Sci-fi generally isn't my thing. But I'm glad you liked it and it does look like it is very well cast--had no idea Eric Bana was in this one! By the way, glad to see you back. :)

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  20. I am really looking forward to seeing this movie! I have not heard anyone say it was bad. Thanks for ramping up my excitement :)

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  21. I named my daughter after Deanna Troy! Love that character!

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  22. I used to love Star Trek when I was young! I so must watch this!

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  23. I loved this movie as well. I am a fan of the series, and the best way I could explain this movie is "Star Trek the way it would have been, if they had had the budget for it back in the day." I don't know how, but they managed to capture the spirit of the show and show us how cool Trek could look.

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  24. Suey - Seeing it on the IMAX theater will be so cool! I hope you are able to see it that way.

    Nikki - I hope you don't have too long to wait!

    Sandy - Haha! No tomato throwing here. I do hope you will enjoy the movie when you do see it. I'm sure your kids will love it. :-)

    Memory - It's been ages since I've seen anything Star Trek too. The movie has gotten several great reviews--all of which I think are deserved. I hope you like the movie when you see it.

    Heather - It was so good, wasn't it? And I agree about the time travel element--it really made the whole story work.

    Jaimie - Thank you! I am glad you enjoyed the movie too. :-)

    Florinda - I can't wait to hear what you think of it, Florinda. I've heard mixed reviews from die hard fans, although most are positive.

    Bunny - I'm glad to hear it! Proof that the movie can appeal to even non-Star Trek watchers!

    Laura - Ooo! How can you stand the wait? It'll make it all the more sweeter when you do get to see it. I hope you and your husband enjoy it!

    Kelly - Maybe it's our generation? Hubby and I will definitely be adding this to our DVD collection.

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  25. Carrie K - You're a real fan! :-) Enjoy the movie when you see it!

    Caspette - Thank you. It was such a great film. I'm really looking forward to the sequel too.

    Trisha - You should give it a try. The storyline explains away much of the differences between the original and the movie--and it does have more of a TNG feel to it in terms of looks. I think you might like it.

    Anna - Thank you so much for the award, Anna!

    I do hope you enjoy the movie when you see it.

    Amy - I never watched Felicity, can you believe it? Not even one episode.

    Trish - I come back and then I go away again. LOL I do hope you enjoy it if you watch it, Trish. It's very much Sci-Fi, admittedly. Eric Bana did a great job. I didn't recognize him at first under all that make-up though.

    Stacy - I've come across a couple of negative reviews from die hard fans, but for the most part it's been getting great reviews. I hope you enjoy it when you see it!

    Sheri - How cool is that?! She really was a wonderful character--and I'm sure your daughter is even more wonderful. :-)

    Alice - I think you'll enjoy it, Alice. :-)

    Kim - I thought they did a good job of capturing the spirit of the show too, Kim. Having a bigger budget definitely didn't hurt. :-)

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  26. We went to see this last Monday night after hearing all the raving about it. We had planned to see it but usually wait a week or two after opening weekend to try to avoid the crowds at the theater. Loved this movie - they did such a great job with it! Kirk - "Stop it!" Scotty - "Could I get a towel?" LOL! Good stuff!

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  27. Debi - I am glad you enjoyed this one too, Debi. I'm not a big fan of crowds either. I find that early first showings around my town are often the best time to go, even on the weekends. I know it's not that way for everywhere though.

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