‘Star Trek’ the best film in months

Imagine a ‘Star Trek’ that isn’t convoulted beyond belief, that you don’t need a Trek fan-to-English dictionary to understand. Where half-hour conversations about morals don’t make up the majority of the running-time. Where you actually, truly understand what the heck is going on, without worrying about Klingons or Romulans or Vulcans or whatever. Simple, pure fun, that could also please the devoted Star Trek fans, or ‘Trekkies’, or ‘Trekkers’ (of which there are many). That could please even those who viciously oppose that it stands for (of which there are many). Ladies, gentlemen, germs, teenage boys, enter ‘Star Trek’.

The film is set in a separate universe from all of the original films. It starts around 2400 or something in space, with a starship suddenly being destroyed by another, much bigger one, that is populated by a race called Romulans. They apparently have an agenda for revenge, although the leader of the ship, Nero, is tight-lipped on what for. During the ship’s evacuation a baby is born, named James Kirk. Flash forward 20 years, on Earth. Kirk is an intelligent albeit reckless rebel, driving cars off cliffs for kicks. He is recruited to join to Starfleet Academy, to take up the legacy of his father and work on starships.

Meanwhile on a separate planet, Spock is a young who feels shame because despite being raised to ignore emotions and concentrate on logic (its the Vulcan way), his half-human heritage burdens him in this process. Kirk befriends Uhura and a medic named Leonard McCoy upon joining the Starfleet Academy. He is suspended after cheating on a test, but boards the new, giant USS Enterprise anyway. Despite ethical conflict with Captain Spock, they must bond together to defeat Nero.

It’s rather hard to fully explain the plot without giving too much away. The plot sounds fairly simple but it’s much more complex, involving power drills, nuclear weapons, time travel, etc. However, the film decently paces itself so that all these revelations aren’t overwhelming. In addition, it unleashes several major action sequences. Ditto the very end where the two giant starships face off, or a scene where three people parachute from the starship onto a drill thats suspended 5,000 feet into the air. It also pokes fun but respects the original films, retaining the original characters and their quirks, to the original ships, to even the original sound effects.

The acting is top-notch all around. Simon Pegg is very funny as the ship engineer Scotty, and Karl Urban is good as medic Leonard McCoy. Chris Pine has a certain bravura as James Kirk that demonstrates charm and wit. But there are two performances that put this film above and beyond: Zachary Quinto as a young Spock. He speaks almost mechanically, but effectively demonstrates the inner emotional turmoil that Spock feels. His scenes with Kirk are the best in the film, with an undertone of logic versus instinct. The very best performance in the film is also Spock - but the much older Spock played by the original, Leonard Nimoy. I won’t reveal how he figures into the plot and how he is alongside a young version of him, but it’s a tender, mostly somber, occasionally funny performance. The visual effects are stunning, as are the sound effects. The moments where there’s just silence in space are even more effective than the big flashy action.

I could perhaps liken ‘Star Trek’ and its predecessors to ‘Batman Begins’ and its predecessors: A shot of adrenaline and a heart transplant to a dying franchise. A corny analogy, but relevant nonetheless: ‘Star Trek’ removes what made the recent Star Trek’s so hard to comprehend. It adds more action. It presents engaging, interesting versions of the characters. Every single actor in ‘Star Trek’ likely faces stardom now. Here’s hoping this new version of the series lives long and prospers. A

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