Last night I saw Star Trek. I'm not sure that I would call myself a "Trekky," but I did grow up watching Star Trek with my family. Started out watching the original series with Captain Kirk, and when the "Next Generation" came out with Jean-Luke Picard and the rest of the Enterprise crew, we ended up watching that one pretty religiously too.
And yes, I've also seen all the movies (I think). I don't go to Star Trek conventions or wear Vulcan ears in the shower, but I do like the show. And I was pretty excited to see this Star Trek movie because I'd heard alot of good things about it AND, it was written and directed by JJ Abrams, the creator of "Lost" (my current favorite TV show).
So, here's my review. . .
All in all, I liked it. I'd recommend it, and I'd see it again. That being said, I was expecting the movie to be better than it was. It was a basic "origins" movie (which seems to be very popular these days . . . i.e., Batman, X-men, etc.), going back to explain where the crew of the USS Enterprise came from. You get to see Kirk as a hell-raising little kid and a womanizing pre-cadet, Spock as a brainy vulcan nerd, and Scottie as an isolated theoretical physicist.
I still don't know that the plot made total sense to me, and I'm honestly getting alittle tired of JJ Abram's obsession with time travel, be it on a star ship or an island. I think I understand that the movie nemesis, Nero (interesting name), was ticked. I get WHY he was ticked. But I don't think I ever fully understood what exactly he was trying to do. I couldn't tell if he was trying to change the past to avoid a later tragedy or just cause more tragedies in a sadistic effort to punish his enemies. And I couldn't fully see how the first time travel related to the second . . . Just got alittle confusing . . . I needed a mid-movie recap and explanation episode like Abram's does at least twice a season during "Lost."
It was interesting getting to know these characters again. I liked the overall acting in the movie. The dude who played Kirk was entertaining to watch, carrying that same Captian Kirk swagger William Shatner carried in the 60s. Spock's character was an interesting departure from his almost robotic, purely logical character in the series. The story-line of Spock's battle with his human side (his emotional side) was interesting, and well acted. I thought the dialogue overall left alittle to be desired. I expected more from Abrams in this regard. Other than the conversation between Pike and Kirk in the bar, I don't remember much else from the dialogue other than cheap, one-lined homages to the original series.
BUT . . . I'm being picky now, when the truth is, it's really a good movie. I'd watch it again, and I'd recommend it. If you're new to Star Trek, you'll be entertained. If you're a Star Trek fan, you'll be satisfied.
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