Hype User Reviews: Star Trek XI

[Lightning Strykez!]

I know quite a few of us have seen this film already in different parts of the world, i.e. Lizard, Movies205, TNC, etc. More users will be catching advance screenings this week leading up to the film's release, so feel free to post (or in the aforementioned users' cases re-post) your user reviews here. Remember to keep the flaming out of here. This thread, along with Box Office Predictions: Star Trek XI and General Discussion: Star Trek XI will be stickied for this forum on a temporary basis until the next "big" non-Comic/Sci-Fi films hits theatres (i.e Tranformers, Terminator, etc.).

By the way, our sister-site Comingsoon.net will be featuring a 10-point poll, but do you guys want one here on this thread as well? Let me know. Thanks.

--Caliph

 

[protocida]

I haven't seen the movie, but I have seen the clips and I can say: The acting is top-notch.

 

[TNC9852002]

Star Trek
​

By TNC​

On Saturday, April 25th at 5:42pm, I couldn't believe my ears when I called in the local 93.9FM radio station for the first time, being told that I was caller #10 and become the recipient of two V.I.P. tickets to the premiere of this movie at my local theater (which I has previously worked a year ago), to take place Saturday morning on May 2nd. So to start off, let me be clear: My knowledge of Star Trek is pretty basic to intermediate at best. When I was in elementary school, I used to watch Star Trek The Next Generation all the time, usually right before bed. As I grew older, I never got into the Trek shows that came after. I was never a fan of Voyager, Deep Space Nine, I was oblivious to "Enterprise" or any other recent TV series. I also never frequented the original 60's series in its syndication, but upon hearing of the release of the anticipated prequel, I took some time last year to watch through several episodes from the first season.

As far as my knowledge of the original Star Trek movies and its cast, I'm also relatively familiar. Whenever there's a highly anticipated adaptation, a prequel or a sequel, if I have the time, I usually go through a bit of research to become acquainted with the film's source material. To prepare myself for this movie, I went through and watched the first six original Star Trek films (all, for the first time by the way) over the three weeks leading up to the movie's release (I planned on watching all 10 movies before May 7th). I would find out later that it was definitely worth all the trouble.

As my mind was focused primarily on the release of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, at the time leading up to the summer season, I never once interested myself into reading any news, spoilers, or any kind of significant details concerning many of the more essential elements of Star Trek, nor did I watch a deal of film clips, behind the scenes footage or anything else, even after winning the contest--as I wanted to have this movie feel like a totally fresh experience for me as a relative newcomer to the series.

Before I go into the film itself, I'll just start-off by giving this movie an initial rating at 10/10. Those that have paid attention or have known me for a long time, they would know that I never EVER give movies a 10/10, but simply put; it is one of the best adventure movies and movies I've seen. I could be facetious enough to give this movie a 9.5/10 to give myself some room of general emotional deviation in bias, but as other review sites have demonstrated, I'm not the first individual to give this movie a perfect score.

Simply put; it has everything you want out of an adventure movie.

First off, J.J. Abrams and his crew bring such a wonderful visual style in the editing and the shots chosen to put this movie on-screen. This is the kind of film that will show everyone why Abrams is what he is. After you've walked out of this movie, you'll notice quite a few things. First off, the character development is wonderful. The dialogue is witty and smart, the film itself tells a great Star Trek story that falls well within the continuity of the previous films. The visual effects and set designs are top notch. Essentially, everything is high quality. Abrams just has such a great visual eye for the screen, he knows how to direct actors and get emotions out of his cast, and he should deserve humongous credit for tackling such a film not to mention writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman.

You'll also notice that this movie doesn't try so hard to win over audiences in creating incremental sections of huge action pieces like your typical summer movie. This could be an issue with some reviewers, but I welcomed this. So instead here, you get quality over quantity as you feel that this movie is trying to retain that element of a thinking-man's sci-fi adventure, but also has the ability to reach viewers of all ages with a uncomplicated story and a diverse cast of characters. The movie has such a great balance of humor and drama that those that aren't even into Star Trek will definitely walk out wholly satisfied.

Coming from a person who has spent every other day of the past 3 weeks watching Star Trek episodes and movies, I can say that the cast in this movie nailed the essence of every character here and reminded you of why they're so memorable. Here you felt that there was a smooth balance between paying an homage to these original actors and characters, but also this new cast was able to bring something new to the table and not feel like caricatures. It was very surprising also at how successful this movie was able to balance such a large cast and give everyone the right amount of development and personality.

The pacing in this movie is particularly well done--its one of those movies where you will never have to look down at your watch. There are very few moments where there's not a lot of pretty visuals on-screen and even in the quieter moments, the story and the characters are so engaged, you won't even care about when the next action scene is coming.

The new cast or, the old cast of the Enterprise in Star Trek, taking place roughly 10 years before the original tv show. ​

Honestly, the movie is not perfection, as most movies aren't, but for a movie in this genre, I believe it's as close as it's going to get here. Even if I watched this on an iPod, I couldn't give this movie less than a 9/10.

Ok, it looks like I'm flip flopping, but I'll break it down this way:

1. If you're not a fan of Star Trek, you will have a really good time. Even though it's the first PG-13 Star Trek movie featuring the old characters, it doesn't feature any incredibly strong violence, language, or sexual content. It's a film you could definitely take the entire family to see.
   
2. If you're somewhat a fan of Star Trek, like me, you will have an even better time--they put in so many small references and memorable lines straight from the tv show and the films and feel just right and don't seem overly forced. Chris Pine, Karl Urban, Zachary Quinto--they, but in my opinion, every cast member surprised me in bringing the characters to life. I particularly favored Chris Pine as he just has such a great charm and wit and as young Kirk, he does a good job incorporating what seemed like subtle 'Shatner' mannerisms and speech patterns whether intentional or not and I would love to see him back with this new cast in a future sequel or two. Eric Bana also, as the movie's antagonist, Nero, is virtually unrecognizable both physically and dramatically as he's completely immersed in his role as the devious Romulan and comes off believable. He was quite the surprise as well.
   
   and..
   
3. If you're a true, die-hard fan of Star Trek...You...Will....Love this movie. I can't say if you'll think of it as fondly as I did, but you'll definitely see this film as the best Star Trek of the bunch or if not, on par with The Voyage Home or possibly Wrath of Khan. It will more likely than not be at the top of everyone's list.

Eric Bana as Nero. He can't believe how good this movie is either!​

I will go on to say that this is definitely this year's Iron Man--It will most likely take a variety of technical nominations at the Oscars next year, and will be one of the most critically successful films this year.


I can't wait to see it again this week.

Final Score:
(9.75/10)

 

[TNC9852002]

Nice review. So, does Bana's Nero come off as Romulan or just human with pointy ears?

What do you mean? lol.

Well, I would say no. They do a good job of giving providing him great prosthetics for the look and all.

 

[TNC9852002]

I meant acting wise. I read a review that said he just seems like an angry human, not really alien at all.

That seems pretty silly.

Well, from what I've learned, Romulans are nothing more than emotional, passionate non-logical Vulcans, which in essence, make them more human than a Vulcan would in comparison. Acting-wise, I can't really compare it to anything else Eric Bana that I've seen him in.

 

[SatEL]

Star Trek​

By TNC​

On Saturday, April 25th at 5:42pm, I couldn't believe my ears when I called in the local 93.9FM radio station for the first time, being told that I was caller #10 and become the recipient of two V.I.P. tickets to the premiere of this movie at my local theater (which I has previously worked a year ago), to take place Saturday morning on May 2nd. So to start off, let me be clear: My knowledge of Star Trek is pretty basic to intermediate at best. When I was in elementary school, I used to watch Star Trek The Next Generation all the time, usually right before bed. As I grew older, I never got into the Trek shows that came after. I was never a fan of Voyager, Deep Space Nine, I was oblivious to "Enterprise" or any other recent TV series. I also never frequented the original 60's series in its syndication, but upon hearing of the release of the anticipated prequel, I took some time last year to watch through several episodes from the first season.

As far as my knowledge of the original Star Trek movies and its cast, I'm also relatively familiar. Whenever there's a highly anticipated adaptation, a prequel or a sequel, if I have the time, I usually go through a bit of research to become acquainted with the film's source material. To prepare myself for this movie, I went through and watched the first six original Star Trek films (all, for the first time by the way) over the three weeks leading up to the movie's release (I planned on watching all 10 movies before May 7th). I would find out later that it was definitely worth all the trouble.

As my mind was focused primarily on the release of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, at the time leading up to the summer season, I never once interested myself into reading any news, spoilers, or any kind of significant details concerning many of the more essential elements of Star Trek, nor did I watch a deal of film clips, behind the scenes footage or anything else, even after winning the contest--as I wanted to have this movie feel like a totally fresh experience for me as a relative newcomer to the series.

Before I go into the film itself, I'll just start-off by giving this movie an initial rating at 10/10. Those that have paid attention or have known me for a long time, they would know that I never EVER give movies a 10/10, but simply put; it is one of the best adventure movies and movies I've seen. I could be facetious enough to give this movie a 9.5/10 to give myself some room of general emotional deviation in bias, but as other review sites have demonstrated, I'm not the first individual to give this movie a perfect score.

Simply put; it has everything you want out of an adventure movie.

First off, J.J. Abrams and his crew bring such a wonderful visual style in the editing and the shots chosen to put this movie on-screen. This is the kind of film that will show everyone why Abrams is what he is. After you've walked out of this movie, you'll notice quite a few things. First off, the character development is wonderful. The dialogue is witty and smart, the film itself tells a great Star Trek story that falls well within the continuity of the previous films. The visual effects and set designs are top notch. Essentially, everything is high quality. Abrams just has such a great visual eye for the screen, he knows how to direct actors and get emotions out of his cast, and he should deserve humongous credit for tackling such a film not to mention writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman.

You'll also notice that this movie doesn't try so hard to win over audiences in creating incremental sections of huge action pieces like your typical summer movie. This could be an issue with some reviewers, but I welcomed this. So instead here, you get quality over quantity as you feel that this movie is trying to retain that element of a thinking-man's sci-fi adventure, but also has the ability to reach viewers of all ages with a uncomplicated story and a diverse cast of characters. The movie has such a great balance of humor and drama that those that aren't even into Star Trek will definitely walk out wholly satisfied.

Coming from a person who has spent every other day of the past 3 weeks watching Star Trek episodes and movies, I can say that the cast in this movie nailed the essence of every character here and reminded you of why they're so memorable. Here you felt that there was a smooth balance between paying an homage to these original actors and characters, but also this new cast was able to bring something new to the table and not feel like caricatures. It was very surprising also at how successful this movie was able to balance such a large cast and give everyone the right amount of development and personality.

The pacing in this movie is particularly well done--its one of those movies where you will never have to look down at your watch. There are very few moments where there's not a lot of pretty visuals on-screen and even in the quieter moments, the story and the characters are so engaged, you won't even care about when the next action scene is coming.

The new cast or, the old cast of the Enterprise in Star Trek, taking place roughly 10 years before the original tv show. ​

Honestly, the movie is not perfection, as most movies aren't, but for a movie in this genre, I believe it's as close as it's going to get here. Even if I watched this on an iPod, I couldn't give this movie less than a 9/10.

Ok, it looks like I'm flip flopping, but I'll break it down this way:

1. If you're not a fan of Star Trek, you will have a really good time. Even though it's the first PG-13 Star Trek movie featuring the old characters, it doesn't feature any incredibly strong violence, language, or sexual content. It's a film you could definitely take the entire family to see.
   
2. If you're somewhat a fan of Star Trek, like me, you will have an even better time--they put in so many small references and memorable lines straight from the tv show and the films and feel just right and don't seem overly forced. Chris Pine, Karl Urban, Zachary Quinto--they, but in my opinion, every cast member surprised me in bringing the characters to life. I particularly favored Chris Pine as he just has such a great charm and wit and as young Kirk, he does a good job incorporating what seemed like subtle 'Shatner' mannerisms and speech patterns whether intentional or not and I would love to see him back with this new cast in a future sequel or two. Eric Bana also, as the movie's antagonist, Nero, is virtually unrecognizable both physically and dramatically as he's completely immersed in his role as the devious Romulan and comes off believable. He was quite the surprise as well.
   
   and..
   
3. If you're a true, die-hard fan of Star Trek...You...Will....Love this movie. I can't say if you'll think of it as fondly as I did, but you'll definitely see this film as the best Star Trek of the bunch or if not, on par with The Voyage Home or possibly Wrath of Khan. It will more likely than not be at the top of everyone's list.

Eric Bana as Nero. He can't believe how good this movie is either!​

I will go on to say that this is definitely this year's Iron Man--It will most likely take a variety of technical nominations at the Oscars next year, and will be one of the most critically successful films this year.


I can't wait to see it again this week.

Final Score:
(9.75/10)

Good review but kind of confused on the overall rating, above you give it a 10/10 and you concluded with a 9.75/10. Now the obvious answer is you probably rounded up am I right?

 

[TNC9852002]

Good review but kind of confused on the overall rating, above you give it a 10/10 and you concluded with a 9.75/10. Now the obvious answer is you probably rounded up am I right?

Remember that 10/10 was my initial rating, but I took it down to 9.5/10 to allow for any room for bias. I gave it a 9/10 on a general level, so I felt that a 9.75/10 would make a more general rating.

 

[Warhammer]

Add a poll.

 

[TheVileOne]

It was a good review TNC, thank you.

 

[MiniBond]

I just came out of a premiere and the first thing I wanna say is...............................OH MY GOD !!!!


I am no trekkie, I never managed to get into the original serie, didn't have more luck with the movies, I've always been a die hard Star wars fan but THIS......this is great work

The cast is excellent (look closely at Quinto, the ressemblance with Nimoy's spock is beyond imagination), special bow to Chris pine who has a great carreer in front of him ! Giacchino's music fits perfectly, the action is great, the pacing ditto, the FX are ASTONISHING ! Both comedy and emotion are greatly mixed, especially thanks to Saldana and pine's talent ! And miost of all, the fact that the team leading the enterprise was built in front of the danger makes you care even more for the characters....

That was great, great fun ....JJ Abrams just created another Trek fan, who, like hismelf, didn't like it at first !



I'm here for a sequel, no doubt ....

"Live long and prosper"

 

[The Lizard]

The Lizard's (re-posted) review

I saw an advanced screening April 23, and here are my thoughts...

(No spoilers)

It bears repeating: this ain't your dad's Star Trek. For long-time fans of the Star Trek TV shows and movies, I have two words for you regarding the new "Star Trek" film directed by J.J. Abrams ... alternate universe. This is not a spoiler of any kind, since the concept is brought up early in the movie that what we are seeing is an alternate reality created by a time-travel incident that happens at the beginning of the film. Whether die-hard Trek fans can accept this and go with it will be the deciding factor if they enjoy this movie or not. I don't doubt that some Trek fans might be put off by the various changes to the cannon, as well as the somewhat hip-edgy vibe that can appear a bit too slick at first glance.

For those of you who are more casual fans of Star Trek, or (shock!) not really fans at all, what you will see is a tightly paced introduction to the iconic Star Trek characters and their backgrounds as they are thrust into battle against a time-traveling villain. The special effects are slick and kinetic, but ultimately it's the interpersonal relationships that define Star Trek and this movie is no different. There are definitely some surprising moments when we are reminded that there are different dynamics at work in this particular Star Trek universe, particularly involving an unexpected romance that carries over from Star Fleet academy.

The updated technical designs and CGI are a joy to behold, and I personally got a big kick out of studying the details of the new Enterprise (and yes, those pesky bar-code scanners are quite visible on the bridge throughout the film). I really liked the aesthetics of this Trek universe, from the Star Fleet Academy outfits to some crazy alien monsters that come slathering after Kirk on an ice planet. There were a couple sets that gave me pause, like a certain part of the Enterprise engine rooms that looked a little too much like an industrial oil refinery as visualized by Willy Wonka, but for the most part the sets and effects melded together very well.

Regardless of the more obvious changes in Trek history and 'gotcha' moments that mark this as a new direction for the classic Trek, the characters and dialog are mostly well represented, particularly Zachary Quinto in the role of Mister Spock. Watch for some surprising cameos (Tyler Perry?!) and a few creaky homages to Trek films of years past. However, the best way to approach this movie is to just keep in mind the most basic concepts of what you know about Star Trek and let the film boldly try to go where no Star Trek franchise has gone before.
Rating- 8/10

 

[Dark Knight]

I'm looking forward to seeing this film and have heard nothing but good things. I'll be seeing it tomorrow but here is a positive local review.....

http://www.insidebayarea.com/localnews/ci_12308572

 

[Movies205]

Reposted:

I suppose the big question on everyone’s mind is it still Trek? Surprisingly yes, so much so that I find it hard to fathom how people who aren’t Trek fans are really going to be able to respond to it. On the surface, Trek has gotten a complete modern face-lift from how action is handled to the cinematography, but on a theatrical and script level I’d say it was even geekier than the average Trek film.

A lot of this change in heart about whether Trek is cool or not, I’d argue would come from the slick visual aesthetic that Abrams has created. The film is beautiful to look at from costume and set design to the cinematography, which I think is a huge step up from usual Trek fare. Most Trek movies production values come off as a notch above B-Film fare and the reason being that most of the talent pool is off the actual various TV series and having an outside production team has really help reinvigorate the Trek universe.

The action sequences are some of the best Trek has probably ever seen, however this is where the weird Star Wars influence has come in that Abrams was talking about. The problem with Trek space battles is that you’re dealing with these huge slow-moving battleships it is hard to get a real face pace moving as oppose to Star Wars where they usually have smaller ships flying around like mad. Abrams tries to recreate this with missiles and things to an interesting effect. Then of course there’s the gratuitousness of various redundant alien creatures like a star wars film.

I think the film particularly shines in the performances by the actors. Chris Pine’s Kirk is thrilling, he plays it with the right amount of cheek and intensity for the character. Urban, I think might be the best, his Bones is awesome, he plays the character with this great humorous grittiness that it’s like he’s channeling Deforest Kelly. The rest of the cast seems to be having great fun and it’s a pleasure to watch everyone. My only problem is with Quinto’s Spock, it’s not absolutely terrible but it feels forced to me. There’s something that just makes everything he say sound ridiculously stupid and totally does not sell the whole Vulcan thing. Also I don’t see what so great about Eric Bana in this film, he’s barely in it.

The film’s biggest weak point is the story.

Spoiler

By the end of the film, it becomes blatantly obvious that this is meant to be a reboot, yet they come up with the terribly hokey/cliché time travel story to appease the fans and somehow make it in continuity. And really the question I ask is it really worth it? The first 30 minutes are great, seeing the origins of Spock, Kirk, and Bones is beautiful and I love it, but then we get into this really weak time travel story. Nero shows up for all of 15 minutes in the film and is a relatively weak villain because of it. Also if this is supposed to be a reboot all of the scenes with future Spock really hold absolutely no value for new viewers and while, its great fan-service it just doesn’t make for that great a story. The entire second act is weak, Kirk is ejected from the ship on Spock’s orders, and is on some snow planet(strangely reminiscent of Empire Strikes Backs) and of course he bumps into old Spock and we get tons of exposition and all I can think to myself is how does any of this have to do with Nero and it doesn’t. That is my critique is that the film’s story is all over the place and the main plot is so weak that it can only service about 30 minutes of the actual film

The film is highly enjoyable, but is flawed on a script level which gives plenty for fans, but won’t be remembered as a classic such as Star Trek 2. So if you want see what Star Trek would look like if it had a good budget and done by people with cinematic flare go, but if you ‘re expecting something other than Trek you’ll leave disappointed. 8/10 (I'm a fan of trek so I'm biased, its probably more like a 7)

 

[co2]

I am so psyched for Saturday at the IMAX

 

[jmc]

Well I just got back from seeing Star Trek folks, let me preface this by saying whilst I'm not an uber fan of the series I do quite enjoy the Trek mythology, overall I'd consider myself a casual Trek fan. This will be spoiler free.

Let me first give praise to JJ Abrams for giving the Star Trek series a well needed size 12 boot up the arse, it was a series that was on the brink of becoming a relic and I think this 'somewhat' reboot will do a lot to bring in new audiences. Having said that something about it fell just didn't sit right with me. I'll come to that later.

It's a very visually impressive film, and by that I don't mean flashy FX, it feels a lot more authentic than previous Star Trek series, with the exception of the Enterprise bridge there's a lot more texture and grittiness to the overall film which is something previous Trek series and films have failed to incorporate.

As for the special effects themselves, there really is no 'WOW' moment as it were, there's no shot which is made clearly just to show off something cool which I'm grateful for as it has become extremely cliche in recent years. Instead everything feels subtle which is generally hard to do with a Sci-fi movie but it comes off beautifully here. In fact some of the shots are very reminiscent of World War 2 battle ship footage, almost as if a third ship is filming the battle sequences. Cinematography is very awesome so a big kudos in this area.

The battle sequences themselves are very cool, better than anything that's come before in the Trek mythology although my only complain there is that we get too many close up shots of the ships to really see what's going on.

I think Trek fans overall will be please with Abrams' little Trek details, from sound effects to references from the future films and TV series, there's a lot of 'easter eggs' if you will which whilst not adding anything to the film, will more than likely bring a nod of appreciation from those excepting the worst.

The overall story, well it's ok, it's not gonna make your rack you brains trying to understand what's happening, but it really doesn't break any new barriers, Nero's plot to destroy the Federation planets for 'screwing things up for him' is cliched and overall he's not much of an antagonist, Kirk's rise in the Star Fleet ranks is way too rushed, and the Kirk/Spock relationship never really goes as far as it should have, again it all seems a bit too rushed.

The casting is the weird part for me. It's not that the casting is bad, it's just a strange situation watching people playing such iconic characters yet trying to stay faithful to the original actors portrayal of those characters. Urban has Deforrest Kelly's mannerisms down almost perfectly but at the same time, it's not Deforrest Kelly, it looks like a guy impersonating him. That goes for most of the supporting cast. Zach Qunito's Spock seemed a little flat, the Human/Vulcan conflict that he tries to portray with the character isn't that effective. As for Pine, unlike everyone else I think he's tried to at least give his own spin on the character, but in the context of everyone else it doesn't seem to fit (although Zoe Saldana, who I must say is one of the most gorgeous women going around, seemed to do the same). Eric Bana as Nero does what he can with the character, lot of brooding looks and shouting but overall he doesn't bring that much to the role.

Overall I think what this film suffers from most is being this sort of 'quasi-reboot', similar to Superman Returns. Abrams has walked this fine line that, whilst working, still doesn't feel quite right. Preferably, I would have like to have seen a complete reboot head to toe, and to have given the actors the freedom to reinvent their characters. But given this is Star Trek, I understand the outcry that would have ensued. I think this will please most Trek fans, and Abrams will be labeled as Star Trek's Chris Nolan. As a general movie going experience, it's entertaining and fun, but I'm not going to insist people have to see it opening weekend. However I still think it will do good business at the box office.

Overall I give Star Trek a solid 7/10

 

[TheVileOne]

My full official review will come later. I was afraid kind of to get caught up in all this. But ultimately, I don't want to say something as audacious as this is the best Trek movie ever, but I really think this is the best Trek movie ever.

There was one surprise about it I had no idea going in. And no it doesn't have to do with you know what happening. Its something personal with Spock. Really caught me by surprise.

 

[FVD]

Saw this at my local IMAX Midnight Screening. Loved every moment of it. I'll have a detailed review later.

 

[BloodyWolverine]

I loved Shatner as Kirk buts its kinda nice having a normal Kirk speaking not in Shatner unrealistic code.

 

[Avangarde]

Seen Star Trek, I'll writer a review later after absorbing it for a little longer, but for now my initial score is 7/10.

 

[TheVileOne]

And here is my official review:

Directed By: J.J. Abrams
Written By: Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci; Based on Star Trek, the original television series and characters, created by Gene Roddenberry
Runtime: 126 minutes
MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for sci-fi action and violence, and brief sexual content.

James T. Kirk - Chris Pine
Spock - Zachary Quinto
Uhura - Zoe Saldana
Leonard "Bones" McCoy - Karl Urban
Hikaru Sulu - John Cho
Pavel Chekov - Anton Yelchin
Montgomery "Scotty" Scott - Simon Pegg
Nero - Eric Bana
Christopher Pike - Bruce Greenwood
Ben Cross - Sarek
Amanda Grayson - Winona Ryder
George Kirk - James Hemworth
Winona Kirk - Jennifer Morrison
Gaila - Rachel Nichols
Ayel - Clifton Collins Jr.
Captain Robau - Faran Tahir
Admiral Richard Barnett - Tyler Perry
Starfleet Computer - Majel Barrett Roddenberry
TOS Spock - Leonard Nimoy

To say that Star Trek is the best Star Trek movie ever is pretty audacious. It’s hard when you see this ridiculously huge outpouring of positive buzz, hype, and excellent reviews for a movie when it very well looks like the perfect storm is gathering for this flick. It’s hard because you want to get caught up in it and get excited. You really, really do. But you are still cautious. Something is still holding you back. Maybe it’s the disappointment felt over the lost opportunities in X-men Origins: Wolverine. Maybe its the fact over how one hates how Hollywood gets off on rebooting everything right now, even trash that bombed terribly, I mean, Drop Dead Fred? Are you freaking kidding me?! I mean, this is a reboot of sorts, right? How can you approve of it? Maybe it’s the uneven track record of Star Trek itself. I mean it is Star Trek. Star Trek: Nemesis broke the even/odds movie curse ("Just as every odd Trek movie is ****." - Tim Bisley [Simon Pegg], Spaced). But at the same time . . . it is Star Trek.

That said. This is the greatest Star Trek movie ever made.

I'm not going to spew flowery BS that they made Trek relevant in today's current tumultuous times, that its the perfect update that honors and is faithful to the original, but simply that J.J. Abrams seems to have finally nailed it after his false start with MI:3. Abrams and his crew did not make a brilliant film. This movie isn't brilliant like say Wrath of Khan brilliant or Undiscovered Country brilliant. Instead what they really made was a Star Trek movie that was simply ****ing awesome. Not just awesome, but satisfying. If you see this movie, you will never leave without having smiled at least once. My one smile came at the start of the movie and didn't stop until the end of the closing credits featuring the classic sound FX everyone has heard at some point in their life kept faithfully intact by the one and only soun FX wizard and pioneer of modern cinema, Ben Burrt.

Yes, Ben Burrt. The Academy Award winning sound designer and editor that created all the classic sounds of our childhood in Star Wars and Indiana Jones, the man that gave life to WALL-E had never in his life worked on Star Trek. The Star Wars guy is now a Star Trek guy, its amazingly amazing that Burrt worked on this feature and made sure you still heard those familiar beeps and buzzes that radio hosts so frequently like to can into their intros.

Since you already know the story, I want to go over the performances. Zachary Quinto gets to show sides of Spock we have never seen before. These are not necessarily stretches for Spock, but Quinto is a much more conflicted and different Spock we are used to. And this is fine because even this is different, but the situations with Spock are not different for the sake of being different. This is still very much Spock-like. There is something that Spock is involved with that is suggested in a very subtle manner in the second act. And even if you already get the idea, all subtlety and doubt over this situation is completely kicked to the curb by act three. You will know what it is when you see it.

Chris Pine, for a time, was the biggest worry. This is not unfounded or blind hatred. Pine's only previous starring role on the big screen was one of the largest POS's in cinematic history with Just My Luck. Seeing Pine as Kirk is interesting. Because in ways this feels like Kirk, but in many such as with Pine's youthful playfulness and exuberance, this feels very different. And ultimately that's for the best because Pine's Kirk is the hero this movie needs. Without spoiling an important moment, there is a great moment where you are just extremely happy with Kirk and Kirk's approach. Let's just say, Kirk is not a diplomat.

My main and probably only critique with the movie will come through Bana's nu-Trek villain, the vengeful Romulan Nero. Nero in the movie feels like he's only given just enough backstory where it feels like there should be more. Nero very much feels like a villain in the vein of Khan. Bana plays Nero with great intensity and energy, but at the same time, you still want some more out of Nero besides vengeful anger such as what broke down and drove someone who was apparently once a peaceful, compassionate man that was not a soldier into becoming a megalomaniac. But hey, this is only a two hour movie and narrative economy when so many other subplots also have priority. There was additional footage shot of Nero's story where Nero escapes from a Klingon prison colony (referenced in an almost throwaway line early in the movie), and there is not a single Klingon in sight in this feature.

Composer Michael Giacchino proves why he is one of the best composers working today as Abrams new, personal John Williams. In a time where great cinematic film scores are rare, and the best work of the all time greats such as Williams, Silvestri, and Elfman seem far behind them, Giacchino put together a fantastic score that he maintains throughout the entire film as the backbone. And then at the very end, Giacchino gets to do his own personal spin on the classic theme which is wonderful.

This review very well might just sound like run of the mill hyperbole. But even if this all just reads like a giant mess of hyperbole, at least understand that Trek is satisfying again.


The 411: Star Trek "with stakes," now doesn't just sound like some lame, Hollywood pitch line. Abrams, Kurtzman, and Orci did bring the stakes. For the first time in a long time, "boldly going where no man has gone before" is brought back with all the dignity, class, and respect a fan would ever want from Trek. The statement Abrams and company wanted to make is loud and clear. This is not Star Trek XI. This is not Star Trek 0. This is not a Star Trek reboot. This is not Star Trek: The New Next Generation. This is Star Trek. Just Star Trek.

 

[Scoffey]

I saw this movie last night and I was very impresssed! Going in I was not a fan of Star Trek and really only got interested becuase the trailers for the movie were fantastic.

I can say though that this movie is really going to appeal to people across the board I think. Even people that aren't fans of Star Trek will be entertained and I think most Star Trek fans will enjoy it also. Quinto was great as Spock, and Pine fit the Kirk roll, and Simon Pegg as Scotty was hilarious.

The effects in the movie are great, and the storyline has a great pace to it... this film really does live up to the hype!

 

[Nivek]

And here is my official review:

Nice read, Vile!

 

[Warhammer]

Add a poll!

 

[I SEE SPIDEY]

My sis and I are seeing it tonight at 7pm. I'm so excited, hopefully it doesn't disppoint me.

 

[AgentRed]

*this is just my honest opinion don´t beat me*
Saw it and have to say I´m dissapointed (yes I´m a Star Trek fan). While the visuals were fantastic I think most of the spoof elements were unnacesary and stupid (no I have no Problems making fun of Kirk, but it was just stupid and looked like it belonged into a kids movie).

Also the story was all over the place. While the beginning of the movie had potential Nero and old Spock had too little screentime just like the Enterprise. Now the action was really weak there was just no tension in the end battle and it was over way to fast. I liked most of the characters though Chekov was a really nice surprise, McCoy was really good, Nero and Uhura were also pretty good, Kirk was kind of a mixed bag while young Spock was pretty weak.

Finally I have to say that i was prepared for changes but this movie is basically a full reboot not a sequel and not even old Spock can change that since we don´t actually see where he actually comes from (at least not in the movie) all we know is that he is a Spock from the future which could also be the future in the story of this movie.