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To boldly go where no Star Trek has gone before

Saturday, May 29, 2010

To call myself a "Trekkie" wouldn't be totally accurate. I've always enjoyed The Original Series, moreso "The Next Generation." I never got much into "Deep Space Nine" or "Voyager" and have seen only a single episode of "Enterprise." But I've always enjoyed the movies (even the odd numbered ones), so I was pretty excited when I heard they were rebooting the whole shebang.

I suppose if I was a true Trekkie, I would have seen the "new" movie on opening day. (I put new in quotes because it took me nearly a year to see it.) Still, I finally got around to it, and about all I can say is, "Wow."

I don't want to provide any spoilers, but I will say I found it refreshing that the movie isn't so much a reboot as a reintroduction. The story was cleverly crafted to create an alternate Trek universe that doesn't impede on the previous one, so the creative team has artistic license to do, well, whatever, going forward without stepping on toes. Well played.

I like J.J. Abrams. While I never got into "Lost" and I missed "Fringe" (boy, do I wish I'd gotten in on that from the start), I enjoyed "Alias" and Cloverfield. When I found he was behind the new Trek movie, I was excited if cautiously optimistic. But he pulled it off with aplomb and I'm very much looking forward to further entries in the new series.

I thought the film was well casted. As the movie progressed, Chris Pine really grew on me, and by the end I fully believed he was Kirk. The same goes for Zachary Quinto's portrayal of Spock. Further, I felt Karl Urban was spot on as McCoy, and while Simon Pegg's portrayal of Scottie seemed a bit jarring at first, I liked him, too. Speaking of casting, before I realized Nero was played by Eric Bana, I thought to myself, "Is that Victor Garber?" who happens to be one of my favorite actors. Obviously not, but I did find out he had a role in a scene that was cut from the film.

My only complaint with the movie, really, were the constant lens flares. I suspect it was an artistic design made by Abrams and his film crew, but I found them constantly distracting. But that's a small complaint. I really liked this movie, and I'm glad they did what they did to breath new life into the franchise.

Once again, congrats to Abrams and the cast and crew. Live long and prosper, Star Trek.