04.22Star Trek Premiere
On Monday night I was in London watching the UK premiere of Star Trek at the Empire in Leicester Square. It rocked in every way. This is my first film review so please be kind, also there are very few spoilers. Enjoy!
This is not just a truly great Star Trek film this is a truly great film that stands on its own without the baggage collected over the years by the ‘franchise’. That’s not to say that there isn’t a whole host of wonderful in-jokes and obscure fan only references. The prefect example being when Kirk and Sulu are prepping for a dangerous orbital sky dive to take out a bad guy weapon; they are joined by a crewmember dressed in red. No prizes for guessing how long that guy lasts.
Star Trek has been reinvented with all the imagination and camaraderie of the original and been combined with a truly fresh approach to story telling in the Star Trek universe.
The truth is I’ve been a fan of Star Trek since I was a kid, anyone who knows me well will tell you that, and no doubt some comical example of my adolescent geekyness will spring to their mind. So I was going to get a kick out of a ‘new version’ of the original crew no matter what. But I not only enjoyed the new take on the story, the new cast, the new Enterprise and everything else that goes with a reboot of a classic but I really can’t wait for the new instalment, this is Star Trek now.
This is not like any Star Trek you have seen before, if you must compare it what has come before then take a bit of Star Trek 2 and First Contact, add a case of Red Bull and blend. J.J. Abrams not only manages to avoid the dreaded ‘origin syndrome’, so common in first instalments but he manages to introduce Kirk and Spock from their childhood all the way through to their eventual partnership as Captain and First Officer with credibility, but also with a great deal warmth and humour . Important to ensuring this is not just another Star Trek, all this is achieved without getting bogged down in how things have gone before. This is a big chance to take with a story universe as big and established as Star Trek, but it’s a gamble what has paid off and paid off well. As Simon Pegg said at the premiere “This is not a parody, this is Star Trek”.
The film’s pace is enjoyably fast often leaving you feeling, ‘what could possibly top that’ and in each case you are not disappointed. The editing team of Maryann Brandon and Mary Jo Markey who have worked extensively with Abrams on projects ranging from Lost and Alias to Mission Impossible 3 have done a terrific job in crafting the film. At times the action is blisteringly fast, but they manage to give the audience plenty of time to take in the fantastic new design of the enterprise and the wider Star Trek universe.
Predictably the visual effects are first rate. ILM has done a fantastic job in bringing to life the crown jewel of sci-fi spacecraft, the new Enterprise is a wonder to behold. The classic design is still there but the ship has a great new shape and feel and is animated with such personality, very refreshing from previous incarnations. But don’t worry its still the Enterprise. In fact the visual effects are very well considered, lending well to the pace of the film.
The performances are not just very strong they are often brilliant. Chris Pine is Kirk, that’s all that needs to be said. Zachary Quinto as Spock is absolutely inspired, he brings out Spock’s human side but can be as cold as his Heroes counterpart when call to be. The often mysterious and under used Uhura is brought into the limelight and given a much stronger presence by Zoe Saldana while keeping all the grace of Nichelle Nichols. Karl Urban gives new life to ‘Bones’ McKoy with all the catchphrases you can handle wonderfully delivered. Simon Pegg is a delight to watch and absolutely nails the young Scotty with great energy. Anton Yelchin as Chekov doesn’t hold back the ascent and is often the subject of comic moments but holds his ground well, as does John Cho who is extremely strong in role of Helmsman Sulu who has a greatly enhanced role. Each of the original characters has their original stature but with so much more depth and greatly enriched interaction.
Both music and sound effects are fantastic, again very well considered and both borrow the very best bits from the original series, the bridge may not look much like the old set up but it certainly sounds like it.
This is a new chapter and a new vision of one of the greatest sci-fi universes to grace our screens both large and small. Star Trek on TV is over and that’s a good thing. If this is the standard of Trek films to come we are in for a real cinematic treat. This is the best film I have seen in a long time. Its has a terrific story, its full on humour, drama and passion with superb performances and complemented by wonderful design and composition.
When you go and see it you will forget that this is Trek film and come out of the cinema having watched something very special, and you will finally ‘get it’ just as me and my geeky friends did all those years ago watching the crews of Star Trek take to the stars and cross the final frontier.
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