Format: 

Blu-ray

Directed by: 

J.J. Abrams

Publisher: 

Paramount

Release Date: 

11.17.2009

MSRP: 

$39.99

Number of Discs: 

3

Digital Copy: 

Yes

The Movie

J.J. Abrams' Star Trek is a divine triumph over skepticism. After Abrams admitted to not being a fan of the source material to his own film, I surmised, as others did, that the finished product would reflect a distinct naïveté toward the original Star Trek TV series and its subsequent movies. Yet, as it turns out, an uncompromised perspective was precisely what the ailing series needed. Abrams' vision of Trek lore is refreshing because it appeals to a wide range of audiences, both casuals and Trekkies alike. His film is also a visual masterstroke that operates as a truly entertaining summer blockbuster. But at the heart of Star Trek is a character-driven melodrama that introduces exciting new roles for familiar personalities.

After some preliminary events that set the stage for the plot, we begin following a brash and over-confident James T. Kirk (Chris Pine), who is being encouraged by Commander Pike (Bruce Greenwood) to join Starfleet, where he may one day become a great Captain like his father. This Kirk is still coming into his own, though, as a lonely cadet, fraternizing with the sultry linguist Uhura (Zoe Saldana) and scheming with his best friend Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy (Karl Urban) on how to beat the dreaded Kobayashi Maru test. We then get to the maiden voyage of the U.S.S. Enterprise under the helm of Pike and a fresh-faced crew joined by Spock (Zachary Quinto), Sulu (John Cho), Chekov (Anton Yelchin), and eventually Scotty (Simon Pegg), and together they must thwart a maniacal Romulan, named Nero (Eric Bana), who is bent on total galactic supremacy. Nero seeks revenge for the future destruction of his planet and blames Spock for the disaster. Thankfully there is an older, more well-informed Spock (Leonard Nemoy) that can clear all this up for us ... sort of.

Abrams and his screenwriters understand the importance of thrilling their audience. Seeing that Star Trek was released to kick-start a summer blockbuster season, it is only fitting that the film contains awe-inspiring action sequences. In fact, the film opens with a tremendous firefight between the U.S.S. Kelvin (a precursor to the Enterprise) and Nero's massive Romulan vessel. Abrams confronts the action with his camera head-on, utilizing handheld shots to navigate through the bridge of the Kelvin as it crumbles from the onslaught of the Romulan attack. Even before the title card is shown, the film establishes itself as a proficient science fiction action-adventure. There is still much to be shown, though, like the breathtaking parachute drop sequence that proves disastrous for a red-suited crew member, and the exhilarating chase on the ice planet Delta Vega involving Kirk and several grotesque life forms. Those that come to the film simply for thrills will find that Star Trek does not waste a moment.

One aspect of the film that may present a problem for some viewers is the time travel. Screenwriters Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman use time travel to create a significant deus ex machina that compromises much of the Star Trek plot. Some might find the screenwriter's solution to the inconsistencies created within the film itself (such as the apparent romance between Spock and Uhura that never surfaced in the later films) to be somewhat of a convenience. There are some rather large conveniences at work here, as almost all of the film's "But what about ... ?" questions can be answered with a preemptive retort about time travel.

Despite a few picky hang-ups, to find serious fault in Star Trek would be to scrutinize it meticulously. This is a superb science fiction film that can proudly wear the heritage of a franchise that is nearly fifty years old. Abrams has not pandered to the Trekkies nor conceded his vision for movie audiences unfamiliar with this space adventure; instead he has found a great balance between the two. In a time in which franchises from years past are finding reboots and long-lost sequels, the Star Trek name deserved to boldly go once more, and boldly go it has.

Click here to read our full review of Star Trek.