Your Entertainment Ticket.net

STAR TREK

Starring: John Cho, Ben Cross, Bruce Greenwood, Simon Pegg, Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Winona Ryder, Zoë Saldana, Karl Urban,
Anton Yelchin, with Eric Bana and Leonard Nimoy

Directed by: J.J. Abrams

Rated PG-13 for sci-fi action and violence and brief sexual content

By John Delia

Special effects streak to the forefront of this wild and winsome adventure that kept my interest throughout. If you are big on space science fiction and you know what Trekkie means than you won’t be disappointed with Star Trek. I loved the story build up, acting, direction and especially the cinematography combined with CGI. The film fits into the summer mold and ranks high with this reviewer.

The fate of the galaxy rests in the hands of bitter rivals, a Romulan band of rogues versus the Federation. The Rumulans are lead by Nero (Bana) who during one skirmish with a starship has killed Captain Kirk, the father of James T. Kirk (Pine) and started a war with the Federation. Many years have passed since the incident and Kirk a thrill-seeking farm boy has grown into a tough young man. Reluctantly joining the Federation, Kirk finds himself an outcast due to a decision involving a test devised by Spock (Quinto). The two find themselves on the enterprise together and a battle of wits pursues. When they come in contact with Romulan forces, the two opposites are forced to attract.

The star of this film is not the storyline that has been hammered to death over the years of Star Trek heaven, but the production itself. The story is just there to facilitate the action, adventure and awesome cinematography mixed with seamless computer graphics. It is what makes entertainment these days tick. Much like the recent Wolverine: X-Men Origins, Star Trek’s makers bring the film to the screen in such a way to stimulate the senses and evoke the imagination to believe in what they see. With both films I was entranced, engrossed and enthralled.

Direction by J.J. Abrams is perfect, bringing together all the elements and hitting his target audience in the bull’s-eye. I loved the way he paced the film establishing his characters and making sure you knew their personalities that play a big part in the film. In addition, screenwriters Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci smartly pull off a blindsider with the audience, opening the door for many sequels that will refresh the Star Trek franchise.

One downside I found was the choice of aliens, space shuttles and other details similar to those in films such as Star Wars, Alien, Starship Troopers, and many more. It distracted somewhat, but not enough to downgrade the film. I also found that the absence of the Star Trek theme during the film was interesting. Not till the credits roll does the iconic music provide its tantalizing sounds of Star Trek missions past. Much like the James Bond theme absent in the last two films it took away some of its legacy and energy. I actually felt cheated when the US Enterprise took off midway into the film and without the theme the thrill was dulled.

The film is rated PG-13 for sci-fi action and violence and brief sexual content so take this into consideration when bringing an immature child to see the film.

FINAL ANALYSIS: A summer action filled blockbuster you will not want to miss. (4 of 5 Palm Trees)