Ethan’s emotionally charged Star Trek review/drool fest

Ethan’s Visceral Score : 9.5/10

I can think of only one way to start off this review. I love Star Trek : The Original Series. But to t

ruly love something you have to acknowledge its flaws. And I can fully admit that TOS was somewhat…wait, scratch that, a totally cheesy show. The acting could be stiff. The sets could look cheap. The fights could be poorly choreographed. But damn, the show had intelligence and charm. But the thing it truly thrived on were its characters. And while this film by J.J. Abrams may not have the cerebral elements that made the original show so admired, it has down pat the characters. But Abrams does even more.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X34tlDCVED0[/youtube]

Let’s get this out of the way, this movie is FUN!!!!!!!! From beginning to end the movie never lets up. It starts with a ship battle that sets all the ideas of the movie in motion. The ideas of sacrifice and doing the right thing. The ideas of blind vengeance and the path of destruction it lays. And…really amazing special effects. There’s a certain part during this sequence where the sound of the battle is muted and we only hear Michael Giacchino’s gorgeous score and behold the sights of a ship on its last legs of life. It brought a tear to my eye.

Abrams gets these characters completely right in both their development and casting. But he does this by not just making them carbon copies, he makes them slightly different in fact. But this is what makes them capture the essence. Kirk starts off the movie a brash, cocky dick (heh). But eventually he grows into a responsible man because of the circumstances he faces. Chris Pine manages to capture the best of Shatner’s qualities but also avoid all the worst. Pine shows the turmoil of someone maturing and growing into their destiny. But also the strong charisma and humor needed to make him fun to watch. Zachary Quinto’s Spock plays him with more emotion and conflict. But he also nails his detached feeling. A true tough feat.

As the familiar music kicked in and everybody assumed their position on the NCC-1701, I knew Star Trek was back. Don’t get me wrong, this movie isn’t flawless. Time travel will simply never make complete sense. And this entails a few contrivances. But in the end it’s fairly small potatoes. This film is just like its characters, a little different. But all of what you truly admired in the first place.