ViewGuide

Created May 23, 2009 10:26PM PST • Edited May 23, 2009 10:26PM PST

1. Quality

2. Summary

   Perfect 5.0

   Sweet virginia hams this movie was the bees knees! I’ve never been a real fan of Star Trek because as good as it ever was – it was never bad ass. Looking at the age old battle of Trek vs. Star Wars it was no contest in my head – Chewie, Han, Vader and Yoda? Badass. Spock, Kirk and Picard? Interesting, but not badass. In Star Trek the cool factor was always insinuated more than shown and it really kept me at a distance.

   This new version of Star Trek though, does what I did not think it could. It stays true to the original in most ways, but still manages to make the whole flick badass. Majorly badass. Characters that I always thought were interesting, are now filled with emotion, depth and an utter coolness that can’t be denied. Hardcore trekkies and newcomers alike will love this flick. It has just enough tongue-in-cheek references to the original series and movies to make it feel familiar and comfortable, but updates everything else to the here and now. From the very first opening scene you are pulled into the action and the drama and it doesn’t let you go until the very end.

   The story can get confusing at some parts (time travel tends to do that), but otherwise this is a pitch perfect take on a classic. I always like old stories told in new ways, and this is no exception. Here’s to hoping that there are many more Treks to follow this one.

4. Acting

   Really Great 4.5

   Holy crap they nailed the casting in this flick. Every character is interesting and fun to watch. The personalities of the characters are kept intact through it all and it doesn’t feel forced or unnatural.

   William Shat-who? Chris Pine comes in and takes a character established by someone else and makes it so much better than it has ever been. This, I think, is a huge accomplishment in this case because Kirk is such a well known character. How do you improve on what has become an icon without completely changing everything? Nailed it.

   Zach Quinto as Spock was the one I was most wary. As Sylar in Heroes, he is such a distinct character. The kind of character that you expect to follow the actor everywhere they go. Lucky for us, Quinto is able to step into the role of Spock and make me forget that this is Sylar I’m watching. He’s got a great intensity that lies just under the surface, playing into the story of his constant struggle to control his emotions – to rise above them and be Vulcan.

   The rest of the cast is just as good. No one person really showboats or overshadows the rest. Each adds something unique to the mix that works very nicely as a whole. Simon Pegg (Scotty) and Anton Yelchin (Chekov) deliver the best of the supporting roles taking steps toward making the characters more than they were before, much like Quinto and Pine.

   Eric Bana plays a great villain here as Nero. The story works in setting up a good guy pushed to the edge and loses everything. A tragic villain often makes the best villain and were the rest of the cast not so good, Bana would have been there to pick up the slack with no problem.

5. Male Stars Perfect 5.0

6. Female Stars Great 4.0

7. Female Costars Great 4.0

8. Male Costars Really Great 4.5

10. Film

    Really Great 4.5

    JJ Abrams put together a great all around film. The action is gorgeous, the characters are given their due spotlight and the storytelling is spot-on. I’m not going to say I know Abrams stuff intimately, but MI 3 was good enough. Abrams really proved himself with this one and sets himself up as a top notch talent in the directing field. Only a couple movies in from what I know and he’s put himself in a position to be around for a good ling while.

    The best part of the dialogue is the fact that they can throw in nods to the old star trek series and it comes across well. It actually fits and works with the rest of what’s going on.

    The music, I thought, was good, but it had some faults. This was the one spot in the flick where I thought they tried a bit too hard to tie things back to the original. When I heard the classic jingles playing, it pulled me out of the moment just enough to know what they were doing. Still good, and it didn’t take a way too much from the movie, but I noticed it and that pulls it away from the side of perfect.

11. Direction Perfect 5.0

12. Play Really Great 4.5

13. Music Very Good 3.5

14. Visuals Perfect 5.0
15. Content

16. Edge

    Risqué 2.4

    Good taste of sex and violence. Just enough to give the movie just a little bit of edge to help give it that badass feel that Star Trek needed so badly.

    Kirk gets in lots of fights, just as he should, but he gets beat up. A lot. He’s a good fighter, but he tends to lose all the fights he’s in and gets his skull cracked a few times. He spends most of the movie with bruises or cuts on his face.

17. Sex Titillating 2.1

18. Violence Brutal 2.6

19. Rudeness Salty 2.5

21. Reality

    Fantasy 4.5

    Pretty severly fantasy. Star Trek has always been one that has prided itself on being grounded in reality. From what I remember, the old show used to have NASA advisors that came up with terms and such that would fit in the real world. Things that actually existed or could potentially exist were used by the show to give it that grounding in reality. That much of it is still there. There are a couple spots in the flick where the physical reality kind of takes a back seat, though. Space dives through atmosphere, platform dives and jumps, etc. Gives it that little push to make it exhilarating.

22. Circumstantial Fantasy 4.5

23. Biological Fantasy 4.5

24. Physical Fantasy 4.5