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It's true that I ain't no Trekkie, and it's true I couldn't tell who's who in the universe, but since J.J. Abrams proved himself as a more accessible version of Joss Whedon, I didn't need to bother myself with extensive past knowledge. This is modern film done right. Those who grew up with the series or those who still hold the original series in high regard of everything else, I cannot say for sure how their feelings were, but for me, a true newbie, I was simply mind-blown; and it had almost nothing to do with the mythos of Star Trek. It was the execution style, the easy to follow storyline, the strong casting and brilliant script-writing that held my attention.
A sci-fi at heart with action as its soul and humour for brains, Star Trek is one of modern cinema's great "young" films - casting young actors who more or less fall somewhere near the late 20's/early 30's line, and are crafted specifically for modern audiences. Not films like the remake of Nightmare on Elm Street or Avatar or Cloverfield, but the ones although specifically and directly aimed for the modern audiences, can also be enjoyed by old-timers and the untargeted ones. This film has a sleek as a silver concept car look to it while adopting a shiny razor-edge atmosphere that gives a two-finger salute to "older", "humdrum" films like Indiana Jones and I Am Number Four and Hulk, just to name a few. Anyway, it is brilliantly crafted, has several rewindable moments, and although it does for a moment fall into a melee free-for-all mode with several predictable moments and a Spock-ception climax, it manages to end on a great note that altogether makes you wish the Star Wars prequels were more like this and less of the misshapen clay pieces they unfortunately became.
From the performances, Chris Pine totally won me over by his charismatic performance as Kirk. Although initially introduced to us as a reckless playboy, he almost quickly rejects the cliche path and becomes the main highlight of the film. Zachary Quinto, in an equally impressive performance as Spock, too won me over. Their chemistry was immaculate and their combined screen presence was at times mesmerizing and at times a ying-yang clash, like a space version of First Class's Magneto and Prof. X. From the supporting, everyone was highly charming, charismatic in their own ways and energetically spirited, with Karl Urban, Anton Yelchin and John Cho stealing the side spot-lights. Simon Pegg was a welcome surprise, adding a whole new crazy level of humour and personality to the film. Zoe Saldana made the best of her screen-time but seemed too confused to set on a specific path. As if she was unsure whether to transit from the previous attitude to another or to not. But still, this is one of her best screen roles to date. Chris Hemsworth, in his cameo at the beginning, was surprisingly full of personality and development. Not bad for a guy who only has 15 minutes of screen time. Eric Bana, although brilliant in his role as Nero, did not bring anything new or unique, but I still say this: Nero is definitely one of modern cinema's best acted villains, even if the character wasn't exactly original nor sympathetic, especially when his tragic past is revealed.
In conclusion, Star Trek is definitely one to watch. It's well written, well acted, has humour, has action, and should make for a perfect popcorn-and-soda night!
8.5/10
