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I'm still amazed at how exciting, kick-ass and thoroughly well-made this movie is. The bar has been set so high for the upcoming "summer blockbuster" films that I really can't imagine that any of them will surpass Star Trek in terms of quality, even if they match its box office performance. J.J. Abrams' re-imagining of the classic series is the best kind of summer blockbuster: its title and the entertaining trailer would've been enough to bring in the big bucks, but the team behind this new version of Star Trek have gone way beyond the extra mile by creating an incredibly engrossing story that benefits from a surprisingly great sense of humor and likable characters. Combine that with a fast-paced sense of fun and A+ special effects, and you've got a superior piece of mainstream entertainment.
The fact that this is undoubtedly an above-average summer movie becomes quite clear during the first few minutes of Star Trek, during which we experience what initially appears to be a standard-order action sequence out of Sci-Fi Movies 101, and concludes with an emotionally-wrenching tragic moment that will immediately make the viewer feel much more invested in this than he/she would be while watching a more superficial film. To make things even better, the movie then proceeds to give us more than just short glimpses at the childhoods of our two protagonists, James T. Kirk and Spock. Before moving on to the story's main conflict, Abrams does a wonderful job of conveying the flaws that afflict each of these two characters and what's at stake for each of them, and the development of both characters is handled brilliantly.
The action sequences featured in Star Trek are impeccable. So many movies of this ilk take the route of having loud, choppily-edited scenes in which it's impossible to tell what's happening, but instead, here we get brisk action sequences that are buttressed by the blazing special effects. Once we get knee-deep into the action, Star Trek takes a rather interesting turn that may confound many, but will reward those who can appreciate an intelligent summer movie: the film brings in an element that has to do with timelines and with the ability to find out what will happen in the future by literally communicating (in person) with people who are from the future, thereby perhaps finding a way to affect destiny. This is a magnificent element of the plot, not only because of the complexity that it gives to the story, but because (especially towards the end) it foreshadows the great relationship of friendship that Kirk and Spock will have, and in turn, this is also a great way of foreshadowing what we can look forward to in a sequel (which I think has all the potential in the world to be astoundingly great, considering the precedent that has been set here).
In the lead role of Kirk, Chris Pine succeeds hugely at balancing humor and charisma with fierceness and vigor, often managing to shift from one to the other in a single scene without missing a beat. It's understandable for people to have been skeptical about him prior to watching the film, as the guy looked like he might have just been another Hayden Christensen, so let's thank God that he's the exact opposite. His comedic timing is excellent, but he's also great in the more serious moments, and also, it has to be mentioned that he's searing hot (if Star Trek weren't such a fantastic movie, seeing him in that black shirt would still be worth the price of admission). As Spock, Zachary Quinto has an even tougher job, because although this looks like a role in which the actor can just easily coast on blank stares, the fact is that the character of Spock is developed by the film into this half-Vulcan/half-Human who is constantly conflicted by the need to avoid his emotional human side, so this makes it a tougher role, and Quinto handles it remarkably.
Though the rest of the cast is also very good, the one issue to be had with Star Trek is that it doesn't quite develop its villain, Nero, as effectively as it should; to be plain, Nero simply isn't in enough scenes in the movie to get us to find him all that menacing. Eric Bana does a fine job of playing him, but the character could've benefited from more screen time. This is forgivable, though, when you consider that, by not developing Nero quite as fully as they could have, the filmmakers instead chose to use more of the movie's running time to do a supremely great job of developing our two protagonists, which is ultimately more helpful in drawing the audience into the story.
Considering what has been accomplished here, I pray that J.J. Abrams' reinvention of this classic series gets to live long and prosper. This movie had the need of dealing with a lot of narrative/background story issues, since it was the first film of the reboot. So, in its future entries, the franchise has all the potential in the world to continue exploring these characters and to move into even deeper thematic territory, and I absolutely can't wait for that. While we impatiently wait for the sequel, though, we can rejoice in the fact that this first film is a nimble, witty and hugely entertaining work of cinema.
8/10
