The Red Right Hand
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STAR TREK
The Wait Is Over

Director
J.J. Abrams

Starring
Chris Pine
Zachary Quinto
Karl Urban
Eric Bana

Most of my reviews commence with some sort of story or tale from my past, to justify, clarify or explain my point of view. In the alternative version of this review I stated that I was a peripheral fan, aware of the series and the films but not in any way obsessed. That's not true. I am. I don't like to admit it but I am. As a child I watched The Original Series, The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine and think the movies are by-and-large very well done. I own them on DVD but more disturbingly I could walk-in on my flat mate watching an episode on TNG and would probably be able to tell him what episode it was within two or three minutes based on uniform, makeup, hair and Riker's beard... if that doesn't constitute a fan, I don't know what does. So, I had expected a lot from this film, rating it both as a fan and a critic.

First of all, the plot is the weakest element of this film. From the very get-go fans will be able to identify this movie as a complete and utter reboot of the series, as we witness Kirk's birth in the midst of a space battle - Kirk once famously quipped he was born in Iowa, he only works in outer space - Captain Pike's service on the Enterprise and the complete annihilation of Vulcan. After a brief analysis of the arrival of a futuristic Romulan vessel and the destruction of the USS Kelvin, we are quickly shown the simultaneously turbulent upbringings of young Spock and Kirk, both unable to fit in. Due to Kirk not being brought up in a nurturing environment, he rebels in typical James Dean fashion, only enlisting in Starfleet when a barroom brawl is broken up by Captain Pike [Bruce Greenwood]. Once meeting a few familiar faces - namely Uhura [Zoe Saldana] and McCoy [Urban], we race ahead to Kirk's [Pine] third year and his overcoming the impassable Kobayashi Maru test. A distress signal is sent from Vulcan and the Romulan mining vessel, captained by the embittered Nero [Bana], awaits the federation flag ships to exact revenge. In this moment of turmoil Spock [Quinto] takes command of the Enterprise, Kirk is marooned on a baron ice planet and the Spock of the future, played by Leonard Nimoy, mind-melds with Kirk to reveal a once possible future. All sounds positive, so why have I stated this simple origin story is a weak cop-out? Because it uses time travel properly. In every 'time travelling' episode of Trek nothing is really ever altered (except that Captain Sisko / Gabriel Bell incident [311-312 -SD.48481.2, to a certain degree]) and we only catch a glimpse of what might have been in the mirror universe. In this film, however, we experience the full power of meddling with the time line (albeit accidentally) and the reason this is a detriment is because it feels like a bit of a cop-out, one of those, "Oh, it's alright, it was just a terrible dream. Now let's press on with something else."

The story, however, is somewhat irrelevant. Like an episode of the show, it's just a case of introducing random scenarios for this well-known group of individuals to work through. And that's the best point of the film and the reason it was so difficult for me to whittle this film down to an eight from a nine. When the proposed cast was announced, I looked through the selection and scoffed, "What!? How's that going to work?" But I have to confess, I was so wonderfully impressed with every single actor and how they took hold of their character, not by merely impersonating their predecessors but by embodying and furthering the mannerisms and nuances of the crew. From the props, to the sets, to the lines uttered, things seem less like pointless fan-service and actual extensions of the characters.

Visually, this film is stunning and the best looking Trek piece ever produced but having said that there was one glaring flaw that desperately needs to be addressed. Lens flares. If you don't know what I'm referring to, it's the sharp beam of light that reflects off the camera when facing a high-powered light. For decades it's been a camera-man's job to avoid lens flares or shaky-cam or distorted, out of focus shots which directors now strive for to achieve a sense of immersive realism. Personally, I understand and approve of this concept but not to the degree it was employed here; sometimes to the extent where you could no longer tell which actor you were supposed to be looking at on screen. In addition, there's also the underdevelopment of the villain, Nero. We understand that he blames Spock for the destruction of Romulus but equally, with so much going on, his character and arc take a severe back burner - an issue which will no doubt be rectified with a director's cut DVD.

So, we've established that this is not only a good science fiction film but a fine addition to the Trek cannon. In terms of comparisons, you can always look at the Ratings page to see how I classed the previous films. To break it down, of the now eleven releases, Wrath Of Khan remains the best, closely followed by First Contact and The Undiscovered Country. I am more than happy and willing to proclaim this movie a worthy addition to the annals of Trek history but also one of the best Trek releases, on a par with those just mentioned and I thoroughly look forward to this new undiscovered country.

With the timeline altered, the cast and crew are open to achieve whatever they want without stepping on the toes of canon or lore, so preciously coveted by the fans. For the uninitiated, this film is a worthy science fiction release with a great deal going for it, glorious effects, praiseworthy direction, enjoyable characters, interesting scenarios and for fans, there's a whole future of newly undiscovered possibilities for Abrams to explore. All I can say is that it was a damn fine piece of science-fiction cinema and a very entertaining two hours.

Release Date:
8th May 2009

The Scene To Look Out For:
Scene? That's difficult. Part of me wants to highlight a large effects shot, jumping out of warp to circumnavigate a field of debris; part of me wants to highlight the tiniest of elements, Sulu sword fighting, Chekov unable to pronounce his W's, Kirk's swagger and womanising, Spock's raised eyebrow, anything involving McCoy, Uhura's ridiculous ear piece or Scotty shouting, "I'm giving her all she's got, Captain!" Instead, I shall go with neither. Instead, I will highlight the score. Michael Giacchino's one piece for Cloverfield was so spot-on for the genre that I rambled on about it more than was necessary in my review. For this feature he has produced a fittingly epic score with very discreet and subtle hints and tributes to The Original Series theme tune before submitting over the final credits. Lavish.

Notable Characters:
Fans of The Original Series will tell you that the way to get a Star Trek movie right is to get Kirk, Spock and McCoy in place. Once they gel everything else works, or is at the very least, tolerable. As stated, each and every character is well portrayed and pays beautiful homage to the original cast but the three key elements to success have been so brilliantly acted out by Pine, Quinto and Urban that I was genuinely left a little speechless. It would have been so easy for lesser actors to over-ham the role and simply offer exaggerated caricatures but I was so wonderfully impressed. To me, the main reason this film works so well is thanks to the actors behind the key roles.

Highlighted Quote:
"Out of the chair"

In A Few Words:
"Helmed by a stellar cast, this thoroughly enjoyable reboot houses great potential for future releases"

Total Score:
8/10


Matthew Stogdon