Star Trek (XI) 2009
Movie poster
Star Trek, originally created in 1965 by Gene Roddenberry, is considered to be the epicenter of the 'nerd' stereotype that we all know so well today. When we think 'Star Trek', we instantly get this image in our heads of our average computer geek, complete with over-sized glasses, buck teeth, and an inhaler, going on and on with all of the 'technobabble' about the warp thingy-ma-jigger in the engine wha-ja-ma-call-it. To anyone with that image implanted into their brain that hopes to have a successful social life, it sends shivers down their spine.
I am here to tell you that, as proven by the newest addition to the franchise earlier this year, Star Trek is not so much a show for nerds and geeks, but a vision of hope, adventure, and the idealistic, peaceful future that our society strives to have, all thought up and created by one man in the 60's, Gene Roddenberry.
But I'm not going to talk about the original series, or the Next Generation, or anything else.
In 2007, another man with a vision came forward, and his name was JJ Abrams. I bet you're thinking that JJ is the biggest nerd who ever lived. I mean, he directed a Star Trek movie after all. Actually, folks, JJ wasn't even a Star Trek fan. He suddenly became inspired by the story, and the relationship between the quirky characters, and decided that it was a vision that shouldn't die. Instead, he wanted to make it into something that could be loved and adored by an entirely new generation of viewers.
So, he rewound and cleaned his slate completely. He decided to make a prequel to the original series, but then he made a horrific accident happen in the beginning, therefore creating an alternate timeline, changing everything. This was perfect cause for more creative space, and also not disrupting the cannon and the angry fans if they changed the original time line.
Since it was a prequel, he found a young, talented cast of fresh faces. The first person they cast was Spock, who you'd think would be the hardest to cast, as Zachary Quinto, who you may recognize from the NBC show "Heroes" as Sylar. Chris Pine followed as the spunky, cocky new James T. Kirk, who you may have seen in movies such as "Just My Luck", "Bottleshock", and "The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement". There's also John Cho as Sulu, Zoe Saldana as Uhura, Anton Yelchin as Chekov, Simon Pegg as Scotty, Karl Urban as Dr. Bones McCoy, and Eric Bana as Nero, the new villain.
The story starts with the birth of Jim Kirk, where his father dies aboard the U.S.S. Kelvin, which is attacked by an alien ship that seemed to appear out of nowhere. The much-talked-about opening scene lives up to all of its expectations. It's a battle scene that'll have you jumping out of your seat.
After a few scenes introducing a young Spock and Kirk, they both end up at Starfleet, the academy where they all train, a few years later. All of the characters get swept up into the plot under different circumstances, the main goal being to defeat the alien ship which has appeared again, captained by the vengeful Romulan Nero.
Between unexpected plot twists, constant heart-pounding action, romance scenes, and just plain brilliant acting, Star Trek is bound to have you jumping up and down, rooting for the good guys. It truly brought the original franchise back to life, but in a new way that will hook the action-loving generation that we live in. It will also introduce you to the magic of the originals, and make you realize that it's really not so 'nerdy'.
The state of the art CGI in this movie is mind-blowing, and you'll be glued to your seat wondering why you ever hated Star Trek in the first place.
But, as someone who was once biased against the Star Trek franchise, I promise you that if you watch it, you will like it. It's one of the most exciting, adventurous, epic, funny, captivating movies of 2009. The DVD/Blu-Ray will be released November 17th, and I suggest you go and pick it up. It's rated PG-13 for sci-fi action and violence, and brief sexual content.
This movie boldly goes where no movie has gone before.
