Star Trek (2009)

Today, the sequel to this popular reboot of the "Star Trek" franchise is released in the theaters.  I can't wait to get out and see it.  This week, I decided to watch this 2009 movie again, and really recapture the spirit just in time for the release of the new Star Trek film.  Earlier this week, I recalled here a great moment I had with my dad when I first saw this movie.  Watching it again this week, I thought a lot of him, but I also remembered just how good this movie is.  It is a bold, inventive piece of work that tries to have its cake and eat it too, and pretty much succeeds.

What is meant by the cake remark?  The movie wants to be able to give us many of the same characters and situations that made Star Trek fans love the franchise, but it needs to change it enough so that the films are not simply a retread.  In order to do that, a time travel plot is given to us that gives everyone in the Star Trek universe a brand new destiny.  While the logic of the plot may be a bit suspect (leading the viewer to have to suspend at least some disbelief), it works tremendously well in giving fans familiarity, but keeping it general enough the people who aren't big Star Trek fans can follow the action as well.  One of the many things that works very well is the time travel variable scene itself.  As James T. Kirk's father George is the First Officer of the USS Kelvin, a Romulan renegade named Nero bursts onto the scene out of nowhere and completely changes everyone's destiny in the Star Trek universe.   The main thing that affects Kirk's destiny is that his father dies while he is being born, while in the original Star Trek universe, Kirk grew up with his father.  While everything ends up changing due to these events, the writers of the movie still are able to present characters and situations that are familiar to Trek devotees.  One such event that hearkened back to the original cast that is executed very well is Kirk's taking the "no win scenario" during his days at the academy.  This event was originally discussed in "Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan".  It involves a test wherein Starfleet cadets are put in a situation wherein the captain in the simulation is put in a sure death situation and then shows how he will react.  Kirk is taking the test for the third time, but he has reprogrammed the test in order to beat the "no win scenario".  The scene is hilarious in how smug and arrogant Kirk is, and it is one event that happens in both "Trek" worlds, showing a certain constancy to Kirk's bravado, even though so much has changed from the original Trek universe.

While watching this time, it became clear that fans of movies have two things about which to be excited.  First, the new film "Star Trek: Into Darkness" looks to be good, and it has gotten great reviews.  But second, for fans of the "Star Wars" films, it should be remembered the JJ Abrams (the director of both new Trek movies) will be directing the next Star Wars movie.  If he handles the Star Wars franchise as capably as he handled the Trek series, fans have so much to anticipate.  Here, Abrams is able to find the right balance of reverence for the characters with the necessity of giving a fresh vision.  Also, bringing Leornard Nimoy into the movie proves to be a stamp of approval from the original series.  His presence lends a certain Trek gravitas which takes a capable story and launches it into outer space, metaphorically speaking.  Scene after scene is infused with life and creativity.  The slight cockeyed angle of the camera throughout the movie gives lends an element of realism to the vision.  The performances in the movie are also noteworthy.  The cast faced the same daunting task as the writers and director here.  They had to pay tribute to the characters they did not create, but still be able to bring something fresh to each character.  Chris Pine's James T. Kirk has some wonderful homages to William Shatner (witness the scene at the end when he pats Dr. McCoy and the shoulder and proclaims, "Bones, buckle up!"), but is still a different Kirk.  Anton Yelchin's Chekhov is the right blend of substantial character and cheesy caricature it was originally meant to be from the 60's series.  Zachary Qunito's Spock is note perfect, especially as this incarnation of the series' best character adds brand new nuances to the character.  Zoe Saldana's Uhura might be the most important new incarnation in this film.  In the old series, Uhura was important, but sometimes seemed like little more than an intergalactic telephone operator.  Here, the character is given some real substance, and the movie is so much more deep because of that.

The other characters are similarly substantial, which brings us to the ultimate strength of this new version of Trek.  The movie we are watching (though we know it to be a fantasy), is infused with truth and realism.  This kind of storytelling has been on display in movies lately, especially in Christoper Nolan's "Batman" trilogy.  We are seeing a trend of fantasy films which stay within a fantasy world, but are able to seem real, and so the movies touch us in ways other fantasy films don't.  In this movie, the opening minutes never fail to create emotion because they are true to life, even though they are set in outer space.  I am a big fan of all kinds of movies.  Art house movies and indie movies are always interesting for me.  But people like JJ Abrams and Christopher Nolan seem to be bringing some real substance to the mulitplex as well, and I am excited to see what is going to come of it next.

Another Dad Movie Memory

As the next Star Trek movie is almost ready to be released in the theaters, I keep thinking up the time I saw JJ Abrams' first installment of his "Star Trek" reboot back in 2009.  My parents were set to come out and visit us in Minnesota that May, and I thought it would be a great idea to wait to see the movie until dad was out on his trip.  We went down to the Mall of America.  I loved the movie, and it was fun to see the movie with him, since I had grown up watching "Star Trek" many nights at the dinner table at our home in Southern California.  The main thing I remember about that day was that when the movie ended, my dad burst into applause all by himself in the movie theater.  The theater wasn't that full as I recall, so his applause was pretty much the only applause in the room.  Needless to say, he liked the movie a lot too.