Film: Star Trek
Directed by: J. J. Abrams
Executive Producer: Ben Burk
Score by: Michael Giacchino
Release Date: 5/7/2009
Wow, and may I say again, wow. I immensely enjoyed this film. It's a film that satisfies on so many levels. It's not just typical blockbuster fodder.
The most immediately satisfying aspect of this film was the characters. I was especially surprised by Zachary Quinto's Spock, and Eric Bana's Nero (the bad guy). I was expecting to go into the theater being reminded of Sylar from NBC's Heroes (whom Quinto is famous for portraying) the whole time. To my delight, there wasn't one instant in the film when Sylar even crossed my mind. Quinto expertly revealed the inner struggles of Spock, being half human and half vulcan, in a way everyone can relate to. It was the subtlety of him that stuck me (besides the part where Spock goes maniac on Kirk). As far as Bana's character is concerned, I was expecting the part to be overacted, but again, I was delightfully put to shame. Bana makes you believe that he's a raving maniac, but with intelligence. Granted, its a not-so-classically-acted Star Trek bad guy, but for this film, it worked. The entire cast worked. Whoever did the casting nailed it out of the park. Scotty, Uhura, McCoy, Kirk, were all evocative of the classic characters, bringing them to life with a new, vibrant, down-to-earth (no pun intended) feel. Even the characters that weren't in the classic series were brilliant.
This also sheds light on the writing. It was indeed the writing that opened the door for these characters to be so fun to watch. Honestly, the film was coyly funny, and had many laugh-out-loud moments. The way each of the characters was written portrayed them as so different, yet so integral to each other. This made the dynamic of the cast not only memorable, but fascinating.
The writing, however, would have been slightly overshadowed if it weren't for the excellent directing. There was excellent framing in this film. I couldn't think of a camera angle I would have changed, unlike in a certain prequel trilogy we all know. There was also quite a bit of shaky cam in this film. I personally don't mind shaky cam, and I think it's a perfectly legitimate way to add excitement and freneticism to a scene. Credit is due to the film's cinematographer Daniel Mindel. Along with all of this, the many scenes that portrayed the non-linear and diverse plot development were arresting and satisfying because they were paced correctly. Nothing dragged on; nothing was too short. It proves J. J. Abrams' mettle as a director.
As for the story, the majority of it developed in a very natural way, revealing a clear conflict, developing the drama, and setting clear points of decision for the characters. However, the story was the weakest part of the film (but not by much). The third act of the film just seemed like it could have had more development, more like the third act of Batman Begins. But that's it, that's it, that's it. That was really the only nitpick I had about the film (Besides, that is, the makeup work for Spock's Mom. Seriously, they could have actually chosen someone who was old) . This, however, worked. This is because it was more of a movie where the story drove the characters, not the other way around. It played out in such a way that you were able to witness the change in the characters, the development of their relationships, and the decisions that they made at critical moments so that what could be appreciated from them was utterly fulfilled.
On top of all of this, however, there are still the yet undiscussed special effects. Oh. My. Gosh. Breathtaking. The thing is, the effects weren't like that of the Star Wars prequels in that there was really nothing superfluous! That was the kicker right there. Every effect was for a purpose, and the effects were painstakingly detailed at that. One of the prime examples of this was when the U.S.S. Enterprise gets hit by Nero's ship, you can actually see hundreds of little bits of ship debris floating just in front of where the ship got hit, just as would actually happen. The way the space scenes were constructed actually made you believe you were in the grand vastness of space surrounded by colossal ship's firing hundreds of projectiles and lasers. Every CG element was richly colored, but not unrealistically so, providing for a massively visceral and even borderline moving experience.
Last, but certainly not least, was the music and sound. The music was not what you typically hear in a modern film score (that being in the current decade). There were particular moments where the entire orchestra would pause and belt out dramatic, drawn out, melodic hits. This drama was not only striking but it left the feeling that it told a story as well, exulting in the epic that unfolded before it. This, of course, was deftly (and I mean that) aided by the sound design. The moment that was most striking was when some of the characters were out in space, and you actually heard nothing for a few seconds. It provided such a contrast to everything else going on, that one couldn't help but be riveted. Additionally, there were only minimal sounds used when the ships were traveling through space, further adding to the soundlessness of space. By contrast, when there were space battles, the sounds were exicting, and made for a more immersive experience.
Overall, this was a fun, enjoyable, and multifaceted film. It's one I would recommend viewing on the big screen multiple times for full enjoyment. As I like to adequately quantify the movies I view, I give this film a 93%. As a reference, an outright bad film would get a 45% (I can't think of any at the moment) an okay film would get a 60% (can't think of any of those either), a decently good film would get an 80% (such as The Spiderwick Chronicles), and a very good film would get about an 85% (such as Get Smart). As such, all the aspects of this film were brilliant, but it slightly lacked in fully developing the final moments of the plot. That's why the film doesn't get a higher score.
Well, there you have it. I hope you found this review informative and helpful, and I hope it will inspire you to see it in theaters. That's my take on Star Trek. Live long and prosper! This is George Hastings signing out.
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