Star Trek (2009) Movie Review

Space, the last frontier… These are the voyages of the new Star Trek movie, helmed by J. J. Abrams. Can this new iteration of Gene Roddenberry’s vision convince?

Genre: Action / Adventure / Sci-Fi

Director: J. J. Abrams

Cast: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Simon Pegg, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, John Cho, Anton Yelchin, Eric Bana, Chris Hemsworth & Leonard Nimoy.

Run Time: 128 min.

US Release: 08 May 2009

UK Release: 08 May 2009

German Release: 07 May 2009

In anticipation of Star Trek Beyond, I decided to review all preview films of the Kelvin timeline, starting with Abrams’ 2009 reboot. To start, I am a huge fan of this series. I watched the original series as a small child with my father; we watched the movies as a family when they screened on TV; I watched reruns of Next Generation, as well as Voyager after school. Deep Space Nine was, and still is, the only Star Trek entity I don’t enjoy. As such, with the announcement of a new movie, I sprinted to the theatre to watch it on release day.

So let's get into my spoiler review for this 2009 sci-fi blockbuster!

— WARNING, THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS! —

When a mysterious ship from the future kills acting Captain George Kirk of the USS Kelvin, a separate timeline is created, setting the crew of the USS Enterprise on a different path than intended. James Tiberius Kirk is an angry, rebellious young man who resolves issues rather with a brawl than a talk. Commander Spock is more arrogant than his original universe counterpart, and Scotty is a wise-cracking jokester banished on an abandoned ice planet.

When Vulcan is destroyed by that same mysterious ship decades later, original Spock needs to rectify the errors of accidental time travel that caused the changes to the crew's original path. He admits to Kirk that the enemy they are after is a vengeful Romulan named Nero, who seeks to make Spock pay for the inability to save his home planet from a star-turned-supernova.

With Earth as his next target, Kirk must earn the trust of Spock, Uhura and the rest to bring them together as a unified crew and stop Nero from destroying Earth.

The inclusion of time travel is primarily used as a smart gimmick to tell new adventures without altering any already established lore from the original series. This, in turn, gave writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman the possibility to establish genuine suspense, as anything could happen in this separate timeline. Equally, the focus on action over intellect helped the narrative develop a snappy, fast pace, modernising the franchise for a younger audience. This decision did not make hardcore fans happy, but I found it to be a refreshing new perspective on a decades-long saga.

That said, it also came with its own set of writing issues. For one, some of the plot progressions felt a little forced. The whole supernova threat is scientifically impossible, as an exploding star can not destroy a galaxy. Finally, though the story contains quiet moments, in which emotional impact is left to unfold, the dialogue also incorporates a little too much comedy.

This feature boasts a stellar cast, with each actor paying respectful homage to the original portrayals while adding enough individuality to make these iconic characters their own, lending the crew genuine emotional weight.

The film’s greatest strength is undoubtedly the evolving relationship between James T. Kirk and Spock, portrayed magnificently by Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto. Beginning as rivals with opposing personalities, the two gradually develop a mutual respect that blossoms into the foundations of one of cinema and TV’s most beloved friendships. The inclusion of Leonard Nimoy as Spock Prime was a smart decision, seamlessly bridging the gap between longtime fans and newcomers.

The rest of the Enterprise crew is equally well cast. John Cho, Anton Yelchin and Zoe Saldana bring charisma to Sulu, Chekov and Uhura, while Karl Urban is an absolute scene-stealer as “Bones” McCoy, capturing the character’s dry wit and charm. Simon Pegg is endlessly entertaining as Scotty, injecting the flick with energy whenever he appears.

The weakest link is Eric Bana as the Romulan villain, Nero. It’s not that Bana delivers a poor performance; rather, the screenplay gives him far too little screen time to leave any sort of impression. As a result, his character feels underwritten, preventing him from becoming a memorable antagonist.

Abrams used anamorphic lenses to shoot this new instalment of the franchise, giving the picture a unique look. The on-set lighting further grounded this sci-fi blockbuster; that said, the extensive use of lens flares detracted from emotionally heavy scenes. The CGI seamlessly merged with the rest of the film, while the space segments provided an accurate sense of scale. 

Michael Giacchino’s musical composition is epic, emotional, just like mysterious all in one. Especially the main theme re-invents the spirit of adventure while maintaining what Star Trek is all about.

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Verdict: Star Trek is as much part of my childhood as Star Wars… maybe even more. I sat with my father on the couch as a small boy, while he watched reruns of the original series, or some of the movies on TV. The Next Generation was equally on constant reruns during my young pre-teen years, and Voyager was my father's favourite show on release. That said, I always preferred Star Wars over Trek, as the latter was a little too nerdy for me. Fast forward to 2009, and I was intrigued by what Abrams would bring to this franchise. He upped the action, reduced the science talk - angering some hardcore fans on the way -  yet opening up this world to a more common audience. The cinematography and effects are gorgeous to behold (be it a little too many lens flares), and the story is emotionally gripping, be it for a few too many jokes. Overall, this is worth experiencing and deserves a 9.0 out of 10!

What about you? Do you prefer the original movies, or are you also a fan of the new ones? Let me know in the comments & thank you for reading.