Star Trek (2009)

Hold on to your tribbles, Trekkies! Wunderkind sci-fi/fantasy director JJ Abrams injects new life into what long ago became a tired franchise by staying true to the show’s spirit. Abrams boldly goes where no Star Trek director has gone before, inviting hard-core and casual fans alike to take a leap of faith and buy in to a rebooted Star Trek universe.

In a fit of rage, the revenge-hungry Romulan Captain Nero (Eric Bana) inadvertently follows Spock (Leonard Nimoy) through a rift in space-time and into a parallel universe. One outcome of this journey is the killing of James Tiberius Kirk’s father, creating a timeline unlike the one Nero and Spock originate from. Kirk (Chris Pine) grows up a rebel but enlists in Starfleet Academy, where he meets a younger Spock (Zachary Quinto), Uhura (Zoe Saladana), Sulu (John Cho), and McCoy (Karl Urban). Far from a cohesive team, the young cadets are thrust into action when Nero re-emerges, threatening the existence of the planet Vulcan and, potentially, any Federation planet he chooses.

This film is unlike any other Star Trek film in that it places hefty emphasis on special effects and action sequences, which were either poorly done or in short supply in the 10 predecessors. Some long-time Trek fans may cry foul over pushing the contemplative side of the series to the back burner but even they should recognize just how bold a move Abrams and company make. They should also be glad that this reboot breathes precious life into a series that is approaching its 50th anniversary.

The characters of the Original Series are, naturally, the most beloved (though Next Generation boasts an almost equal amount of loyalty). Recasting the original crew for further exploits between the end of the Original Series and Star Trek: The Motion Picture or between Star Trek 6 and Generations wouldn’t work save for satisfying the curiosities of a minority of Trekkies. There’s nothing new about inserting a story in front of a known outcome. By creating an alternate timeline, old characters can develop in new ways and everyone becomes vulnerable to the dangers taking place around them. Maybe we don’t fear for the safety of Kirk or Spock that much but everyone else is fair game. As an added bonus, this film in no way retcons anything Trek fans hold sacred. The Star Trek they grew up with still exists.

The reboot makes Kirk a more interesting character, now a hot-headed recruit that can grow into Shatner’s more even-keeled captain. The change is fun to watch because it leads to freshness in character interactions. Gone is the camaraderie of our main characters. Instead of mutual respect, some behave adversarially to each other. Thankfully, every member of the cast is up to the task of re-making these iconic characters. The chemistry is phenomenal, though I do think Karl Urban overdoes it as McCoy.

One thing the previous Star Trek films were shaky on was their antagonists. While sci-fi is full of larger-than-life villains, Star Trek films are notoriously lacking in compelling bad guys. In this film, Nero is full of fire and menace but he rarely shows other emotions. He is certainly powerful and formidable but he is narrow-mindedness makes him a fairly flat character. It would have been interesting to see him outside of his quest to destroy things.

The reboot itself may make this film something of a one-trick pony but Star Trek does pretty well as an origin story. For the uninitiated, this film is a tense, action-packed sci-fi flick. For those familiar with the source material, it is a bold move that enables future endeavors as favorite characters discover their galaxy all over again. The filmmakers put plenty of references to Original Series elements in this film for long-time fans to snicker at. This is fine for this first outing but Star Trek is worthy of a sequel, which means future installments will need to tell their own stories rather than piggyback on parallels to what came before. If they can pull that off, the reboot will have been worth it.

RATING: 3.5 out of 5

Treasure Planet (2002)

File this latest Disney misfire under the all-too-familiar category of a well-intentioned and potentially neat idea that just doesn’t execute. In many ways, the end result of this film is something of a companion piece to Atlantis: The Lost Empire. The two exceptions to this comparison are that Treasure Planet adapts its story from a literary classic and it is easier to follow.

This film is a sci-fi version of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, where the architecture and clothing resembles that of the 18th century and spaceships look like old-time sailing vessels with rockets. It focuses on a teenager named Jim Hawkins (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), who comes into possession of a map to the hidden Treasure Planet. A friend of the family commissions a spaceship to go in search of Treasure Planet and the crew is a hodge-podge to say the least. Along the way the explorers face many dangers, including a mutiny at the hands of their cyborg cook, John Silver, who wants the treasure for himself.

I read Treasure Island when I was a kid and I recall enjoying it very much. I do not know if it was the full version or the children’s edition but it was exciting nonetheless. The heart of Treasure Island is still very much alive in Treasure Planet and the film could have worked if it had not been adapted so literally. In my mind, there is no reason for the spaceships too look like the sailing vessels of yore. At times that gimmick just doesn’t work. Maybe the science nerd in me is being too picky, but I cannot swallow travelling through deep space without an enclosed spaceship. Give it a Star Wars-esque worn-future look and it just might work.

Some of the animation in this film is pretty spectacular, with 2-D characters worked into 3-D environments. Unfortunately, for every scene where things look spectacular there is a scene where the animation is either unremarkable or the blending doesn’t quite work. That falls far short from the lofty standards set by Disney’s finest films. To top it off, only one song is even memorable from the film and it is not sung by any of the characters. It’s a fine tune by the Goo Goo Dolls but its status as the only noteworthy tune is an indictment upon Disney’s music department.

It’s clear that the Disney Renaissance is a thing of the past. I don’t know if they are just running out of ideas or if their ability to express their ideas is stuck in a lower gear. I appreciate that they try to push the envelope but either Disney is trying to push the wrong envelope or they need to push harder. Too many more films like Treasure Planet and Disney will find itself smack in the middle of a new Dark Age. At least their relationship with Pixar helps even things out.

RATING: 3 out of 5

Iron Man 3 (2013)

This was the second part of my first ever drive-in double feature, the first part being Monsters University. I had held out for years until there were two films showing that I thought would make the occasion worthwhile. The first one met that goal but this Marvel Universe sequel did not. I don’t know what happened to Tony Stark in The Avengers (which I have not seen) but the fun of the Iron Man series seems to have disappeared completely.

Months after the events of The Avengers, Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) is haunted by nightmares and panic attacks. To cope, he plunges himself into making dozens of new super-suits, drawing the ire of his girlfriend Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow). Meanwhile, a once flaky scientist from Tony’s past (Guy Pearce) reemerges with a potentially game-changing new biomedical process. When an international terrorist called The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) destroys Stark’s home, Tony is believed to be dead. This allows him to work in secret to both uncover the secrets of The Mandarin but also to get his super hero groove back.

I’ve always believed that Iron Man was Marvel’s answer for DC Comic’s Batman- an incredibly smart person who makes up for a lack of super powers with brains and gadgets. While Batman often faces a number of flamboyant criminals, the Iron Man film series has featured more practical baddies. After defeating a corrupt businessman in a super-suit and a genius inventor in a super-suit, I was hopeful for more unique villain. The strength and power of the Iron Man suits require a villain of extreme abilities in order to pose much of a threat. In a way, Iron Man 3 splits the difference and creates two villains- one to challenge Tony’s brain and the other to challenge the power of his suits.

Unfortunately, neither villain really satisfies. The Mandarin seemed like a great villain at first and I even think his true identity is quite clever. But when you think about it, he is little more than the fusion of red herring and MacGuffin. The ruse doesn’t even make the second villain seem any smarter because he ends up being little more than your paint-by-numbers, overconfident, super-powered comic book villain.

As a summer blockbuster and a comic book movie, Iron Man 3 does not hold back on effects-heavy action sequences. The Extremis storyline lends itself to a lot of special effects at times, plunging the series deeper into the sci-fi realm. The whole connected Marvel Universe strikes me as deeply rooted in sci-fi but, not having seen The Avengers, Iron Man 3’s level of sci-fi takes something away from the series, which had been fairly realistic up to this point. Just like most summer extravaganzas, some of the special effects are too prominent and don’t pull off their intended illusions.

Superheroes struggling to find the drive to fight crime again is nothing new but it is interesting watching Tony Stark go through the process. His whole wallowing in a funk through most of the film creates an atmosphere that is more brooding mystery than summer action flick. It doesn’t go all Christopher Nolan-Batman on you but it is definitely a departure for the series. Had the villains worked out better, this probably could have been the best in the series instead of experiencing the growing pains that it does. Even its cathartic ending doesn’t satisfy because you know the Marvel machine won’t let one of its most bankable characters walk off into the sunset just yet.

RATING: 2.75 out of 5