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

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!

Evidently created to act as a prologue/segue into the world of Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Undiscovered Country brings resolution to the age old conflict between the Klingons and the people of Earth. The Klingons are still a bit peeved about Captain Kirk being responsible for the deaths of several Klingons, but after their planetary moon explodes, destroying their chief energy production facility, their leader decides it is time to set peace accords in place.

The Enterprise is called to act as the Klingon ambassador’s bodyguard ship as it heads to the peace summit. After an awkward dinner party between the Klingons and Enterprise folks, the Klingon ambassador is assassinated and his ship attacked by the Enterprise. Or so it seems. Kirk and McCoy board the Klingon vessel in an attempt to help the wounded and they are taken as political prisoners. They face a show trial on the Klingon home world and are sentenced to life imprisonment on a frozen labor camp planet.

Spock and the rest of the Enterprise crew work to figure out how it appeared the Enterprise attacked the Klingons when all their weapons are accounted for, and who is the mole among them responsible for assassinating the ambassador.

In the end, everything works out in an all-too-clean manner. From the get-go, I was able to figure out who the mole is. The reasoning behind the attack and its orchestration is interesting, but it’s also a little too convenient to be appreciated. Star Trek VI suffers from a bit too much excess. Excess in over-dramatizing much of film’s contents, and excess in overacting by good guys and bad guys alike hurt this film, which had limited potential to begin with. On the whole it feels like an overdrawn, overblown excuse for one last hurrah before finally (and begrudgingly) passing the Star Trek torch off to the cast of The Next Generation.

It’s like a parent that just doesn’t know when to let go and definitely puts to rest the notion that even numbered Trek films are superior. If you must watch, you’ll see oddball appearances by both Kim Cattrall and Christian Slater. But in reality, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country is best left undiscovered.

RATING: 2.5 out of 5

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!

Not knowing when to leave well enough alone, the Star Trek series returns for its fifth installment, this time directed by William Shatner. A little bit more time and money during the development phase could have cleared up this oddball film and turned it into something really good. The potential is there, but The Final Frontier falters in the execution of it all.

Star Trek V won the Razzie Award for Worst Picture of 1989, which I doubt is an accurate reflection of bad movies made that year. While the movie isn’t up to par with its predecessors, it still manages to channel that Star Trek vibe pretty well. Star Trek has always been a little campy and mediocre, so you’ll be hard pressed to find a bad Star Trek film. They don’t try hard enough to be great, so they can’t possibly be bad.

Weird is a good way to describe it, actually. A rogue Vulcan mystic named Sybok sets out to commandeer a starship and take it into the center of the galaxy, beyond an energy field that has sealed off the galactic core for time immemorial. After taking hostages on a rinky dink planet, which Kirk and company travel to as a rescue party, Sybok uses his powers to free the Enterprise crew of their innermost pain that haunts them. In gratitude for their relief, they end up doing his will and set course for the galactic core.

The one catch is that Kirk doesn’t give in to Sybok’s plan. In a unique scene, Kirk declares, “I want my pain! I need my pain!” The clever exploration of what makes a person a person, pain and all is really quite remarkable for a sci-fi films. I give kudos to Shattner for trying to include such philosophical content into a Trek film. However, things go downhill once the Enterprise reaches the center of the galaxy.

Sybok is seeking out a planet beyond this energy field which holds the secrets of the origins of life in the universe. Turns out, Sybok is Spock’s half-brother and the planet was just a prison for some maligned entity with great destructive power. Kirk, Spock, Sybok and Dr. McCoy approach and interact with this dangerous entity (which appears as a floating head) and at first believe it is God, the creator of all things. God asks Sybok if he has brought a starship with him, promising to reveal the mysteries of the Universe if they promise to take him aboard their starship and back into the rest of the galaxy. At this point, teeming with anticipation and all kinds of philosophical outlets, Kirk blurts out the following line in stereotypical Shatner-speak: “What does God need with a starship?”

A good question, but it totally deflates the situation at hand. The jig is up and the floating head decides to try and kill them all. Also, Klingons figure into this puzzle awkwardly as well. There is also a rather bizarre sequence in the beginning and end where Kirk, Spock and McCoy are camping. Spock camping is odd enough without the inclusion of “Row, Row, Row Your Boat.”

Make of it what you will, but more cheesy special effects and some stereotypical Shatner puts a damper on Star Trek 5. With a little more focus and effort, the cool philosophical points could have made for quite a unique movie, though it is still tolerable and amusing as it is.

RATING: 2.5 out of 5

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!

They might as well have just called this one Star Trek Saves the Whales, because that’s all that this film really amounts to. Straddling the precariously thin line between clever and stupid, Star Trek IV is clearly just in it for the sake of having fun. This isn’t such a bad thing, as the last two Trek films were heavier in tone, one being fairly dark and the other being complex. There is however a line and I feel as though they may have crossed it.

Picking up shortly after the events of Star Trek III, Kirk and company are on Vulcan but have decided to return to Earth and face the punishment for violating Federation rules on their quest to recover Spock. On the way to Earth in their hijacked Klingon vessel, they receive a distress call from Earth. Some bizarre alien probe (looking like a can of soup wrapped in tin foil) is assaulting the Earth and destroying all computer and electrical systems within range. After analyzing the signal the probe is emitting, Kirk’s crew find that it is trying to establish contact with Humpback whales, which have been extinct on Earth since part way through the 21st Century.

The only solution is to travel back in time, via a risky sling shot maneuver around the Sun, transporting our intrepid crew to Earth of 1986. There they find that humans are woefully inferior beings, using coarse language, poor communication skills, and worst of all, have a focus on money (for which there is no need in the 23rd Century). After peppering the audience with some light pro-socialist ideals the film focuses on the struggle to locate some Humpback whales and how to rig the Klingon ship to carry them home.

Chance would have it that Kirk and Spock meet a pretty lady who happens to be the caretaker of two Humpbacks. After much culture shock and coincidence, Scotty builds holding tanks inside the ship and they get their whales. They make it back through time and just barely save the day. While the whales concept has a unique side, as it explores the notion that alien species may not be searching for intelligent life that resembles humans, it’s still a bit too ‘earth first’ goofy for me to really get behind. And besides, they saved two whales. It’s not like the species will survive. Their offspring would be the last generation before inbreeding occurs.

There’s plenty of humor in the fish-out-of water scenario for all the Enterprise crew, and Chekov’s pronunciation of V’s as W’s is hammed up awful fierce, but the film relies on an extended gimmick to support itself. In the end, we are treated to some happiness, as Kirk and his crew are all exonerated, though he is demoted back to Captain. And he gets a new Enterprise.

This was the closing chapter in a 3 movie arc, and may have been meant to be the final Star Trek film for the Original Series cast. While sporting better special effects than usual, it still doesn’t compare to effects masterpieces like Star Wars, but Star Trek never really set out to compete with Star Wars in the first place. Star Trek IV wraps up the story in a pretty neat fashion, with humor and heart to spare.

RATING: 2.75 out of 5

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!

With the Star Trek movies, there exists a rule of thumb which states that the odd-numbered films are inferior to the even numbered ones. I beg to differ, as Star Trek III: The Search for Spock is quite interesting and a good follow up to The Wrath of Khan.

The story takes place right where Khan left off. The Enterprise is headed back to earth, where it will be decommissioned. Spock, having died at the end of Khan, is not aboard the ship. Or so they think. Evidently, shortly before Spock perished, he mind-melded with Dr. McCoy, so his spirit lives on in McCoy’s mind, while causing him quite a bit of mental duress. Once the crew returns to Earth, Kirk is met by Spock’s father who informs him of the situation. Kirk feels like a fool and is intent on resurrecting his friend.

The only problem is that Spock’s body was jettisoned to the surface of the new planet created at the end of Khan. What’s a space Admiral to do? Why, steal his old ship and go after his friend of course! Kirk and crew hijack the Enterprise, violating many rules in the process, and goes vigilante to find his friend (hence the title).

To add a little spice to the story, a rogue group of Klingons are desperate to get their hands on the plans for the Genesis experiment, seeking its power to destroy an entire planet. They destroy a Federation starship and ambush a science team (the same one from Khan, including Kirk’s son) holding such plans.

It all makes for an interesting face-off resulting in the death of Kirk’s son at the hands of the Klingons (creating another memorable line- “You Klingon bastards, you murdered my son!”) and the destruction of the Enterprise. The crew all escapes safely after hijacking the Klingon’s own vessel, with Spock’s recovered body in tow. They head for Vulcan, where they will be momentarily safe from both the Federation and the Klingons out for Kirk’s blood. Spock’s soul is reunited with his body and the film ends on an uneasy note of what the future will bring.

The thing I liked most about this film is how deep and contemplative it gets. The Vulcans are very Buddhist in their approach to life and understanding. Being a fan of Buddhism and other Eastern philosophies, I enjoyed the subtle deep concepts running all through this film. While Khan was well-received for being the most exciting and fun Trek installment, The Search for Spock is appreciable for being the smartest and most thought-provoking of the series. It does, however, suffer from a few minor cases of poor special effects, which factor pretty significantly with my ratings.

All in all, it’s a good companion piece to its predecessor. It’s also interesting to see Christopher Lloyd as a Klingon. Great Scot!

RATING: 3.25 out of 5

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)

Quite instantly besting its predecessor, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is darker and richer than anything Star Trek we have seen before and are likely to see again. It’s all about one psychopath’s quest for revenge against Admiral Kirk and the consequences thereof. It also is the first chapter in a three film arc that makes the early Trek films worthwhile and unique.

Khan was a villain in an episode of the Star Trek TV series. He was some kind of genetically altered superhuman and was banished to a desolate world after being thwarted by then Captain Kirk. Many years later, a Federation science team is taken hostage by Khan, who manages to lure Kirk to his outpost. Khan is an embodiment of evil and lusts for revenge. But he is also incredibly smart and well-read. He is a sort of philosophical madman, which creates for a very engaging story and an interesting matchup with Kirk.

However, two things could have made this movie solidly good: better special effects and consistency with the title score. I was immediately shocked to find that the opening music was not the same theme as for the original Star Trek film. I still haven't found a reason for this. Consistency is important in a movie series and changing your opening music is anything but consistent.

Also, the TV sensibilities are back and the visual effects show it. The budget was tight, which never helps, and maybe “true” fans of Star Trek wouldn’t mind some mediocre effects here and there, but it was a slight turnoff to me. All in all, this is a pretty well done piece of science-fiction. Watching The Wrath of Khan with an open mind will allow you to appreciate what Trekkies have going for them. While it’s not spectacular, my guess is that it wasn’t really trying to be in the first place.

Good fun, and you’ll finally understand why Trekkies pause and shout “KHAN!!!!”

RATING: 3.25 out of 5

Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)

I surprised myself when I decided to work my way through the Star Trek series. As you may know, I am a huge Star Wars freak, and it’s often been said that Star Wars fans and Trekkies don’t mix well. I still think Star Wars is by far the superior series (although the prequel trilogy went a long way towards evening things out) but I can’t look down upon Trekkies anymore, because they’ve got a pretty decent thing going for them.

My first surprise was the opening music, which I recalled as the Star Trek: The Next Generation theme. Evidently the piece was written for this, the first of an ongoing series of films. It’s certainly an improvement upon the goofy theme from the original TV series. However, the film is hurt most by clinging to another aspect of the original series. Apparently this project was supposed to be an extended pilot episode for a new TV series, but it got turned into a motion picture. The TV sensibilities were carried over, hurting the special effects and overall tone of the film. Star Trek seems to use a lot of upper echelon made-for-TV movie effects along with some standard Hollywood magic, resulting in an end product that pales greatly in comparison to Star Wars, which had come out just two years prior.

The story also plays out like an extended TV episode, with very little gripping action and an ending that seemed kind of silly and cheap. Fortunately, the colorful cast of characters made me feel comfortable with the environment. Their familiarity with everything made it easier for me to just sit back and enjoy the ride. You don’t need to have watched the original series to be able to embrace this film, which is an important asset, but its weaknesses end up winning out over its strengths.

RATING: 2.75 out of 5