I’m a bit
old fashioned when it comes to Star Treck. It has to be the original or none at
all. By that I mean, you know, the classics. Shatner. Nemoy. Takei. I have all
due respect for The Next Generation and Patrick Stewart. But anything after
that I tend to kind of shudder at and turn away. I dunno. It’s a personal
thing. So when this film came out I sort of shuddered at it as well. But being
a massive fan of Benedict Cumberbach, I had to see it as well. Well that and
the fact that I’m a massive Star Trek fan. I was %100 sure I wouldn’t like it
as much as the series, but then again, I had to see what exactly they had done
to it. Well, I wasn’t surprised. I didn’t run from the room screaming, but it
isn’t the original. Just saying…
So, we are “at
the very beginning” as it were. A young Kirk ( Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary
Quinto) and Bones (Karl Urban) along with all the other familiar characters for
the Enterprise are at the beginnings of their careers. Kirk is recognised for his talent but seen as
too young and impulsive. But his commended planning and bravery come directly
into play when an almost unstoppable danger emerges from the heart of their
very own organisation. The danger is great, the manhunt will lead the
Enterprise into hostile territory and the stakes are very, very high but Kirk is
completely determined he will be the one to bring the criminal into justice. Because
this time… This time it’s personal.
Now, it’s
tough writing this review in a way. I mean ok. Anyone with a cursory knowledge
of Star Trek is going to take one look at the cast list and go “Oh Benedict
Cumberbach is Khan… So why all the mystery??” I mean yes, we (we being Trekkies)
know exactly who Khan is. This film is, essentially “how they met”. And a fine
job of it J. J. Abrams does too. I think the film is better understood if it
is taken as an effort to introduce a new generation to the Star Trek franchise.
Put a couple of handsome faces in it, some modern special effects, you know,
shake it up a bit. That’s why I’m kinda leaving these people to discover who
Khan is themselves. People who know, don’t need much in the way of explaining –
right guys?
Thing is,
in a sense this is a successful effort. I had quite a few people who knew
virtually nothing about the series who went “oh I should look into that” (queue
yours truly holding forth for about 20 minutes on how they should really,
really, start with the originals, no matter how old they are. I’m not sure if I
actually convinced them or physically scared them to be honest… ). Now, I’m not
sure if this is me being an old fogy or not, however, I really, really tried to
see something “special” connected to this film. I failed. I’m not saying it’s a
bad film, not at all. But see, I think I’ve sort of grown out of action –
adventure films, unless they have something really, really going for them.
This film is typical Hollywood fare. Handsome young men, big explosions, a
relationship (were Uhura and Spock actually ever a bona fide couple? I mean yes
there was electricity, yes I totally get that people want a “love interest”
storyline in there especially since the Spock – Kirk “bromance” may well
confuse younger viewers but still… I mean I don’t know. Do we really need a
love triangle / interest every single time? Even when it was managing perfectly
well without one? The jury’s out).
I mean, ok.
I am aware of the fact that this is probably me being an old fogy. I’m probably
just comparing it to the series in my head and “finding it lacking”. But if you
do enjoy this sort of thing, please watch it. If you’re a trekkie, try and look
at it as more of a standalone film loosely based on the characters of Star Trek. I found that helped me quite a bit…
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