The New Star Trek Movie

I have lost track of the last movie I saw in a theater. In fact, the multiplex in Dodge City has been there for quite some time, and I'd never been there. I've been to several in OKC and in Wichita at The Warren Theater (which really deserves a post of it's own - but if you like Art Deco, and ushers in black tails and white gloves, well, you'll like the Warren), but none in Dodge. So, finally I go. Tbe new Star Trek was calling.

The first trailer I saw was this one:


link

This had all us "purists" up in arms. A young James Tiberius Anakin Skywalker Kirk acting the brat - wrecking a couple centuries old vintage 'Vette? That's supposed to be character development? The Enterprise being built on Earth? And it looks different? WTF????

I didn't need to be worried. The clip with the kid Kirk was probably the weakest scene in the whole movie. If you have ever seen Trek before, you know how they are always messing with the "Time Line," moving back and forth in time as it suits them. A plot trick, pure and simple. So, as it turns out, a badass Romulan (which Our Heroes must defeat) from the future has come back in time and destroyed the future - the past of the early Trek. Follow? So, the familiar characters are still there - but they aren't identical to the originals. Kirk seems to be wilder and more out of control, as is Spock, strangely enough. Spock still tugs at the bottom of his tunic when he stands, but he lets us see more of his emotions. Karl Urban is a riot as Dr. Leonard McCoy. Sulu is still a swordsman, Montgomery Scott is still a mechanical Scottish whiz, and Chekov is not a mop top Beatles plug in anymore - he's a curly haired Russian geek now. Uhura is still a hot chick in a miniskirt, but she has a bit more to do in this flick than the original.There really wasn't a whole load of secondary character development, but this is an action movie after all. We got to see enough to know who they were.

Did I mention the action? Yeah, this movie kicks ass. I have a fear of heights, which they exploit in several sequences. The special effects are overwhelming - you just don't have the time to try to see how fake it is - the CGI was quite impressive. There are still phasers, photon torpedoes, shields, warp and impulse drive, hyposprays, transporters, shuttles, and the late Majel Barrett Roddenberry recorded her computer voice parts before she died. The mechanics of the Star Trek universe are still the same. I'd even say the bug that was implanted into Captain Christopher Pike to force him to give up some codes was a homage to the similar creatures in Star Trek II The Wrath of Khan.

So, yeah, J.J. Abrams might have given himself a clean slate - but he didn't wipe out the essence of the original series. What has drawn me into the franchise over the years have been the interaction between the characters, plus the scifi aspects, as well as the action/adventure threaded through the plots. It's a peculiar blend - and difficult to catch, refine or define. The later television versions weren't quite there - Enterprise and Voyager were good, but not great. The last few movies featuring the Next Generation cast were slipping as well.

Abrams and crew got it. They absolutely nailed "it." If you've ever enjoyed Star Trek at all, you owe it to yourself to get thine own self to the nearest theater and plop down the money to see this movie. Trust me, you will enjoy yourself. Don't spill the popcorn or pop.

Oh, and it will be a surprise to see who actually "gets" the girl.