Possibly fearing the full fury of fanboys everywhere, JJ Abrahms seems to have actually played it fairly safe with this latest reboot, keeping for the most part, the uniforms, designs, aliens (look out for the Tribble!) that spawned the massive media juggernaut Trek became over the years, and while the bridge does look very Mac (Which is ridiculous..Bill Gates will obviously own the military in the future…), the most important theme-the relationship between Kirk and Spock ( don’t panic, McCoy gets a look in too) emerges unscathed.
The whole thing does suffer from a case of the set-ups, which is a shame because surely most people know who the hell these people are by now? But it’s carried out pacily with some nice touches (Personal fave is the solution to the Kobayashi Maru problem) to keep the hardcore happy.
Abrahms obviously learnt a thing or two from M.I:3 and the like, because here he doesn’t let the pace slacken for a moment. The intro sequence is nicely handled, and sets the tone for the rest of the film. The only downside is that things possibly stick a little too close to Trek lore, with the familiar (and slightly boring) time-travel problem making an unwelcome return (at least it isn’t set on a holodeck I suppose…), and giving Eric Bana little room to manoeuvre as the villain, who sadly lacks the cod-Shakespearian mouthing off that usually makes these guys so much fun. Basically, he’s just a miner from the future having a hissy fit, and while his advanced technology makes him a threat, his physical presence does not.
That said, Bana does the best he can with what he’s given, and the rest of the cast all give solid performances-special kudos goes, surprisingly, to Karl Urban, who perfectly captures McCoys inherent gruffness, while Pine struggles manfully with Kirk, but manages to humanise him and make him slightly less of a dick who..leaves..spaces when..he..talks than before. Simon Pegg has at least one scene where he gets to act instead of being funny talking comic relief, and Chekov’s nuclear-wessel-powered Russki accent isn’t as annoying as it could have been. Oh-and yes, Uhuru is hot, despite having underwear designed by the same people who built her bridge console, and we get a short scene where we finally realise that looking good in a mini isn’t the only reason she’s communications officer.
Speaking of design, the new ship looks great, managing to mix the classic lines with a more believable aesthetic that adds realism to the excellent space battles. (which also get an overhaul-less submarine-style tension, more Top Gun aerobatics), and the Romulan ship takes a strange cue from the hulk at the end of Burton’s ‘Planet of the Apes’, managing to look huge and cathedral like, and suitably alien, although why half of it is flooded is a mystery. Back on the enterprise it seems a bit weird that there are valves everywhere in engineering, but the gorgeous sound design makes up for the little quibbles, with all the necessary beeps and squeaks in place, adding to the primary coloured fun throughout.
All in all, it’s a great, fun adventure, and while it struggles to introduce everyone, it seems clear that this could be the space equivalent of Spider-Man/X_Men 1, with the pieces now in place for a far more impressive sequel to come. A great franchise movie, and one of the films of the summer to boot. Well worth boldly going to see.
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