Cast: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana

Director: J. J. Abrams

Screenplay: Alex Kurtzman

Running time: 2 hrs 7 mins

Genre: Action/Adventure



CRITIQUE:


Batman was revitalised. James Bond was on steroids. The likelihood of injecting one of the world’s longest running franchises a good dose of botox was a great one. Where every Hollywood franchise’s secret formula is the back-to-basics method, it was only natural Star Trek had its treatment. And only naturally, J. J. Abrams was the right man for the job. He might not be among Hollywood’s enormously bearded directors, but he sure is wearing specs, thick black-rimmed ones, and palpably emitting geekiness and boyish enthusiasm to put this film in the right magnitude of entertainment. For a Hollywood offering, it’s damn impressive. Kudos to the creator of Lost (although it now flipped, plot-wise), the über-feature Cloverfield and director of the underrated Mission Impossible III; it shows he had much respect to the Trek material, but still managed to imprint his own trademark touches.


One expects Star Trek to be implausible (there are logical flaws here, surprisingly - as to forgetting their teleporting-beam-machine to parachuting into another spacecraft for the sake of sheer maximum excitement), and its science-fiction elements can travel at warp speed. So is the thrill meter. The origin story here is capably handled; beginning from what must be one of the most memorable birthing moments in recent cinema to the rivalry between Kirk and Spock. Its sparked with humour, nifty one-liners, and sometimes familiar overtones, but Abrams quickly pull you away from familiarity and give you a stun-a-minute thrill-ride, with visuals so intricate, sound in full bombast, and jaw-dropping effects – that kind of cinema that still has the power to grip to your seats with your mouth almost wide open. The invigoration also comes from its young, vibrant cast who infuses a lot of freshness and wit to their characters: Pine is solid as Kirk and Quinto is a terrific inspired casting as Spock, providing an emotional anchor to his otherwise humanly detached half-blood. The beautiful Saldana (watch out Halle Berry!) as Uhura, Brit Simon Pegg as Scotty, Karl Urban fizzes as McCoy, and newcomer Yelchin as Russian front Chekhov, whose accents deliver fit-laughs in some scenes. Eric Bana’s villain Nero even sidesteps a one-dimensional enemy, with a motivation of revenge on his belt. This is clearly Star Trek for the new generation.



VERDICT:

Not the Star Trek you would expect, but only much better. This blockbuster-snapper is quite impressive: thrilling and satisfying. It’s an adrenaline-pumped space actioner without being daft or emotionally comatose.



RATING: A-