‘Star Trek’

Director J.J. Abrams, of TV’s ‘Lost’, fame, takes us back to the early days of James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) as he embarks on his journey to become the captain of the USS Enterprise.

By it’s very nature, the plot must entail the re-introduction of all the main characters from the Star Trek crew, and each one is present and correct, albeit in much younger and, dare I say, trendier form: Spock (Zachary Quinto), Scotty (Simon Pegg) and Sulu (John Cho) all take their rightful places aboard the Enterprise and we watch them eventually band together through mutual respect to combat a common enemy.

The script sets up Nero (Eric Bana) as the villain of the piece. He plays a slightly over-the-top time-traveller, attempting to spark off an intergalactic war as revenge for the destruction of his own planet.

As with the other sci-fi opera ‘Star Wars’, you either have to suspend disbelief for this type of material or you’d better avoid it at all costs.

But don’t dismiss Star Trek on those merits, you would be missing out on great entertainment. Sure, there are still references to the more obscure elements of the back catalogue of ‘Star Trek’ movies and TV shows, but the key thing is, you probably won’t even notice them, such is the achievement of the screenwriters in making the movie as accessible to as wide an audience as possible.

Above all else, ‘Star Trek’ is fun. Case in point: In one scene, we see Kirk with giant balloon hands, (sounds less funny on paper) or Scotty accidentally beamed inside a water pipe in another.

The film is tailored to the general populace, rather than the jaded ‘Star Trek’ obsessive.

The script works best in these lighter moments such as the amusing exchanges between Kirk and ‘Bones’ McCoy (a scene-stealing Karl Urban).

Occasionally however, the script can’t resist some nostalgic nods to past incarnations, most notably, the original TV series. Quinto’s Spock gets more than most, but to discuss that in any great detail here would spoil a genuinely pleasant surprise mid-movie.

Director Abrams knows how to put an action scene together and how to wrench as much tension as possible from a particular set-piece, as shown on ‘Lost’ and ‘Mission Impossible 3’, and here pulls every such scene off with style and genuine excitement.

His subtle nods to the show’s sixties glory days mostly come across through costume and music, not daring to veer too far off course from the classic look and sound.

A standout breakthrough performance from Pine as Kirk, the aforementioned surprise element (including an ingenious plot device that grants the filmmakers greater freedom for the inevitable sequels), and the sheer spectacle, and surprisingly hilarious script, make Star Trek highly recommended viewing.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5