This weekend, two of my all-time favorite televisions shows are united on the big screen. LOST creator J. J. Abrams helmed the 2009 theatrical reboot of Star Trek, perhaps my most anticipated film of the year, bringing with him fellow LOST
head honchos Damon Lindelof and Bryan Burk, along with composer Michael
Giacchino and Greg Grunberg, whose part in the film, while even tinier
than his brief turn as the doomed pilot of Oceanic 815, is certainly
memorable, though you'll probably have to consult the credits to figure
out who he is. I watched Star Trek regularly with my family when I
was growing up, and Spock was one of the first fictional characters I
came to adore whole-heartedly. No matter who was involved in this movie,
I would have been standing in line on opening night, but the LOST connections sweetened the deal.
From the time I first heard about this new Star Trek,
I was pleased by all the attention being lavished upon Spock but
slightly nervous about the casting, since Zachary Quinto also plays
Sylar, who sadistically sliced open many an unsuspecting head on Heroes
before I gave up on the series. I imagine the reason for Quinto getting
so much of the spotlight is two-fold: in full regalia (including, of
course, the pointy ears), he bears an extraordinary resemblance to the
original Spock, and the logical half-Vulcan - the only holdover from the
show's first pilot - really is the glue that holds Star Trek
together. The more I saw of Quinto's Spock in magazines and late-night
interviews, the more I embraced him as Leonard Nimoy's successor, so
that by the time my latest issue of Entertainment Weekly arrived
with a cover bearing a crystal-clear headshot of New Spock, I could gaze
at it enthralled and not be remotely reminded of the hated Heroes villain.
Still, looking the part and acting it are two different things, so I
reserved total acceptance until the movie, in which Spock is every bit
as central a character as I'd hoped. Quinto's Spock has slightly less
control over his emotions than Nimoy's; for the most part, he is the
same calmly detached officer, a cool voice of reason rising above the
flaring tempers among his crewmates. But there is conflict within him,
and never are his human emotions so strongly roused as in matters
concerning his mother. The tender relationship the film presents feels
like one of many throwbacks to Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.
Spock, it transpires, is a bit of a mama's boy, but that doesn't stop
him from being one of the most brilliant minds Starfleet has ever known.
Quinto conveys each subtle inflection of his genius
masterfully while keeping us aware that Spock's feelings are submerged
rather than nonexistent. Speaking in a gentle but authoritative tone, he
is polite and precise and, when the occasion calls for it, droll. And
thankfully, writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman give him plenty of
compelling material, not to mention opportunities to whip out many Spock
trademarks, including the Vulcan salute, nerve pinch and mind meld and
the acknowledgement that something is "fascinating".
Spock
also lifts quotes from specific moments in the series and subsequent
movies, my favorite of which is the touching "I have been, and always
shall be, your friend." This line is uttered not by Quinto but by Nimoy,
whose appearance midway through the film is the audacious anchor upon
which the plot rests, allowing Abrams wide creative license as he
proceeds with the series. The movie is loaded with references meant to
appease long-time fans, but Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
offers especially integral inspiration for the plot, from the
revenge-driven crusade of tattooed Romulan Nero (Eric Bana) to the
unpleasant interrogation method he uses. The nod that excited me the
most involves a cocky young James Kirk (Chris Pine) taking a casual bite
out of an apple as he takes the Academy's no-win scenario test for the
third time.
The movie is hardly a collection of catch-phrases,
but each of the major seven characters gets some time in the limelight,
and there were cheers in my showing each time the officers uttered a
familiar command or exclamation. Keep an ear out for Kirk saying, "Beam
me up"; communications officer Uhura (Zoe Saldana) opening hailing
frequencies; helmsman Sulu (John Cho) putting the ship into warp speed;
ensign Chekov (Anton Yelchin) talking about "wessels" and "Wulcans";
engineer Scotty (Simon Pegg) bellowing, "I'm givin' it all she's got!"
and Dr. McCoy (Karl Urban) snapping, "I'm a doctor, not a physicist!"
Keep an eye out, meanwhile, for a man of little consequence dressed all
in red and a surprising song credit rewarding longtime fans who stick
around after the movie is over. Even with my eyes peeled, I missed the
cameo of late Last Lecture author Randy Pausch, an avowed
Trekker, early in the film; I'm sure that the next time I watch it, I'll
catch plenty of other Easter eggs too.
Fans should be pleased
with all of these opportunities to prove their prowess, and newcomers
aren't likely to be distracted by them. While they miss the fun of the
in-jokes, they have the advantage of not constantly comparing new with
old and wondering whether these incarnations are betrayals. I have
little issue with the acting in terms of these characterizations. More
eyebrow-raising are some of the details written into these characters'
histories and personalities. The aforementioned critical plot point
explains some of the discrepancies, but there's also an extent to which
these characters are being reinvented.
This is most evident in
the cases of Uhura, Sulu and Chekov, whose personalities were always
less developed than the other four. Saldana, who I first saw as an
unabashed Trekker in The Terminal,
makes sweet Uhura quite a bit feistier, especially in run-ins with
Kirk. I appreciate the emphasis on her smarts but found it annoying that
demure Uhura evidently wasn't good enough the 21st century. However, I
like her much better once she gets on the ship, at which point another
surprising aspect of her character emerges. It gels more with the
tender, compassionate woman Nichelle Nichols played, and mostly I'm okay
with it, though it strikes me as a controversial direction to take. Cho
lacks the vocal gravitas to have me entirely convinced that he's Sulu;
of the main seven, he's the only one whose casting I question. His role
is mostly light, and while he does contribute in important ways on a
couple of occasions (I especially like the way his established fondness
for fencing is integrated), he seems a little greener to me than he
should. Chekov, meanwhile, doesn't seem green enough. In the original
series, I tended to think of him as capable but ultimately little more
than comical eye candy. This time around, he's a Wesley Crusher-esque
wunderkind, just as funny and adorable as always but considerably more
indispensable. Of the three second-tier characters, he is my favorite,
both then and now.
I had doubts about Karl Urban as the
irascible Bones, since I previously knew him as Eomer, who I found just
about the most boring character in Lord of the Rings.
Then again, he didn't make much of an impression on me in the book,
either, so I wasn't sure if that was really the actor's fault. Bones
gets almost as much screen time as Kirk does, particularly toward the
beginning, and thankfully, my worries were unfounded; he absolutely
nails the good doctor's drawl and good-natured crankiness and gets many
of the movie's biggest laughs. Particularly funny, especially
considering classic Kirk's unending aversion to Sickbay, is the sequence
in which he chases Jim around the ship, attempting to administer a
series of unwanted treatments. It feels most appropriate that the film
establishes the two as firm friends long before they serve together on
the Enterprise.
Hot-headed, libidinous Jim Kirk was always my
least favorite of the Enterprise Seven. He may have been brave and
heroic, but his lack of respect for authority and his arrogance always
got on my nerves. Unsurprisingly, the early-twenties version is even
more obnoxious. Like everyone else besides Quinto, Pine bears no
especially striking physical resemblance to his predecessor, but he
captures his mannerisms well. I also have to offer kudos to the writers
and young actors alike on the scenes depicting Kirk and Spock in
childhood. Rabble-rousing Kirk's (Jimmy Bennett) is hilarious,
exhilarating and the first of several action sequences that seem
inspired more by Star Wars than Star Trek.
Contemplative Spock's (Jacob Kogan) stands in stark contrast, though it
also demonstrates the half-Vulcan's struggle to come to terms with his
opposing natures, exemplified by an amusing exchange with some older
students causing my brother to exclaim, "Spock's bullies would get beat
up by the bullies on any other planet in the universe!" Instrumental to
Kirk's development this time around is Captain Christopher Pike (Bruce
Greenwood), whose stern but kind mentorly role I love. Greenwood seems a
little on the old side to be playing this captain who was in command in
the show's original pilot, but the relationship feels believable.
That just leaves Pegg's Scotty, who takes so long to turn up I started
to half-wonder if we were going to see him at all. Our introduction to
him is a comical highlight, and he continues to steal the screen
whenever he pipes up, usually with a cheerful assertion of some sort. I
would speculate that of the seven, Pegg had the most fun; the Scottish
engineer seems positively giddy throughout most of his all-too-brief
appearances. I also like his interaction with one of the movie's few
non-humanoid aliens. Few fans would argue with the statement that in the
battle of Star Trek versus Star Wars, the latter has the
coolest aliens. Abrams and his team seem determined to amend that, or at
least remain open to the idea of a more diverse Federation. My favorite
example of this is the disgruntled creature who finds himself lodged
between Kirk and Uhura in the disastrous bar scene reminiscent of Top Gun in which he meets and puts the moves on her.
Giacchino's stirring score blends neatly with the action most of the
time, with some of the more emotional moments containing hints of music
we've heard on LOST. The special effects are impeccable, aside
from a few moments that seem to be overdoing it just a little. I'm not
too used to Jedi-style sword fights and escape from enormous hostile
creatures on this series. Those new to the franchise at least aren't
likely to complain that the movie lacks action. The movie offers
something to love for viewers at any point along the previous Star Trek experience spectrum; as for me, I'm already looking forward to the sequel.
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