STAR TREK: THE FUTURE BEGINS…
June 8th 2009 23:36
Category: Movies
“Hmmm hard to see the future is, always in motion…”
Master Yoda
Director: J J Abrams
Writers: Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman
Producers: J J Abrams & Damon Lindelof
Starring: Chris Pine (James T Kirk), Eric Bana (Nero), Simon Pegg (Scotty), Karl Urban (Bones), John Cho (Sulu), Anton Yelchin (Chekov), Zachary Quinto (Spock), Leonard Nimoy (Spock Prime) & Zoe Saldana (Uhura)
Produced by: Paramount Pictures in assoc with Spyglass Entertainment & Bad Robot
Released by: Paramount Pictures
Running Time: 125 minutes Rating: M
A while back I recall doing a review of Cloverfield, the movie directed and produced by JJ Abrams the visionary director of Lost amongst many other things. In that review I can recall saying that he should not be allowed anywhere near anything to do with science fiction again. So when I found out that he was the guy behind the current production of Star Trek I found myself already wondering what it was going to be like, was it going to be as bad as I felt Cloverfield was? Granted early on in the year I also recall saying that I felt that doing another Star Trek was a bad thing, after the dismal disappointment that was Star Trek X. After all it felt like there was distinct possibility the producers were going to be flogging a horse that frankly should be well and truly buried.
Imagine my surprise whence upon making my way to the local cinema, paying my money for tickets and securing myself a cosy spot in said cinema when the introduction rolled and the story unfolded I found myself really enjoying this movie. It made me wonder if my remark about Mr Abrams and Sci Fi were unfounded? Certainly I’ve no problem being proven wrong and Star Trek: The Future Begins seemed over the course of one hundred and twenty five minutes certainly showed that that could be the case.
Thing go way way back to the start. Forget about Next Generation, Voyager or even Deep Space Nine this goes right back to the days when the United Federation of Planets is still very much the new player on the block so to speak and James T Kirk is moments away from being born. His parents are both serving aboard the USS Kelvin which has suddenly on a mission had an encounter of a most unusual kind. A lighting storm in the deeps of space suddenly reveals a massive vessel of as yet unknown origin. It turns out that the vessel is Romulan in origin and it is most definitely hostile in a seriously violent way. Known as the Nerada this is not your stock standard Romulan warbird with cloaking shields and various other sneaky type technology. No the Nerada is a completely different kettle of fish, in fact its appearance makes it look like a carnivorous plant that has overdosed on growth hormones as well as blood and bone, in particular those of its enemies.
This intruder makes short work of both the USS Kelvin and its two captains, one whom dies directly at the hands of the Romulan vessels commander the other, George Kirk, Jim’s father, who became the acting captain at the death of his predecessor dies attempting to by time for his crew and more importantly his wife to get to safety. This one event alters the very course of reality, lives are inextricably altered and the story as we know it, the Star Trek that was so familiar to so many of us becomes something else. Like a stone being tossed into the still waters of a billabong the ripples move outwards and there very existence changes and diverts things.
One thing that remains constant though is the fact that James T Kirk is still very much a ladies man, or some would say a mans man. He enjoys a drink, enjoys female company and lives life to the hilt, regardless of what may be happening to him at any given moment in time. He also seems to be a big fan of the Beastie Boys which one finds unusual for someone living in Iowa, several hundred years from now. A prodigy, he is told by an old friend of his father, Captain Pike, that he could be an officer in four years and commanding his own vessel in eight. Kirk reckons it’ll only take three years for him to get an officers commission and doesn’t even mention how long it’ll take for him to become a captain. But whilst he rises through the ranks and exams at Starfleet Academy the Nerada is still out there roaming the deeps of space intent on its seemingly fathomless purpose.
Of course the commander of this vessel, Nero (ably played by Eric Bana), has a purpose, it’s just that his enemies and would be enemies have not quite grasped the magnitude of it. And it is a plan that has truly cataclysmic consequences for all concerned. It’s interesting to note that Nero is not some super soldier of the Romulan Empire, nor a blood crazed warlord or even a truly deranged scientist with an urge to cut loose with some super weapon. In fact he and his crew were originally miners and the Nerada a mining vessel, unfortunately that all changes when Nero and his comrades witness the destruction of their homeworld Romulus and the elimination of their entire people in the blink of an eye. Naturally Nero is keen to exact some righteous revenge and he is keen to do just that after he takes prisoner the one man who could have prevented the destruction of his home; Spock.
This film has all the action that seemed to be lacking in previous incarnations of the franchise, coupled with a tight story, great acting and pathos from the fate of the Romulan miners and their desire to protect there world from suffering the fate that happened in their future to that of the younger Spock who though seemingly confident is still conflicted by his dual nature and becomes even more distraught by certain events that occur in the course of the film’s drama. No doubt there are plans in the pipe line for a sequel, and frankly if they keep the same cast and have a tight taught story then the future is not only beginning it looks very bright indeed. But as a wise green Jedi master said…well it’s at the very start of this review. Time will tell if any future Star Trek movies will live up to the standard that has been set by this particular incarnation.
Master Yoda
Director: J J Abrams
Writers: Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman
Producers: J J Abrams & Damon Lindelof
Starring: Chris Pine (James T Kirk), Eric Bana (Nero), Simon Pegg (Scotty), Karl Urban (Bones), John Cho (Sulu), Anton Yelchin (Chekov), Zachary Quinto (Spock), Leonard Nimoy (Spock Prime) & Zoe Saldana (Uhura)
Produced by: Paramount Pictures in assoc with Spyglass Entertainment & Bad Robot
Released by: Paramount Pictures
Running Time: 125 minutes Rating: M
A while back I recall doing a review of Cloverfield, the movie directed and produced by JJ Abrams the visionary director of Lost amongst many other things. In that review I can recall saying that he should not be allowed anywhere near anything to do with science fiction again. So when I found out that he was the guy behind the current production of Star Trek I found myself already wondering what it was going to be like, was it going to be as bad as I felt Cloverfield was? Granted early on in the year I also recall saying that I felt that doing another Star Trek was a bad thing, after the dismal disappointment that was Star Trek X. After all it felt like there was distinct possibility the producers were going to be flogging a horse that frankly should be well and truly buried.
This intruder makes short work of both the USS Kelvin and its two captains, one whom dies directly at the hands of the Romulan vessels commander the other, George Kirk, Jim’s father, who became the acting captain at the death of his predecessor dies attempting to by time for his crew and more importantly his wife to get to safety. This one event alters the very course of reality, lives are inextricably altered and the story as we know it, the Star Trek that was so familiar to so many of us becomes something else. Like a stone being tossed into the still waters of a billabong the ripples move outwards and there very existence changes and diverts things.
One thing that remains constant though is the fact that James T Kirk is still very much a ladies man, or some would say a mans man. He enjoys a drink, enjoys female company and lives life to the hilt, regardless of what may be happening to him at any given moment in time. He also seems to be a big fan of the Beastie Boys which one finds unusual for someone living in Iowa, several hundred years from now. A prodigy, he is told by an old friend of his father, Captain Pike, that he could be an officer in four years and commanding his own vessel in eight. Kirk reckons it’ll only take three years for him to get an officers commission and doesn’t even mention how long it’ll take for him to become a captain. But whilst he rises through the ranks and exams at Starfleet Academy the Nerada is still out there roaming the deeps of space intent on its seemingly fathomless purpose.
Of course the commander of this vessel, Nero (ably played by Eric Bana), has a purpose, it’s just that his enemies and would be enemies have not quite grasped the magnitude of it. And it is a plan that has truly cataclysmic consequences for all concerned. It’s interesting to note that Nero is not some super soldier of the Romulan Empire, nor a blood crazed warlord or even a truly deranged scientist with an urge to cut loose with some super weapon. In fact he and his crew were originally miners and the Nerada a mining vessel, unfortunately that all changes when Nero and his comrades witness the destruction of their homeworld Romulus and the elimination of their entire people in the blink of an eye. Naturally Nero is keen to exact some righteous revenge and he is keen to do just that after he takes prisoner the one man who could have prevented the destruction of his home; Spock.
This film has all the action that seemed to be lacking in previous incarnations of the franchise, coupled with a tight story, great acting and pathos from the fate of the Romulan miners and their desire to protect there world from suffering the fate that happened in their future to that of the younger Spock who though seemingly confident is still conflicted by his dual nature and becomes even more distraught by certain events that occur in the course of the film’s drama. No doubt there are plans in the pipe line for a sequel, and frankly if they keep the same cast and have a tight taught story then the future is not only beginning it looks very bright indeed. But as a wise green Jedi master said…well it’s at the very start of this review. Time will tell if any future Star Trek movies will live up to the standard that has been set by this particular incarnation.
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