See It or Skip It: Star Trek

Do you want to know what’s totally frickin’ awesome?

The new Star Trek movie is totally frickin’ awesome.

From the moment the film, the eleventh in the franchise’s history, begins, it is relentlessly, absurdly, unyieldingly awesome.

Walking in, our fandom skewed more toward J.J. Abrams and his Felicity-Lost legacy than the Trekkie world, but from the moment those familiar starships, at the film’s beginning the USS Kelvin, not the USS Enterprise, dip into sight, a sudden, unexpected glee rushed over us.

Abrams has said repeatedly, this is not a Trek film for Trekkies. He himself was not a major fan of the series when he embarked on the project.

Rather, this is a film that can make a Trekkie out of anyone.

The film begins on the USS Kelvin as it falls under attack by a Romulan megaship overseen by Eric Bana and Clifton Collins Jr. Taking the helm in a brief, shining moment of heroism is Captain Kirk. But not that Captain Kirk. George Samuel Kirk, James’ father. There is no James yet. Following the recent trend in Hollywood, Star Trek is an origin story. Have you ever wondered, “Where did Spock and Kirk come from?” This film shows you.

The audience is privy to everything, from the moment of James’ birth and naming, which kicks the film into a surprisingly emotional realm, to the grade school bullying incurred by Spock. And, no, they’re not making fun of his pointy ears. 

Abrams is able to open up the Trek experience and seduce the audience in for indoctrination while making a film which is visually stunning, seeming to combine the most impressive images ever collected by the Hubble Telescope with the best effects CGI has ever been able to produce and make the results intensely visceral.

Co-writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, who also scribed Mission Impossible III and Transformers, deliver a script with non-stop action, unexpected depth, emotionality and real levity, while delivering a few classic throwbacks that no Star Trek experience should be without. We let out a whoop when Scotty, played by Simon Pegg, finally shouts, “I’m givin’ her all she’s got, Captain!” Anton Yelchin, paying homage to his Russian roots, is consistently delightful as heavily-accented Chekov, John Cho is an excellent Sulu, Zoe Saldana’s Uhura is savvy and seductive and Karl Urban seems to be channeling DeForest Kelley in the most brilliant way as Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy.

But we all know the film lives and dies with Captain Kirk and Spock.

And Star Trek soars because of the performances of Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto.

Pine’s smooth-talking, womanizing Kirk has a cocky swagger that would make even Shatner proud. We didn’t think it was possible to out-Kirk Shatner, but Pine did it, tackling a role that was made iconic fourteen years before he was even born and reclaiming it as his own.

Meanwhile, Quinto is not only given the task of recreating one of the most enduring characters in pop culture, he has to go toe-to-toe with Nimoy himself. Those scenes are some of the most fascinating to watch as the old and new guard meet and meld, giving audiences a thrill and devout Trekkies permission to adore this film as much as it deserves to be.

Don’t worry, fans, you’re not cheating on the original series by embracing this one.

Exhilarating, evocative, enthralling and aesthetically mesmerizing, Abrams has done more than continued a franchise; he has created an exceptional film, action, sci-f- or otherwise, and, perhaps, birthed a new generation of phaser-loving, pointy-ear wearing, live-long-and-prosper-ing megafans.

See it. Love it.

—Sasha Perl-Raver