Directed by: J.J. Abrams (1)
Written by: Roberto Orci and Alex
Kurtzman (2)
Cast: Chris Pine (3), Zachary Quinto
(4), Karl Urban (5), Zoë Saldana (6), Simon Pegg (7), John Cho (8),
Anton Yelchin (9), Eric Bana (10), Chris Hemsworth (11)
My Favourite Quote: "Spock,
you are fully capable of deciding your own destiny. The question you face is -
which path will you choose. This is something only you can decide."
Did You Know? - The man who played
George Kirk, James T Kirk's father, Chris Hemsworth, also played Thor in the
film of the same name and in The Avengers (2012). The mother of James T
Kirk is played by Jennifer Morrison, who currently plays Snow White's daughter
in the television series Once Upon A Time.
Fate and destiny. I love the concept
of 'what if'. Unfortunately, at present, we cannot prove or disprove that such
a thing as destiny or fate exists. However, we humans love to speculate about
it.
Time travel is not a new concept.
However, I greatly appreciate the creative and smarts of the producers and
writers who have used this concept well in this film. Destiny, to believe that
no matter what you choose to do, even if the journey is different, the end
point remains the same. What is your stand on this matter? I think that while
we may choose paths that steer us from heading towards our destined end path,
we will still end up there. As they say, all paths lead to Rome. Though while I
believe this, I also like to hope that we are the masters of our own destiny.
Besides having a great interest in
the concept of fate and destiny, I realise now that what I enjoy most about the
television series I follow is the development of its characters. Star Trek
has given us many great characters to love. I like to understand the history of
how things came to be. And this film really is about two men and their
connected destiny. I think at the heart of it, Star Trek is a
'bromance'. The story of how two men first became friends. Trekkers know of the
brotherly bond and close friendship between Kirk and Spock, but none of the
previous films or series ever focused on how they came to be friends.
There are plenty of things I love
about JJ Abrams' Star Trek. When I first watched the film, I was
expecting plenty of heart pumping action and awesome graphics. What I didn't expect
when I first watched the film in the cinemas, was to throughly enjoy the humour
littered throughout the film. The witty exchange between various actors made me
laugh out loud, even now after watching it countless times. The film has a lot
of heart on top of being a great action film.
The casting of these beloved
characters was also spot on. Chris Pine's James T Kirk was a good combination
of charm and confidence. I believe that we are shaped by the things that happen
in our lives. And I could see the growth of the character of Kirk and Chris
Pine's delivery of that growth was subtle but spot on. I have already seen
how great an actor Zachary Quinto is from his performance in the television
series Heroes. So his wonderful turn as Spock was no surprise to me.
Although the story revolved around
Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto's characters, Star Trek has always been a
story about the entire crew of the Enterpirse. The remaining actors featured in
the film all played a big part in making this Star Trek a great film. I
especially liked Simon Pegg and Karl Urban's great comedic timing in the film.
Some of the best lines of the film were delivered by these two
actors.
To be honest, there are so many
underlying messages in the film that I feel overwhelmed to have to put it all
into this one review. One day when I watch the film again, and if something
else struck a chord with me, I would add on to the review. But for
now, all that's left is to wait patiently for the sequel to be released.
2013, please come sooner.
(1) Director J.J. Abrams has directed films like Mission: Impossible III (2006) and Super 8
(2011)
(2) Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman has
written films like The Island (2005), The Legend Of Zorro (2005), Mission:
Impossible III (2006), Transformers (2007), Watchmen (2009), and Transformers:
Revenge Of The Fallen (2009)
(3) Chris Pine has acted in films
like The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004), Just My Luck (2006),
Blind Dating (2006), Smokin' Aces (2006), Unstoppable (2006), This Means War
(2012), and Magic Mike (2012)
(4) Zachary Quinto is well known
for the role Syler/Gabriel Gray in the television series Heroes. He also acted
in the film What's Your Number? (2011)
(5) Karl Urban has acted in
films like The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers (2002), The Lord Of The
Rings: Return Of The King (2003), The Bourne Supremacy (2004),
Dredd (2012), and The Loft (2012). He also acted in the series Xena: Warrior
Princess
(6) Zoë Saldana has acted in films like Center Stage (2000), Get Over
It (2001), Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl (2003),
The Terminal (2004), Avatar (2009), The Losers (2010), Death At A Funeral
(2010), Colombiana (2011)
(7) Simon Pegg has acted in films like Shaun Of The Dead (2004), Mission: Impossible III (2006), How To Lose
Friends And Alienate People (2008), The Adventures of Tintin (2011), and
Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011)
(8) John Cho has acted in films
like American Pie (1999), American
Pie 2 (2001), Evolution (2001), Down To Earth (2001), Big Fat Liar (2002),
American Wedding (2003), In Good Company (2004), Harold & Kumar Go To White
Castle (2004), Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay (2008), A
Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas (2011), American Reunion
(2012) and Total Recall (2012)
(9) Anton Yelchin has acted
in films like Along Came A Spider (2001), Hearts In Atlantis (2001), Charlie
Bartlett (2007), New York, I Love You (2009), Terminator Salvation (2009),
Memoirs Of A Teenage Amnesiac (2010), Like Crazy (2011), and
Fright Night (2011). He also voiced Clumsy Smurf in the film The Smurfs
(2011)
(10) Eric Bana has acted in
films like Black Hawk Down (2001), Hulk (2003), Troy (2004), Munich (2005), Lucky You (2007), The Other
Boleyn Girl (2008), The Time Traveller's Wife (2009), Funny People (2009),
and Hanna (2011)
(11) Chris Hemsworth
has acted in films like Thor (2011), The Avengers (2012), Snow White And The Huntsman (2012), Red Dawn (2012), and Thor 2 (2013)
The Eclectic Reviewer thinks… JJ
Abrams' Star Trek strikes a wonderful balance of action, comedy, and
drama. And it does so while managing to thrill non-Trekkers, as well as to
please those who hold dear to their hearts creator Gene Roddenberry's Trek.
There are some seemingly unnecessary lines in the dialogue that I feel would
have been best left unsaid and would have been better if relied on the actor's
performances. However, those lines are few and do no permanent damage to the
overall enjoyment of the film. Now I only hope for the sequel to match its
near-perfection or surpass it. (4.8 of 5)
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