Star Trek

Urban: A great Sci-Fi that will please the general moviegoer as well as the trekkie
Lucas: Good homage to a great franchise, and a great action movie on its own

URBAN:
J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek will be well received by the general public. It contains a fairly straightforward story line and several of the characters have charisma. The film also contains several allusions, both visual and thematic, which refer to several of the past films in this franchise. These themes work to place the film firmly within the culture of Science Fiction, and also within the fold of the summer blockbuster.

While nothing in this story is overwhelmingly good, it really doesn’t have any weaknesses either. From the very beginning, the film doesn’t aspire to the greatest of heights. Opening with the back-story of related familial characters isn’t grand, groundbreaking, or garish. It simply is a formal way of opening a tale of epic leadership. The next time we see Kirk he is driving a stolen 60’s Corvette off a cliff in Iowa (I guess in the future the Des Moines Fault Line becomes worse than the San Andreas). Then he is in a bar fight. We don’t expect anything less. After all, his dad was heroic.

LUCAS:
The opening is well-done, but it tries to draw too much of an emotional response from too little character development. It's a product of having too little time to work with; the film is two and a half hours already. That aside, the effects are spectacular. The camera work in space take a cue from Battlestar Galactica and give a scale to the ships that wasn't really done in any previous Trek. They wanted to open with grand spectacle, and they certainly achieved it.

URBAN:
I guess that what I am trying to say here is that the plot is formulaic. Not bad, but formulaic. The primary thing that saves the film from veering into the tired, is that the hero, Captain Kirk, gets his butt kicked in every fight that he gets into. I think that this is a welcome sight for most, used to seeing fights like last week’s Wolverine, and this spring’s The Watchmen, where the heroes are obligated to dispatch scores of cronies in at least one 30 second fight scene, usually in a hallway or in front of a gate. In this film, on only one occasion is a character that resorts to successful violence rewarded for his/her actions. Instead, this film stays close to its source material and also appears to be innovative by forcing its main characters to achieve victory by intuition, intelligence, and investigation.

LUCAS:
Yes, when it finally comes down to the meat of the movie's conflict, the true Star Trek spirit really shines. The Enterprise wins the day because Kirk thinks one step ahead of his enemy, and does something so ballsy it shouldn't work, but it does. Vintage Star Trek. The comic relief moments throughout the film are mostly well done, though certain things, such as Scotty's little friend, or Scotty getting transported into water tube, seemed pointless.

One of the most important aspects of the Star Trek universe, for Gene Roddenberry, was the lack of interpersonal conflict between members of Star Fleet. When Deep Space 9 introduced a major, recurring race who were not enemies, but who were not part of Star Fleet, it was a radical departure. Suddenly, there were principal characters arguing with each other and yelling at each other. Here, the film-makers delve into this idea farther. Is Star Fleet really as perfect as the Original Series and the Next Generation made it seem? Or are there cracks and flaws, like there were in DS9? Spock and Kirk are at odds for most of the film. It is Kirk's reckless nature, explained by having been raised without a father, that sets off this conflict. When he does start a fight, everyone, even Bones, his closest friend, stand against him, and for the perfect order of Star Fleet. Kirk turns out to be right, but he has to work within the confines of a Star Fleet regulation to actually prove it, and act on it. So, perfection... with a twist.

URBAN:
The film also wins with fans of the franchise by staying close to other Star Trek themes both thematically and visually. First, the characters, while none appear to be outright copies, all have a certain likeness to the characters of the same name in the original. The cast has a good chemistry (with the possible exception of Zoe Saldana as Nyota Uhura) and do a great job of playing into their roles,,,, and the humor which naturally accompanies these types. I was especially interested to see some striking visual similarities. The scenes where Nero lets the bug loose on Captain Pike was eerily similar to the scene in Wrath of Khan where Khan lets the bugs loose on Chekov and Terrell. There was also a scene where Spock and his lover stop the elevator to talk which compared favorably with another scene from that film where Captain Kirk and another Vulcan stop the elevator.

LUCAS:
The casting choices are mostly dead on. Much ink was spilled over how little Chris Pine studied Shatner's Kirk, and it was the right choice. An impersonation can't bring a character to life... for proof, look at one of the few weak choices, Anton Yelchin playing Chekov. Maybe it's a weakness of the original character, that so much of his identity came from his accent, but Yelchin's Chekov comes off as forced. Karl Urban's McCoy is dead on, and probably the best (or at least, my favorite) re-invented character. Zachary Quinto... well, he really was born to play the role.

The film's situational references to its cinematic ancestors are tastefully done. They come think and fast, but are not obtrusive, and are supported in the context of the movie. The red-shirt dying, the Ceti eel-like creature, and the elevator stop (which I didn't catch on my own, nice one Jay) are all scenes that will make fans smile and nod.

URBAN:
The final comparison with other films from the series that I found compelling was the issue of time travel and other bodies. Just like in Generations, where Captain Kirk appears to be living out a passive existence on an acreage, the parts of this film where Spock is living on the frigid planet fit well thematically. Instead of only having him appear to Kirk, which would have been odd, the viewer is allowed to see that the OS (original Spock) is alive and well as a type of advisor, kind of like Ben Kenobi after his battle with Darth Vader.

LUCAS:
Time travel is done again and again, but it is an issue you have to deal with at the very outset, both as a viewer and as a movie-maker. The viewer has to understand and accept that time travel is being used. If you can't give the movie that much, there is no point in even seeing it. The movie-maker has to introduce the time travel early and clearly, or it runs the risk of becoming a deus ex machina. Fortunately, the opening scene makes it quite clear that time travel is a central part of the movie. They weave it into the story very well, and use it to set up the alternate time line, and a re-boot of the entire franchise. As a viewer, if you can swallow this, the movie works very well.

URBAN:
Even though my discussions of the film seem to reference many of the other things in the series, this film really could stand alone. Eric Bana makes a good nemesis, even if the reason for his evil plot seems a bit stretched. The action is intriguing and the story not only catches your attention to explain its conclusion, but it also serves as a good introduction to the characters, or to provide compelling back-story for those who are already fans.

Urban: Recommended
Lucas: Recommended