Wiz HIGHLY RECOMMENDS Star Trek (2009)
The reboot of Star Trek was my first experience with the franchise. Not sure exactly what brought me to give it a chance, but I ended up liking the film for it's good action, characters and charm. Nothing special but definitely good.
After watching the films based on The Original Series and The Next Generation, I was actually surprised how much more I liked it from my first viewing.
Firstly, it's actually incredibly impressive how right the casting was for this movie. Every character, from Kirk and Spock to Chekov and Scotty, has the right look and person portraying the character with the right twist to differentiate itself from the original cast.
What also was done incredibly well was the differences in character development.
Kirk's arc is pretty typical: rebel who is ignored and held back until he proves himself worthy of his station. Bones plays the sidekick but he's much more sarcastic and negative.
But the portrayal of Spock by Zachary Quinto was incredibly well done.
Leonard Nimoy in the movies seemed to not struggle so much with his human side: he almost seemed inflapable.
But the way young Spock is written, as well as portrayed by Quinto, shows the actual struggle of being half Vulcan and Human, leading to very interesting developments in his character and making him feel much more identifiable.
And what also works very well is Nimoy as Ambassador Spock. To have Nimoy as old Spock would be a shaky move, but they do one thing with his character that's a great move: make him more expressive.
It sounds odd, but having Nimoy as Spock smile expressively (with his teeth, mind you!) is actually a great sign of character growth that makes his Spock seem more interesting.
This film also uses the formula of the best Star Trek films: a great mix of humor, action and drama spread incredibly well. All of the characters have their moments of comedy and drama which makes attaching yourself to them even easier.
Finally, the visuals and special effects are excellent. The action in the movie, whether it's hand-to-hand or ship combat, is exciting and fun.
Whether it's the landscapes of planets or ships, locations look great as the film is moving forward...
...except for the actual Enterprise. I'm not sure why this decision was made, but why is the Enterprise so damn bright? The bridge itself looks devoid of character which was something that even Next Generation had.
And my God the lens flares. Why are there so many damn lens flares? Or overly bright scenes where the whiteness obscures the scene?
But man, a second viewing of Star Trek after experiencing the older movies made me realize how much the remake did right.
From characters to action, Star Trek is a great time but when you have the memory and knowledge from previous movies, it's an absolute treat.
This is, quite possibly, one of the best reboots of a franchise.
