Star Trek

Yo Yo.
I saw "Star Trek" yesterday in IMAX. It was sickzilla. SOO GOOOD! Beyond So Good. AHH I can't wait to watch it again. This officially knocks "Cloverfield" from my top JJ Abrams movie, (ok, i'm sorry, that's a lie. I love "Cloverfield"). Where do I start? First of all, seeing it in IMAX was a great decision. It looked so crisp and clear, not too mention way bigger than a standard screen. The effects were great the whole picture through. There was one shot where some ships didn't really feel like they fit in, but I think that had to with the IMAX blowing it up. Otherwise great computer work. The soundtrack was perfect, it blended action and comedy just right. Photography was typical Abrams, which I love. Technically a very sound film. Now we get to the acting. I knew I was gonna love the cast as soon as I heard it announced. Chris Pine as Kirk, Zachary Quinto as Spock, Karl Urban as McCoy, Anton Yelchin as Checov, Zoe Saldana as Uhura, John Cho as Sulu, and Simon Pegg as Scotty. OK, the standouts for me had to be Quinto playing a perfect Spock, Simon Pegg doing a hilarious Scotty that was reminiscent of the OG but not a straight copy, and My Love Karl Urban as McCoy. Even I was impressed by his acting chops in this, it truly captured the comedic dead pan Deforest Kelley had in the original. Urban's performance, completely unbiased, was the best of the film. Zoe Saldana's Uhura and John Cho's Sulu are a bit different from their 1960's counterparts, she is a bit more sensual and he is a little more badass, but it works for me. Anton Yelchin is another actor I admire, he doesn't really get too much storyline to shine in, but he does great with what he does have. His Checov is a bit of a blend of old and new. Where he doesn't necessarily look like Checov, he does sound exactly like him, rockin' a harsh Russian accent and changing all his V's to W's. He also shares that same youthful enthusiasm and wonder of the original character, so I liked it. In fact, the only performance that left me a little empty was Chris Pine as Kirk. I mean he was great; Cocky, Arrogant, and somewhat relatable. I actually think it was the writing that did the character any injustice. I read an article where Abrams said his goal to make you understand why Kirk is the way he is, I just don't think he completely achieved that in this film. That aside, the best part of this film was that it retained the wit and comedy of the Original series. The trio of Kirk, Spock, and Bones play off each other so well. I laughed so hard sometimes in the theater that I would catch myself clapping, and I wasn't the only one. Those were in fact my favorite moments in the film. When we saw the characters play off each other's differences. Granted, some of the classic lines seemed a little forced, like they were stuck into scenes. But still really good. Ok, so now for the bad guys. Romulans played by Eric Bana. On paper, great idea. Romulans haven't been featured baddies for a while now. So it is nice to see them as opposed to Klingons. Eric Bana as the head baddie Nero actually gets little face time. His performance seemed a bit average, as did all the other Romulans. BUT since you don't really see that much of them, you just rely on your knowledge that they are not good dudes and you are set. Trust me, this sounds negative, but the movie honestly is so good. Anyways, there are several OG series references, several "Wrath of Khan" references, so Trekkies can rejoice. The storyline itself is definitely the weakest part, which has plagued many of the ST films. So Thumbs Up to the Writing, Thumbs Down to the Propostorous Story. If you like Comedic Science Fiction-y Action then you'll be satiated. Fans of Films like "Starship Troopers", the newer "Star Wars" films (1-3) , or obviously the "Star Trek" franchise, or fans of Simon Pegg's old TV show "Spaced" will be into this.