Review of film: “STAR TREK” – Boldly goes where no earlier Sequel has gone before!

Review of film:   “STAR TREK”  – Boldly goes where no earlier Sequel has gone before!  = 

 

 

        Rating: 9 of 10 stars (as seen in the IMAX version).  

 

 

Date Rated: May 13, 2009 | Rel. Date: May 7, 2009 

        

The year 2009 marks 30 years since the release of the first of the 11 different “STAR TREK” feature movies...


...  The franchise was once so popular that people in the U.S. could watch 3 different "STAR TREK" TV series being broadcast in a given week...


...  But, it's been 4 years since the last of the "Star Trek" Series ended on TV, & 7 years since the last of the feature Movies came out…




…  While the original TV show goes back to 1966, this new movie PREQUEL-izes the situation by wonderfully detailing the history of the main characters BEFORE we first met them on TV: 


...  You'll met flippant James T. Kirk (CHRIS PINE); ever-logical Spock (ZACHARY QUINTO, & a reprise by the original, LEONARD NIMOY)…




…  There’s also:  complainer Doc Leonard “Bones” McCoy (KARL URBAN); sexy Communication expert Nyote Uhura (ZOE SALDANA); helmsman Hikaru Sulu (JOHN CHO); young navigator Pavel Chekov (ANTON YELCHIN); engineering wizard Scotty (SIMON PUGH)...

...   You’ll also meet some new characters, including rebel Romulan “Nero” (ERIC BANA)…

…  The movie also introduces us to the U.S.S. Enterprise’s original Captain, Christopher Pike (BRUCE GREENWOOD), Spock’s human mother Amanda Grayson (WINONA RYDER) & Vulcan father Sarek (BEN CROSS), Jim Kirk’s dad George (CHRIS HEMSWORTH) & his mom Winona (JENNIFER MORRISON), plus numerous others… 

...  At the very end of the film, there is a special honor, stating that the film is done in special Memory of the series creator, GENE RODDENBERRY, & his wife MAJEL BARRETT (who played memorable characters in essentially all the various live-action "STAR TREK" TV series)....

…  There’s humor, great special effects & action, & fine CASTING & ACTING in a satisfying INTRODUCTION to a bunch of old friends (& enemies)...

...  A filmmaker (editor) friend of mine named Rex commented to me that he’d seen this film before I did & quite ENJOYED the new pre-quel overall, especially the sets, design & special effects & action...  He was NOT particularly impressed by its handling of the various relationships...

...  When I saw the film, I felt that, while I personally would have liked to see MORE about the personal connections between the various main characters, given that the film was already more than 2 hours long, it probably wasn’t feasible to include much more than they did of that aspect (lest the film be far longer)… 

...  I would enjoy seeing an elaboration on the relationships in FUTURE episodes, though…

 …  In other words, considering the limitations, I felt the film did a quite GOOD, SATISFYING job giving the “HISTORY” of the main characters, showing how they met & “linking” them together...

...  I think the filmmakers did what “Prime” Spock urges one of the younger characters to do --  namely, “what feels RIGHT!”…



[ ...  UPDATE from Sept. 28, 2011:  It's just been announced that this 2009 movie will re RE-RELEASED in certain U.S. IMAX theaters for 1 week starting on September 30, 2011... 

[ ...  Also, I'm working on a SERIES of "STAR TREK"-related reports, centered on the 45th ANNIVERSARY of the franchise...

[ ...  You'll soon be able to read about the HISTORY of the motion pictures & TV series, about a  CONVENTION for the Anniversary, etc... ]

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