To Boldly Go...

This past Friday I finally got myself to a theater to see the new "Star Trek" movie. I am not a "Trekkie," though my mother is. It's odd I'm not a trekkie as she went into labor with me after watching an episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation." But there are a few movies you know you have to see and this one was one of them.

The creative team has called this movie a "reboot," so it is not necessary to know the franchise in depth. The story follows a young James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) and Spock (Zachary Quinto) as their childhoods--Kirk being raised by his mother after his father's heroic sacrifice and Spock balancing his human and Vulcan sides--lead them to Starfleet. Eventually, their paths cross aboard the USS Enterprise, along with Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy (Karl Urban), Lt. Uhura (Zoe Saldana), Hikaru Sulu (John Cho) and Pavel Chekov (Anton Yelchin). After an event that changes the course of Star Trek history, Spock and Kirk fight for command of the ship and to fight the Romulans. Along the way, Scotty (Simon Pegg) and an old ally join them to aid this fight as Spock and Kirk finally form a friendship.

The movie grabs you from the first scene and holds you until the end. In fact, I was disappointed to realize we were at the climax of the movie and felt it was too soon. I was surprised to leave the theater over two hours later. The casting was spot-on for this movie, both talent-wise and appearance wise. There is a scene where we can compare Quinto against Nimoy (both as Spock) and it is apparent that the two greatly resemble each other. The other cast members are able to capture the spirit of their original portrayers and at the same time, recreate them as well. There are a few moments that will surprise even the most casual Star Trek viewer, such as the big event that shapes the movie's premise.

While the cast was stellar, the heart of the movie was Pine and Quinto's chemistry as the epitome of buddies--Kirk and Spock. Yelchin was also wonderful as Chekov, and the scene of a giddy Chekov running down to help with a difficult transport is particularly memorable. At the showing I went, some of the classic Star Trek references were applauded, like Bones' "Dammit, I'm a doctor, not a (fill in appropriate title here)."

I'd highly recommend it for anyone looking for a good movie and who I bunked with under that rock housing the people who hadn't seen it yet.