Star Trek

The blockbuster movie summer season is upon us and requests (I assume insincere) have been made that my annoying voice be heard. I haven't seen a whole lot of movies so far this year (a mere 20 or so) and most of them have been lacking in what I would call quality. But there is nothing like a summer packed with GI Joe and Transformers 2. Both of these will be released this summer and both, based on the viewing of their trailers, which were appended to my recent trip to Star Trek, seem to sufficiently rape any fond memory of my childhood. Not that either of these shows was in reality any good but I was willing to leave them in the past as a pleasant memory.

Actually, this is a surprisingly good opening for a review of the new film by J.J. Abrhams. Star Trek, if for some odd reason you the reader didn't know, was originally a television show. Basically the one nugget of shiny silver (gold goes to far) that Gene Roddenberry ever hit upon. Seriously go watch an episode of Andromeda (also a Roddenberry idea) and then ask yourself: Nietschians? really? The show, that is, Star Trek, spawned a series of movies and four reincarnations on television.

The original show of course stared the lovably laughable esteemed Mr. William Shatner. Overacting to a fault and sleeping with aliens left and right. The original set of movies were entertaining most of the time and occasionally absolutely absurd (read: Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home). Fellow blogger CinemaRomantico even gave weekly quotes from Star Trek IV one summer to celebrate the blockbuster season. Frankly, I miss that.

But I've ranted for three paragraphs now and said nothing about the new film. Perhaps that is because ultimately I wish Star Trek too had remained in my past. Sure there isn't anything technically wrong with the new film. Its competently directed, the action sequences on the whole work. Eric Bana is no Ricardo Montalban but then again who is? It is mostly well acted by Chris Pine (Kirk), Zachary Quinto (Spock), Karl Urban (Bones) and so on. There is of course the very unfortunate John Cho as Sulu and living up to my fears, Simon Pegg doesn't work as Scotty.

It has a successful explanation for rebooting the franchise that doesn't require them to forget the old stories (well I guess in a way they do). There is time travel (which I despise as a movie concept) and one exceptionally noticeable failure to acknowledge the laws of physics which I can't get past. But other than quibbles I can't say I hated the film and in some moments enjoyed it. So why, other than being another year of blockbuster blase am I so lukewarm to the film as a whole?

Kirk is born, some time travel occurs, Kirk grows up, Spock grows up, both are troubled, both end up at Star Fleet. Crisis, Enterprise, yawn, explosions, logic, yawn, film concludes. I'm having trouble recalling the film and I saw it 6 days ago. Yes it accomplishes what it sets out to do and does it entertainingly and for most of you that will be enough, but frankly I was hoping for more (or maybe less, if you follow).

I should probably count my blessings because this may be the one brief respite of decent summer fluff in an avalanche of the likes of Wolverine, GI Joe and Transformers. And in conclusion: the greatest Transformer review of them all.