Star Trek

So after seeing Star Trek for a second time today, I feel I should say a few words about it.

Just to be clear, I'm going to say now that the film is great. I absolutely enjoyed it and if I had to rate it, I'd give it an 8/10. It didn't overwhelm me, it surely wasn't the best film I've seen this year, but it is a very good sci-fi film, enjoyable, and well-worth the ticket's money.

Also, I'd like to point out that this is my first experience with the Star Trek universe. I had never seen any of the series, or the movies that preceded it.

The special effects and cinematography were absolutely great. It really is a cinema film and I'm seriously thinking of checking it out on the IMAX. The performances were also really good, especially the Kirk-Spock chemistry, and Scotty. Unfortunately John Cho, who was playing Sulu, is someone that I can never take seriously, after the Harold & Kumar movies, but anyway...

The only thing that, not exactly bothered me but could have been better, was the film's plot. I will explain myself, but some spoilers will follow, so read on if you have seen it.

********SPOILERS************

Basically, it felt like that:

1. Nero's planet was destroyed
2. Nero destroys Spock's first planet
3. Nero plans to destroy his second planet
4. Nero is killed, good guys win

Add a confused J.J. Abrams on top of that, who thought he was doing "Lost" and did the whole time-travel/alternate-timeline thing all over again, and that's basically it.

Also, something else that bothered me, is that the film begins, goes on for about an hour with you kinda wondering what is happening... and the Old-Spock appears, and he narrates everything that had happened before. Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah... And then there's nothing to discover. It couldn't be less cinematic, I mean, WTF? Why Blah blah?

Of course, the film has also the task of introducing the characters, which it does very well, and even if the plot is so simple, it is told in the best way it could be. Still, I'm not sure if I wanted to know how everyone met each other, he could have filled the plot with some twists and sub-plots and present the crew as already together. Anyway, I think I'm babbling on...

*********END OF SPOILERS**********

Star Trek isn't the best film in any category. I still believe JJ's best film was M:i:III, the best sci-fi is Battlestar Galactica and the best origin story is Batman Begins. Nevertheless, it is a really good film and a great cinematic experience. In fact, I can't really see why some people were dissapointed, or didn't like it.

I really feel though, now that they're done with the introductions, that the second film has really good potential to become something extraordinary. I still believe that the most promising film of the summer season seems to be Terminator Salvation, which looks better and better with each trailer. We'll see in a few weeks...