Star Trek

Thank you, Mr. Abrams. I left the cinema trembling, as if something forgotten from my childhood had awakened in me - probably the hours and hours spent reading the books and watching all possible versions of the series. For a man who has nothing to do with the saga, Abrams has shown an admirable level of empathy and the ability to revive exactly the parts that Star Trek needs. The chemistry of the characters, the humor, the tension and all those spectacular journeys through time – cosmic poetry, in which there is a bit of children's naivety, of science, and a good portion of adventure. It's all coated in the flawless visual tinsel that's so fashionable today. It all works well together, it looks great, and for the future, it promises that Star Trek may be entering a golden age. The sweet exclusivity will probably not be there anymore, but to hell with it, the shiny tinsel looks good, action alternates with the action, the characters develop beautifully and the story is exactly as corny as it should be. I personally found everything in this film that had made me a fan of James T. Kirk and his crew. And I think that anyone who doesn't mind proper sci-fi lemonade will find something to like. Star Trek is cool, and as much as I don't like cool stuff, I fell in love with this one. (22/04/2009)

J. J. Abrams took a female Star Trek, a male Star Wars, put the two together in the same pen for a while, and then scented what was born with commerce, taught it how to walk, played with it a little more to appeal to ST, SW, and to all the fans who know neither.... And he threw it to the masses. He couldn't have done anything better. Five stars! (07/05/2009)

The intro blows you away both emotionally and in terms of special effects. Abrams combines eye candy with the inexorability of fate with masterly skill. Nero’s passage through the wormhole is appropriately monstrous (thanks to the marvelously designed ship) and destructive. Since I had the chance to look at the comic book preceding it, the second part of the story and the storyline around the red matter and preventing the destruction of the galaxy are all more than familiar. For me, Nero isn’t such an incomprehensible character. And Eric Bana moreover imprinted incredible charisma into him. In fact, I thought it was rather a shame the movie didn’t focus on him more. But this is all made up for with storyline about young Kirk, who is really cool in Pine’s delivery. That loud-mouth, constantly spouting snappy lines is just about right opposite Quint’s “rebel" Spock and these two (along with the superb space battles) are the powerhouses of the movie. And for me, time travel has a special aura and I just have to give the full five. Abrams proves that he seriously has skills like nobody else (I hope he proves this again tomorrow during the finale of season five of Lost) and I’m pleased that he was chosen to bring us King’s fantastic saga, Dark Tower. (13/05/2009)

What Nolan meant for comic book adaptations and Batman stories, J. J. Abrams represents for the Star Trek world. He fully utilized everything that the latest visual effects technology and a large budget offer, resulting in a magnificent blockbuster filled with visually stunning scenes, grand action, and impressive special effects- in short, everything that makes a blockbuster a blockbuster. There is no doubt that this is the most visually attractive film in the Star Trek series, closely followed by the horror-themed First Contact. The effort to attract the youngest generation to the Star Trek phenomenon and gain a new group of fans is evident throughout the entire film. It focuses on pleasing today's teenagers, which is reflected in the age structure of the characters, pace, atmosphere, and plot. Unlike previous Star Treks, an attempt to bring in some humor is noticeable, both verbal and non-verbal. Especially the character of the beloved comedian Simon Pegg seems to have jumped out of the series of humorous sketches. While the form is polished, the content is not as glorious, although this film does not represent a decline in quality compared to previous Star Treks, nor does it move forward. The plot is somewhat shallow and, above all, in some respects, logic is a bit lacking. For example, the fact that the Federation's most advanced battle cruiser is occupied almost exclusively by inexperienced cadets is insufficiently justified, simply because the screenwriter and director needed it that way. However, the generosity with which the film was made compensates for everything. Every fan of the genre must appreciate the beautiful shots of spaceships and their interiors and the surface of the planet. One more thing is evident in Star Trek - it seems the creators of the film want to end the long-standing rivalry between Star Wars and Star Trek fans, as there is a clear shift to please the fans of Star Wars. The inspiration is clearly visible in some characters and scenes. Overall impression, considering that I grew up with Star Trek: 90%. (09/05/2009)

I may have just watched the best blockbuster of the year. I’m don’t care about the Star Trek universe, but to me this was an excellent ride packed with emotions, jokes and explosions. The contrast between the squeaky clean Enterprise and the squeaky dirty Romulan ship is almost as sexy as the contrast between Kirk’s impulsiveness and Spock’s logic. The casting is incredibly good, the whole crew are amazingly likeable and I had no problem at all relating to them (with the possible exception of Uhura). Once again, J.J. Abrams confirms that everything he touches turns to gold. This is what nerdvana should be like :-) PS: The infantile monstrosity of the new Star Wars can lower its head in shame, because right here and now, a new era of modern sci-fi has begun (hopefully). (07/05/2009)