MOVIE: Star Trek

I am not a trekkie. I did watch my fair share of Star Trek: Next Generation episodes, but I never really considered myself a fan.

But with an incredible score on RottenTomatoes (currently 96% [196-9]), I had to check out the new Star Trek movie. Going into it, I was skeptical of the many well-know actors taking over iconic roles, but I have to say that my concerns were quickly eased -- the movie established itself early on as performing strong on all points: story, acting, score, and visuals.


story: Star Trek didn't sugar-coat. From its opening scene, the story grabbed our attention and gave us reason to get involved. It set in motion the characters' motivations and gave us reasons to care. There was happiness and sorrow. There was back-stories and character development. And all this was well-paced. It makes me wonder what Lost would've been like if it was a movie franchise.

acting: The ensemble was strong and didn't disappoint. Zachary Quinto did very well as Spock, playing him straight and consistent. John Cho was cool and capable as Sulu. And Chris Pine was Hot as Captain Kirk. What more do you want? Oh, and staying for the credits (no, there's nothing at the end), I saw Wynona Ryder?

score: I don't know if it's "outstanding" but it was present. When I first saw American Beauty, I though the music was over-bearing, but after some time I've learned to appreciate it, when it's done well. In this movie, I think that the score did enhance the action and emotions. Well done.

visual: Incredible. Amazing. And it should take next year's Oscar. There's so much work in every scene, and towards the end of the movie, I caught myself taking the work a little for granted. When I was watching the credits (again, nothing to see at the end), the list of people who worked on the visual effects filled the entire screen -- and in three columns. I was amazed and impressed. Seriously, wow.

The film lived up to and exceeded my expectations, even as a non-trekkie. And like the Daniel Craig 007s, I will be following this franchise. Woo!