New Star Trek, a lot like The Old Star Trek Only Better!

Last Friday, I was lucky enough to get out to see the new Star Trek movie directed by J.J. Abrams and written by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman.

What follows is my review of the film as a Star Trek fan and new science fiction writer:

First a little history. My father dreamed of me being an astronaut. I was born around the time of the first moon landing and the beginning of Star Trek. My dad bounced me on his knee while he watched the show. I became a fan at an early age and have continued to follow the voyages of the Starship Enterprise and the history of Starfleet ever since. I never became an astronaut. Being fitted for prescription glasses at an early age and my first math test took care of my dad’s vision of my future.

I do not now nor have I ever owned a Starfleet uniform or any of the Star Trek character costumes, not that there’s anything wrong with that.

Star Trek to me has at its best been about exploring the human condition and fun. It is my opinion, the folks at Paramount have lost sight of both of these concepts in all their recent attempts at Star Trek TV and cinema. I believe the franchise “jumped the shark” somewhere around the time they made Star Trek : Generations for some reason they were never quite able to translate the Star Trek : The Next Generation concept to the big screen. At the same time the makers of Star Trek on the small screen began to lose their way, as well. I continued to watch from time to time but I continued to be disappointed.

My disappointment ended last Friday. The new Star Trek film goes back to the beginning of the original crew’s adventure. The new movie even goes back before we first met the characters from classic Trek originally. We see one character’s birth. To save the franchise Star Trek needed no less than a brand-new beginning.

The writers of the new movie have boiled down the characters we know and love down to their essence. Sure some of the details have been changed. Let’s be honest they needed changing. This thing was an ol’ saw in need of some tender loving overhaul.

This film is first and foremost fun. Star Trek hasn’t been fun since before Star Trek : The Motion Picture. I don’t mean they are making fun of themselves as in Star Trek : The Voyage Home. No, here there is action, adventure, romance, danger and fun. The characters we know and love are portrayed by new actors and being young and fresh they seem to be having the time of their lives.

Other reviews have faulted the story for playing fast and loose with science. They do. Watch the old show they gave a scientific reason for why one planet was run by 1920′s era gangsters, and another episode featured space hippies. This movie goes no where near that far. What they do is make an exciting movie about characters thrust into an amazing futuristic adventure. If science got in the way they ran it over. This isn’t a lecture, it’s a movie.

I can’t recommend this film enough. If you have never watched a second of Star Trek don’t worry. They start from scratch and catch you up as needed you won’t be lost. And you old Trekkers who are afraid of something new…give it a chance…it will win you over. If it doesn’t you may have forgotten to have some fun at the movies.

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