My inner geek is on overload with all of the summer movie options available this season. I'm a huge fan of director J.J. Abrams and executive producer Damon Lindenlof has had my vote ever since LOST. But true confession...I guess I'm not a big enough Trekkie to swoon and guffaw over this latest installment.
I grew up watching Star Trek reruns every day after school and just like everyone else, I thought the even numbered Star Trek movies of the 1980s were great. (The odd numbered ones are just not good! Sorry!) I even indulged in Star Trek: The Next Generation in the late 80's and 90's and thought it was great. Fast forward to this more recent franchise.
Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto are both good actors. But after watching Quinto on TV for a season or two of Heroes, his deadpan Spock is a little disappointing. Yes...I am fully aware that is supposed to be his character...I said, a "little" disappointing. There is nothing here, we haven't seen before and I've shared on this blog how prequels that have technology far and above the original frustrate me. I do think the director is aware of the technological discrepancies and does a good job of reigning that in.
Another reason Trekkies will love this is because they understand just how significant Carol Markus and Khan are. If this is your first Star Trek and you don't know the back story (or in this case front story) ...based on it's face value as an action/adventure/sci-fi flick...I think it would fall flat.
I have to go here though...
Benedict Cumberbatch is the best thing about this movie. He is just a superb actor and has now proven he can carry an action/adventure lead, I just wish it could have been a better platform for him to show his talent. There are other fine performances as well. Karl Urban (yes Eomer of Lord of the Rings) as Bones and Simon Pegg as Scotty deliver both characters spot on to the originals and come away with the funniest lines of the movies.
Which brings me back to some of my disappointment with this installment. I really like Abrams first Star Trek movie and had high hopes for this one...but as I walked out of the theatre and saw across the hallway the credits for Iron Man 3 rolling, I realized there was just no comparison. Our family will pay over and over again to see a Marvel characters movie and then buy them when they come out on DVD to watch repeatedly in our home. Fairly often, I need a superhero fix. Not so with Star Trek.
So if you have to choose between Iron Man 3 or Star Trek...go with the "man in the metal suit". But if you're a Trekkie...I think you'll still enjoy this go round of "Space...the final frontier!"
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