Star Trek

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). (2009-05-07)

Well, I really wasn’t expecting this. I personally considered myself the last person who would proclaim to be a Star Trek fan, and I never sought it out on TV either, but Abrams has done something that I wouldn’t have believed just a few hours ago, he’s made me a fan! Say what you will, but this was better and more entertaining than all of Star Wars (except maybe the third one), and I was mesmerized watching what was unfolding in front of me. I don't think anyone doubts that the visual effects are bombastic, but I still have to give them a special praise because they were really a feast for the eyes. The music is also perfect, each motif has something to it and adds an even more spectacular touch to the action on the screen. And the simple but extremely effective story is like a lasso for every genre fan, it ties them up tight and only lets them go when the closing credits start rolling, when they are out of breath. As it should be. Why would we want to think during a film and endure would-be unexpected scripted kicks to the groin, when we can relax, put a pillow under our heads and enjoy 120 minutes of uninterrupted modern action, freshened up by wisecracking heroes, beautiful heroines (there's that Saldana again!) and an immensely talented director who is far from having the last word? That would be stupid. 100% (2013-02-05)

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! (2009-05-07)

Abrams's directing style and mise-en-scène construction is at the very least grandiose. What I admired in MI3 is also here, and once again there’s plenty to look at. Monstrous shots of the whole scenery, camera swoops, and monumentality complemented by a fast-paced and entertaining story is an excellent and powerful combination. Unfortunately, I'm not a Star Trek fan, so some things somehow escaped me. Nevertheless, I dare say that as a standalone Star Trek film, it can work quite well. Some plot twists were on the edge of acceptability, but in terms of drive, action, and entertainment, it's top-notch. No bullshit and absolutely uncompromising, just as we expect from Abrams. (2009-10-31)

Several hundred flashes, a tattooed Bana and two Spocks. JJ began this nicely from scratch and not only did he manage to breathe life into a long-dead legend, he also resuscitated the half-forgotten space opera genre as a whole. Abrams and Giacchino get the adrenalin pumping, the wonderfully cast (while criminally unexploited) crew bristles with charisma, but the stupidity of the screenplay (however much it might be intentional) trips everybody up like at an ice-hockey match. And I haven’t yet got over how the nearer it gets to the end, the more it slips into the classic Star Trek template, but it does wear a technical cloak that is very impressive in view of the year this was made. Yes, although it’s logical that in the end it assumes the form that we know so well, but from that moment on it stopped being at all interesting. (2009-05-09)