Star Trek (2009)

Much like Star Wars, the current health of the Star Trek franchise is not necessarily one of peak condition. A trilogy that divided opinion and then a selection of TV shows which continued on the same trajectory has left both franchises in a precarious situation. However, I recently decided to rewatch J.J. Abrams' Star Trek from 2009 having fond memories of it when I saw it in the cinema and once or twice on TV but have I grown too cynical to appreciate this now, and is it worthy of the criticism some Trekkies levy its way?

The story follows the young hotshot, James T. Kirk, who manages to join the crew of the star ship Enterprise in the hopes of living up to his revered father who boldly sacrificed himself to save as many of his crew as possible. From here, he embarks on a journey meeting the likes of Bones, Uhura, Scotty, Zulu and, of course, Spock in much younger versions. However, their voyage takes a turn when a number of their fellow ships are destroyed and they soon find themselves in the crosshairs of an opposing, enemy ship lead by the mysterious Nero. 

Abrams brings plenty of energy, levity and lens flares to Star Trek and if you aren't burdened with the lore, like myself, then this is an easy film to put on and enjoy for the ride. There are plenty of great visuals with the most of the special effects holding up very well today and the cast all do a good job but the whole thing is very light on substance for a two hour film due to a barebones screenplay. The story also gets a little too frenetic for its own good and betrays some of the more dramatic beats that follow when loved ones are lost making this one that doesn't hold in the memory for long. 

Star Trek is still a fun ride for what it's worth but goes too hard on the action film trope, betraying the more slower and thoughtful approach of the series and films that came before. There was an opportunity here to have something great, not necessarily Master & Commander in space but something less geared as a generic popcorn blockbuster. Maybe that's the Mass Effect fan in me talking but this set the course for these films to be more style than substance. This is still a fun time to see space ships zoom about and lasers fire but maybe not so much for the Trekkies who expected something richer.