Star Trek: The Review

I had to write it some time. Come on, you knew it was coming, didn't you? I just had to wait a while and let it all sink in. Today I saw it for a second time, collected my thoughts and here I am.

Here's the short version - It was mind-blowingly awesome. If I ever get the chance to meet J.J. Abrams, I just might kiss him. I loved this movie from start to finish.

And now, in traditional Kill the Body style, here's the long version (you know this was coming too, right?).

From the day that the movie was announced I've been waiting. Patiently (well, patiently for me anyway). The closer the release date got, the more anxious I got. The night it opened, I was there before anyone, ticket in hand. Obsessive? Yeah, I am. 

My expectations were high, really high. I'd kept myself from as much information as I could (aside from the previews which I'd watched dozens of times) because I didn't want to form any opinions before the opening credits even rolled. I'd heard some people complain about some casting choices, but beyond that I knew almost nothing. I even managed to keep myself from rushing to IMDB and checking everything out.

I'm glad I did. It meant I got to be surprised a few times (very happily surprised) which was amazing.

I could go in to every single detail (believe me, I could, really) but I won't. It would take me the better part of the next year to cover it all. The casting was amazing (aside from a brief appearance by Winona Ryder - honestly one of only two minor complaints I had). Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto were perfect. Simon Pegg was so awesome as Scotty it hurt. Karl Urban picked up the classic Bones paranoia, sarcasm and attitude like a natural. And Nimoy... Oh Nimoy, I can't even begin to say how much I love that man. I quite literally giggled like a schoolgirl. 

Aside from the cast, the movie was visually astonishing. There isn't a single moment in the film that wasn't breathtaking in it's style and detail. My only note on any of the visuals is that I wish I could have seen so much more of Vulcan. 

This movie should be taken from the point on as a lesson on how to make a successful prequel (there are too many examples of how not to do it). Star Trek is something I know, it's like an old friend, I've seen them all so many times there isn't much that I've missed. I know the characters stories, I know the history, I know the stories and if you can take all that in to account and still manage to surprise me, show me new things and keep me happy all at once you, my friend, have really gone where no one has gone before. I've seen the Enterprise and every version of it (hell, I own a scale model of the thing - I see it every single day) and when the shuttle flew past the newly completed NCC-1701 I saw something I know well and it felt like it was the very first time I'd ever laid eyes on it. That is how you can tell you've done something right.

I knew walking in to the film that the margin for error was huge and my expectations were so high that the chances that I would walk away horribly disappointed were too great. I worried that it wouldn't just fall short of what I hoped but that it would be an incredible flop that would leave me speechless in frustration. But even with all that, it still managed to exceed my expectations. A feat which has never been achieved before.

Finally, and most importantly of all, today when I saw it I saw it with my brother. My brother is so not a trekkie. In fact, I've been teased more than once for my trekkieness. But he wanted to see it. When we left I looked to him for an opinion (of which he has many, the unfavourable ones being loudest). He thought it was great.

He has seen maybe a handful of TNG and even less TOS. He knows little to nothing of the show. Despite all that, he understood it all AND he liked it. A lot.

Yes, I know this post makes me even more of a nerd than you already thought I was. Sorry, it had to come out sooner or later.