Unless you have been living in a cave surrounded by hostile Klingons inhibiting your access to the outside world, chances are you will know that there is a new Star Trek film in cinemas. DVD Bits brings you a cinema review for a change while the film is still in cinemas.
Be warned though: for the lactose intolerant, this review may contain traces of spoilers…
As you surely will have seen from the countless ads, trailers and other promotions, the subtitle-less Star Trek tells the story of the troubled early lives of the soon-to-be-legendary Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) and Mr Spock (Zachary Quinto). It is a kind of prequel to the original 1960s series, while simultaneously acting as a way of bringing a new generation (the next, next generation?) of fans to a franchise that has been running for over forty years.
Being a die-hard Trek fan (and yes, I am declaring my bias right here and now in case we choose to become bad friends over it later), it was a no-brainer that I would rush out to see this one in cinemas. While I had no doubt that this would be an improvement over the last few Next Generation films, which had almost descended into self-parody by the time Star Trek: Nemesis was released, there was always that lingering fear that this new film was going to take this classic somewhere quiet, bend it over and do things to them that would make a Romulan blush. Thankfully, Star Trek is the best thing to happen to the franchise in over twenty years.
While I won’t spoil the film by going into details, the film simultaneously pays tribute to the original series while rebooting the entire story in continuity. If that sounds impossible enough, it also manages to be a cracker of an action film to boot. Some may argue that the idealism of Gene Roddenberry’s Utopian vision of the future has lost some of its sheen in this production – and the inclusion of heavily-accented Pavel Chekov (Anton Yelchin) seems quaint my 2009’s standards – but it manages to bring the appeal of the show to a mass audience while keeping this Trekker very happy for its all-too-brief running time. Don’t tell me there aren’t a few of you who always wanted to see Uhura (Zoe Saldana) and Spock get it on?
The casting is impeccable. From his first appearance as Sylar in Heroes, it was a dead-cert that Zachary Quinto would make a perfect spot; and within minutes of Chris Pine appearing on screen, you’ll be wondering “Shatner who?”. I admit to doing a little jump for joy over the casting of Shaun of the Dead’s Simon Pegg as Scotty, and while his screen time is brief, he steals absolutely every scene he is in. The real surprise is action-man Karl Urban as Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy, who brings every-inch of the grizzled and cantankerous role made famous by DeForest Kelly to this new screen outing. Some fans are never going to forgive the recast, but it is hard to imagine doing a better job than this. Oh, and even if you don't recognise him, that's our Eric Bana as the villain. Uncle Chop Chop has got nothing on this guy...
Let’s not mince words: Trek is back, and it is bloody brilliant. Any series that has lasted this long has to reinvent itself now and again, be it James Bond or Star Trek. With this new film, director J.J Abrams (Lost, Alias) gives non-believers a cracker of an action film, with enough sly references to the original series and films to keep us keen to see the next one. With the global box office takings already looking excellent, it won’t be long before we are seeing the next one ‘on screen’. Let’s hope that this new series lives long and prospers.
Unless you have been living in a cave surrounded by hostile Klingons inhibiting your access to the outside world, chances are you will know that there is a new Star Trek film in cinemas. DVD Bits brings you a cinema review for a change while the film is still in cinemas. 
