Not Just For Nerds

Film: Star Trek (2009)
Director: J.J. Abrams
Starring: Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto

J.J. Abrams boldly went where no film director has gone before – combining warp speed energy, special effects so good they might as well have been from the future – enough of the founding framework to keep a true Trekkie smiling and his own notorious style.

The movie opens with a crash of heart-pounding chaos in a pre-Kirk world as James Tiberius Kirk’s father (Chris Hemsworth), first officer aboard a Starfleet ship and acting captain, is forced to sacrifice himself in order to save the lives of the rest of the crew and those on the ship, including the life of his wife and unborn child.

The film flashes forward to find a young, head-strong Kirk (Chris Pine) in Iowa with a generous IQ and a chip on his shoulder big enough that it seems Kirk will never reach his potential until a bar brawl brings a chance encounter with Starfleet Captain Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood) who pushes Kirk into the academy and right back to the place Kirk’s father found himself nearly 25 years before.

The movie continues with an undercurrent of thudding intensity, waning only in brief moments to provide some much-needed comic relief.

The acting is out of this universe with a young and talented cast including Zachary Quinto (“Heroes”) as Spock and John Cho, who gave new energy to Hikaru Sulu. The plot is well-contained and easy to follow even for non-Star Trek fans but still has plenty to offer for die-hards who will be glad to see all of their favorites on the bridge. Nyota Uhura’s (Zoe Saldana) miniskirts – a staple piece in the female Starfleet uniform – and the sauve good looks of Kirk  would keep even the least sci-fi–enthused watching.

If you’re an oldie like me, however, your favorite movie moment will be a close-up of Leonard Nimoy’s double-fingered “V” Vulcan salute as Spock Prime gets a cameo in a time travel twist that brings back all the warm, fuzzy and highly illogical feelings of the old days.

Abrams has brought new life to “Star Trek” for a younger civilization.