The Political Fiend

I’ve always HATED Star Trek.  There, I said it.  I was never able to get past all the hokey set designs, costumes, and makeup to suspend my disbelief long enough to actually enjoy the philosophical elements of the long running film franchise.  Robots looked like jaundiced humans.  Klingons wore rubbery masks that featured a perma-scowl and embarassing facial hair.  True, the purpose of the series was to present a sense of wonder at the discovery of new worlds and life forms.  It’s just hard to feel any sense of awe when the new discovery is some dude in a cheeseball monster suit.

The other day I caught the new Star Trek film and I must say, I dug it.  That said, this is not a movie about the story, but about orienting the audience within the Star Trek universe to prepare them for the sequel.  In that sense, it’s a lot like Batman Begins.  Like Batman Begins, much time is wasted on origin stories, and so by necessity less time is available for the exploration of their emotional development as adults.  Kirk (Chris Pine), is essentially a one note, smart alecky wiseguy; but Pine plays the part to the bone and demonstrates some excellent comic timing.  The supporting cast is mostly just sprinkles and frosting, but Zach Quinto’s Spock is the cake.  A conflicted Vulcan-Human halfbreed, Spock tiptoes along the line dividing cold logic and emotion and the resulting character is a man who fits in nowhere, feels compelled to conduct himself in a manner devoid of compassion, love, or hate, and yet harbors within him a deep reservoir of feeling.

The action is fine, the visual effects and acting are strong.  The story is confusing and never really generates a sense of danger or urgency.  In spite of this, I still found the film compelling.  Between Spock’s exploration of the meaning of humanity and Nero’s simultaneous acts of preventative revenge (time travel silliness), we are asked to wonder what great and terrible things man is capable of, and we’re asked in a way that’s a helluva lotta fun.