06 May 2009

Enterprising

I try to avoid the straight out nerd-boy gush. (No, not as in this sort of gush... sigh, your filthy mind.) I am, however, highly anticipating the new Star Trek film, directed by JJ Abrams.

I'm not particularly a Star Trek nerd - certainly not enough of one to care which dinky epithet I was given. (I think I'll just call them Trekkites.) I did enjoy the original Star Trek tv series, and have seen a few okay episodes of The Next Generation. I don't really think much of the feature films so far, but I suspect this one will be of a different order.

In regards to Abrams' previous work, I'm not familiar with Felicity and never got into Alias. On the other hand, Lost is one of the best shows on tv, and I really liked Cloverfield, a film he produced and that was largely his idea. (I'm not reviewing Cloverfield, but you can read this one instead.) Mission: Impossible 3 was only okay, but it was still easily the best of an otherwise lame movie series.

Abrams has again joined with M:I3 screenwriters Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, who came up with the idea for the Star Trek reboot. Kurtzman and Orci are interviewed by Mr Beaks at Ain't It Cool News about the process here.

The reviews so far for Star Trek (2009) have been surprisingly positive for a "pop-corn" blockbuster. According to Rotten Tomatoes, at the time of writing there have been 33 reviews based on preview screenings, and 100% have had an overall positive tenor.

A couple of sample comments: Dark Horizons' Garth Franklin wrote that the film "Reintroduces critical elements the franchise has not seen in years - cultural relevance, suspense, and a fresh sense of wonder", and The Australian's Ian Cuthbertson observed "The result is a triumph, certain to be regarded as not just one Trek's better moments, but one of the finest films made in the sci-fi genre".

As a non-Trekkite, I'm mostly just looking forward to an imaginative, well crafted science fiction action-adventure. That's what I'm hoping Abrams and co will deliver. I'll check out the movie this weekend, and review here.

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UPDATE: One day after my post, Rotten Tomatoes had recorded 67 reviews, with 63 positive (96% fresh rating).