With Star Trek Abrams honors the show's legacy without fossilizing its best qualities. Instead, he's whisked it off to a planet where numbing nostalgia can't kill it, and where the future is still something to look forward to.
Star Trek (2009)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:39
Fresh:36
Rotten:3
Average Rating:7.8/10
Consensus: Star Trek reignites a classic franchise with action, humor, a strong story, and brilliant visuals, and will please traditional Trekkies and new fans alike.
Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for sci-fi action and violence and brief sexual content.
Runtime: 2 hrs 7 mins
Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy
Theatrical Release:May 7, 2009 Wide
Box Office: $257,704,099
Synopsis: Those prepared to hate the reboot of STAR TREK--whether they’re diehard fans or those in the anti-sci-fi camp--may be convinced to lower their shields after seeing this fun, action-filled film.... Those prepared to hate the reboot of STAR TREK--whether they’re diehard fans or those in the anti-sci-fi camp--may be convinced to lower their shields after seeing this fun, action-filled film. Best known for creating mythology-driven series like LOST, J.J. Abrams has imbued his version with the elements that have made his shows such mind-bending entertainment while still keeping the soul of the saga intact. STAR TREK begins with an attack by an impossibly advanced Romulan ship captained by the tattooed, snarling Nero (Eric Bana). Among the survivors is the infant version of James T. Kirk (Chris Pine), who grows up to wreak havoc on the Iowa countryside. When Captain Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood) meets an adult Kirk, he encourages him to join Starfleet, giving him the opportunity to meet Spock (Zachary Quinto), Uhura (Zoe Saldana), and the rest of the characters audiences have loved for decades. Abrams has assembled a fine cast who seem to be aware of their predecessors but never resort to impressions. Both Quinto and Pine do a fine job with their portrayals of Kirk and Spock, and Karl Urban couldn’t be better as Leonard McCoy. The supporting players--Simon Pegg (Scotty), John Cho (Sulu), and Anton Yelchin (Chekov)--all capture the essence of what drove their characters, though their screen time is limited. STAR TREK manages the nearly impossible: it pleases hardcore fans with plenty of in-jokes and references (and an appearance by the original Spock, Leonard Nimoy), but it doesn’t alienate newcomers with tons of technobabble. The action and effects rank with any other top-tier summer blockbuster, but there’s plenty of humor to balance the excitement. For anyone who (wrongly) felt he had to hide his trekker tendencies, this undeniably cool version of STAR TREK offers a chance to wear the "geek" label with pride. [More]
Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Eric Bana, Bruce Greenwood
Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Eric Bana, Bruce Greenwood, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, John Cho, Anton Yelchin, Ben Cross, Winona Ryder, Leonard Nimoy, Chris Hemsworth
Director: J.J. Abrams
Director: J.J. Abrams
Screenwriter: Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci
Producer: J.J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof
Composer: Michael Giacchino
Studio: Paramount Pictures
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Reviews for Star Trek
In going back to tell the Enterprise story from the beginning, Star Trek presses collective emotional buttons people didn't even know they had. At its best, the effect is like seeing life panoramically, past and future, simultaneous and magnificent.
Star Trek goes back to the legend's roots with a boldness that brings a fatigued franchise back to life.
You needn't know the secret handshakes or utter the Vulcan blessing "live long and prosper" to gain admission to, and enjoy, summer's first thrill ride.
In his daft, dizzy reinvention of a moribund franchise, Abrams has found a way to be referential without being reverential, to conjure nostalgia without being constrained by it.
Quinto is the one person here who may leave teen-aged viewers more perplexed than puffed up; he somehow rebukes the movie’s whole obsession with backstory and immaturity by seeming riper and wiser than the charmless folly that is spun around him.
It is pleasant to report that though it's not perfect, the reconstituted Star Trek is successful enough for everyone to breathe a sigh of relief.
The aim here is to court a new generation of fans without alienating the true believers speaking Klingon in the box-office lines.
This is really the story of how the Enterprise crew meets, hammers out its differences and becomes a team, and the telling is pure bliss.
There are many satisfyingly sly flourishes in Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman's script.
hen it comes to sheer spectacle, Star Trek, as re-imagined by J.J. Abrams, delivers.
A movie that, against all odds, has miraculously resurrected a wheezing but beloved franchise.
It's also a pleasure to report that, not only have Gene Roddenberry's ideas stood up pretty well over the decades, so have Spock's ears.
A film that should appeal to longtime Trekkies, sci-fi neophytes and pretty much anybody who likes a good action flick.
The summer movie season has barely begun, but already one thing is certain: It will have at least one indisputably great movie.
Latest News for Star Trek
January 10, 2010:
Next Trek Outing Set for 2012 ![]()
Get ready to beam up, "Star Trek" fans: Paramount has set aside June 29, 2012 for the release date of the next installment in the venerable franchise. More...
December 30, 2009:
RT's Ten Most Popular Movies of 2009
As the year winds down and we all prepare to put things like "Get in shape," "Watch every Best Picture winner," and "Befriend a beluga whale" on our New Year's resolution lists,... More...
December 29, 2009:
Next Star Trek Launching in 2010? ![]()
Ready to journey back into the final frontier? According to a new MTV profile piece on Zoe Saldana, the franchise's next installment will "probably be going into pre-production... More...
December 28, 2009:
Star Trek Tops 2009's Most-Pirated Movies List ![]()
Remember all the hubbub about that leaked "Wolverine" print? Turns out it wasn't the year's most-pirated movie -- in fact, it barely made the top 10. More...
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