Star Trek

Abrams's directing style and mise-en-scène construction is at the very least grandiose. What I admired in MI3 is also here, and once again there’s plenty to look at. Monstrous shots of the whole scenery, camera swoops, and monumentality complemented by a fast-paced and entertaining story is an excellent and powerful combination. Unfortunately, I'm not a Star Trek fan, so some things somehow escaped me. Nevertheless, I dare say that as a standalone Star Trek film, it can work quite well. Some plot twists were on the edge of acceptability, but in terms of drive, action, and entertainment, it's top-notch. No bullshit and absolutely uncompromising, just as we expect from Abrams. (31/10/2009)

Several hundred flashes, a tattooed Bana and two Spocks. JJ began this nicely from scratch and not only did he manage to breathe life into a long-dead legend, he also resuscitated the half-forgotten space opera genre as a whole. Abrams and Giacchino get the adrenalin pumping, the wonderfully cast (while criminally unexploited) crew bristles with charisma, but the stupidity of the screenplay (however much it might be intentional) trips everybody up like at an ice-hockey match. And I haven’t yet got over how the nearer it gets to the end, the more it slips into the classic Star Trek template, but it does wear a technical cloak that is very impressive in view of the year this was made. Yes, although it’s logical that in the end it assumes the form that we know so well, but from that moment on it stopped being at all interesting. (09/05/2009)

The intro blows you away both emotionally and in terms of special effects. Abrams combines eye candy with the inexorability of fate with masterly skill. Nero’s passage through the wormhole is appropriately monstrous (thanks to the marvelously designed ship) and destructive. Since I had the chance to look at the comic book preceding it, the second part of the story and the storyline around the red matter and preventing the destruction of the galaxy are all more than familiar. For me, Nero isn’t such an incomprehensible character. And Eric Bana moreover imprinted incredible charisma into him. In fact, I thought it was rather a shame the movie didn’t focus on him more. But this is all made up for with storyline about young Kirk, who is really cool in Pine’s delivery. That loud-mouth, constantly spouting snappy lines is just about right opposite Quint’s “rebel" Spock and these two (along with the superb space battles) are the powerhouses of the movie. And for me, time travel has a special aura and I just have to give the full five. Abrams proves that he seriously has skills like nobody else (I hope he proves this again tomorrow during the finale of season five of Lost) and I’m pleased that he was chosen to bring us King’s fantastic saga, Dark Tower. (13/05/2009)

After successfully watching all the feature-length adventures of the old crew, I smiled indulgently at the passion of all the Trekkies and welcomed the restart of their adventures mainly because of Abrams behind the camera. When a tear dropped at Kirk's birth, I became uncertain, but I attributed it mainly to the huge emotional intensity of the opening minutes. But when another tear dropped just because Leonard Nimoy appeared on the screen, I realized that despite all possible objections, I am a fan who devours every minute. Whether it's breathtaking ice adventures, a smile at the fact that Čechov had an amazing accent from the first minutes on the Enterprise, or the realization that James Tiberius Kirk is cool even without Shatner's charisma. A week after the screening, it is ultimately 90%. I rejoice at the registration into the Starfleet, and perhaps only the first adventure of promising novices could have been a bit more original than a confrontation with an angry avenger. But something tells me that the second time around, it will be at maximum warp. P.S.: The second screening definitively revealed a spectacle without a dull moment. Hopefully, no blockbuster deserved a new series like the voyages of the USS Enterprise. (19/05/2009)

Well, I really wasn’t expecting this. I personally considered myself the last person who would proclaim to be a Star Trek fan, and I never sought it out on TV either, but Abrams has done something that I wouldn’t have believed just a few hours ago, he’s made me a fan! Say what you will, but this was better and more entertaining than all of Star Wars (except maybe the third one), and I was mesmerized watching what was unfolding in front of me. I don't think anyone doubts that the visual effects are bombastic, but I still have to give them a special praise because they were really a feast for the eyes. The music is also perfect, each motif has something to it and adds an even more spectacular touch to the action on the screen. And the simple but extremely effective story is like a lasso for every genre fan, it ties them up tight and only lets them go when the closing credits start rolling, when they are out of breath. As it should be. Why would we want to think during a film and endure would-be unexpected scripted kicks to the groin, when we can relax, put a pillow under our heads and enjoy 120 minutes of uninterrupted modern action, freshened up by wisecracking heroes, beautiful heroines (there's that Saldana again!) and an immensely talented director who is far from having the last word? That would be stupid. 100% (05/02/2013)