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. (10/31/2009)

J. J. Abrams took a female Star Trek, a male Star Wars, put the two together in the same pen for a while, and then scented what was born with commerce, taught it how to walk, played with it a little more to appeal to ST, SW, and to all the fans who know neither.... And he threw it to the masses. He couldn't have done anything better. Five stars! (05/07/2009)

What Nolan meant for comic book adaptations and Batman stories, J. J. Abrams represents for the Star Trek world. He fully utilized everything that the latest visual effects technology and a large budget offer, resulting in a magnificent blockbuster filled with visually stunning scenes, grand action, and impressive special effects- in short, everything that makes a blockbuster a blockbuster. There is no doubt that this is the most visually attractive film in the Star Trek series, closely followed by the horror-themed First Contact. The effort to attract the youngest generation to the Star Trek phenomenon and gain a new group of fans is evident throughout the entire film. It focuses on pleasing today's teenagers, which is reflected in the age structure of the characters, pace, atmosphere, and plot. Unlike previous Star Treks, an attempt to bring in some humor is noticeable, both verbal and non-verbal. Especially the character of the beloved comedian Simon Pegg seems to have jumped out of the series of humorous sketches. While the form is polished, the content is not as glorious, although this film does not represent a decline in quality compared to previous Star Treks, nor does it move forward. The plot is somewhat shallow and, above all, in some respects, logic is a bit lacking. For example, the fact that the Federation's most advanced battle cruiser is occupied almost exclusively by inexperienced cadets is insufficiently justified, simply because the screenwriter and director needed it that way. However, the generosity with which the film was made compensates for everything. Every fan of the genre must appreciate the beautiful shots of spaceships and their interiors and the surface of the planet. One more thing is evident in Star Trek - it seems the creators of the film want to end the long-standing rivalry between Star Wars and Star Trek fans, as there is a clear shift to please the fans of Star Wars. The inspiration is clearly visible in some characters and scenes. Overall impression, considering that I grew up with Star Trek: 90%. (05/09/2009)

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. (05/09/2009)

Thank you, Mr. Abrams. I left the cinema trembling, as if something forgotten from my childhood had awakened in me - probably the hours and hours spent reading the books and watching all possible versions of the series. For a man who has nothing to do with the saga, Abrams has shown an admirable level of empathy and the ability to revive exactly the parts that Star Trek needs. The chemistry of the characters, the humor, the tension and all those spectacular journeys through time – cosmic poetry, in which there is a bit of children's naivety, of science, and a good portion of adventure. It's all coated in the flawless visual tinsel that's so fashionable today. It all works well together, it looks great, and for the future, it promises that Star Trek may be entering a golden age. The sweet exclusivity will probably not be there anymore, but to hell with it, the shiny tinsel looks good, action alternates with the action, the characters develop beautifully and the story is exactly as corny as it should be. I personally found everything in this film that had made me a fan of James T. Kirk and his crew. And I think that anyone who doesn't mind proper sci-fi lemonade will find something to like. Star Trek is cool, and as much as I don't like cool stuff, I fell in love with this one. (04/22/2009)