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Star Trek (DVD)

by Erin Free | October 23, 2009 13:34 | Edited October 23, 2009 14:40

 

On paper, it might seem like another hollow, desperate grab for more cash from Hollywood: get a "hot" young filmmaker to come in and revitalise one of the studio's biggest cash cows. Hollywood loves a sure thing, and amongst moviegoers and sci-fi fans, Star Trek is an instantly identifiable "brand". Something wonderfully strange and surprising has happened here though: that "hot" young director, J.J Abrams, is actually highly talented, and this is not a project rolled out on autopilot. Star Trek bristles with energy and excitement, and you can practically sense the enthusiasm with which this film has been approached by everyone involved. The screenplay by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman is imaginative and highly respectful of the many years of mythology attendant to Star Trek; the performances are rock-solid across the board; and TV vet Abrams (he's the creator of Lost, Felicity and several others) brings the same energised approach to the material that he did with his propulsive big screen directorial debut Mission: Impossible III.   

 

As the film begins, we meet the youthful versions of the beloved Star Trek original crew - calm, logical and super intelligent half-alien Spock (Zachary Quinto); the cocky Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine); the cantankerous, pessimistic Dr. "Bones" McCoy (Karl Urban); the excitable Scotty (Simon Pegg); the slightly wet-behind-the-ears Chekov (Anton Yelchin); the stoic Sulu (John Cho); and the strong, fiercely independent Uhura (Zoe Saldana) - while they're in training at Starfleet Academy. Still learning the ropes, their lives are thrown into turmoil with the arrival of the villainous Nero (surprise casting choice Eric Bana is dazzling in bad guy mode), a very, very angry Romulan with an axe to grind, and a vendetta against one of the crew.

 

Without revealing too much, the appearance of the old Spock (Leonard Nimoy) also plays a major role in the film, and he's not in there just for a throw-away cameo. Old Spock is instrumental in the film's greatest gamble, and it pays off in spades. His participation allows Abrams to "reboot" the Star Trek franchise in a literal, narrative sense. It's nothing short of a masterstroke, and is indicative of why Star Trek works so well: the filmmakers are reverent of what has come before, but they're not afraid to bust out on their own. There's much of the "old" Star Trek here (there's lots of bizarre humour; the excellent cast of young actors hit all the right notes, never simply apeing the actors who made their characters famous; and there are plenty of perfectly placed in-jokes), but this eye-popping, funny, and wonderfully entertaining film isn't afraid to head off into exciting new frontiers.

 

Not surprisingly, this blockbuster has been granted exorbitant DVD treatment, in a double-disc special edition bursting with features. The fun kicks off with a rollicking audio commentary courtesy of Abrams, screenwriters Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, and producers Damon Lindelof and Bryan Burk, who all boil over with enthusiasm and good humour, fighting each other to drop anecdotes and recount the making of the film. Abrams is so funny that you could almost imagine him picking up a second career in standup comedy, a facility which he also displays on the many and varied making-of featurettes. These basically show why the film turned out to be such a success. Abrams' mantra was "How do we make this feel real?", and he constantly fought to put the film's characters first, while also favouring practical effects, in-camera trickery and model miniatures over soul-deadening CGI. "J.J is the life force behind this film," says Karl Urban, and it looks like the actor's summation is spot-on, with the director's enthusiasm appearing to infuse every frame. There are lengthy featurettes on the film's casting process (which features much about the importance of the participation of Leonard Nimoy, who is memorably shown giving a very emotional speech on his final day of shooting), its aliens and its musical score, as well as an amusing gag reel. The major highlight, however, are the deleted scenes. In amongst the usual extended scenes and inconsequential trims are a couple of terrific surprises. We see the birth of Spock ("He's got your eyes," says his Vulcan father; "But your ears," replies his human mother); more of young tear-away Kirk; an extra scene featuring Spock's parents (excellently played by Winona Ryder and Ben Cross); and an impressive, highly elaborate set piece showing Eric Bana's bad guy breaking out of a Klingon prison. "That was money well spent," Abrams laughs of the obviously expensive excised scene. It's a highly entertaining features package (the Blu-ray release includes even more bonus material) absolutely befitting the best blockbuster of the year.