This quoted section of the review only has minor spoilers for those who have not seen any trailers or have not been lurking on Star Trek forums.
As an action movie, it doesn't work, or indeed make sense.
No matter how much I enjoyed the dialogue and character interaction, despite my affection for the characters, I was never on the edge of my seat. I never felt as though Kirk or Spock were in genuine peril, and at no point was there the sense that this was a large-scale space adventure being ruthlessly propelled towards a grandstanding conclusion by its own dramatic intensity.
This is because the plot is a complete mess. Most of you know that the storyline incorporates a time travelling element that sees Nero return from 30 years in the future to exact vengeance. It's a story that is somewhat complicated and requires considerable exposition to keep it barely comprehensible.
Abrams is a self-confessed Star Wars fan, and he should have learnt that when constructing your own epic space movie, the best course of action is to keep things simple. The evil Empire has built a Death Star. The rebels must destroy it. After watching Star Trek, I'm still not totally sure what Nero's evil plans were or how he was going about accomplishing them.
It doesn't help that the film's best action moments occur in the first 10 minutes of the film. The movie begins with an awesome space battle (that can be glimpsed in the trailer) that had me quivering in my seat, anticipating the mind-blowing sci-fi action I would soon experience. However, Star Trek never replicates these early moments of exhilaration during the remainder of its running time. As the plot gets bogged down in its labyrinthine narrative, the mind begins to wander and you pine to see Spock and Kirk argue again.
The film is never boring, but it never takes off in a way that is seriously exhilarating or electrifying. These days we expect our $200 million summer movies to compete with The Dark Knight and Transformers: Both are obviously very different films, but they are united in their narrative urgency and intensity. Star Trek never approaches those heights.
Full Review at http://uk.movies.ign.com/articles/973/973956p1.html
As an action movie, it doesn't work, or indeed make sense.
No matter how much I enjoyed the dialogue and character interaction, despite my affection for the characters, I was never on the edge of my seat. I never felt as though Kirk or Spock were in genuine peril, and at no point was there the sense that this was a large-scale space adventure being ruthlessly propelled towards a grandstanding conclusion by its own dramatic intensity.
This is because the plot is a complete mess. Most of you know that the storyline incorporates a time travelling element that sees Nero return from 30 years in the future to exact vengeance. It's a story that is somewhat complicated and requires considerable exposition to keep it barely comprehensible.
Abrams is a self-confessed Star Wars fan, and he should have learnt that when constructing your own epic space movie, the best course of action is to keep things simple. The evil Empire has built a Death Star. The rebels must destroy it. After watching Star Trek, I'm still not totally sure what Nero's evil plans were or how he was going about accomplishing them.
It doesn't help that the film's best action moments occur in the first 10 minutes of the film. The movie begins with an awesome space battle (that can be glimpsed in the trailer) that had me quivering in my seat, anticipating the mind-blowing sci-fi action I would soon experience. However, Star Trek never replicates these early moments of exhilaration during the remainder of its running time. As the plot gets bogged down in its labyrinthine narrative, the mind begins to wander and you pine to see Spock and Kirk argue again.
The film is never boring, but it never takes off in a way that is seriously exhilarating or electrifying. These days we expect our $200 million summer movies to compete with The Dark Knight and Transformers: Both are obviously very different films, but they are united in their narrative urgency and intensity. Star Trek never approaches those heights.
Full Review at http://uk.movies.ign.com/articles/973/973956p1.html
