Summer Movies: Star Trek

On the Saturday when I saw the new J.J. Abrams reboot of the beleaguered Star Trek franchise, Paul Verhoevens's 1997 Starship Troopers was playing on the television at my gym. When I first saw Troopers, I didn't really get it. In part, this could have been because I was 17 and took everything way too seriously at the time. I couldn't get over the fact that all the characters happily accepted fascism and the form of the movie (it's presented in a kind of 129 min. recruitment film) seemed over the top.

Watched today, Starship Troopers seems a masterpiece of prescient satire, not only of the sci-fi military films like Aliens, but also of what cable news would become in the decade that follows. The characters in Troopers are all easily-recognized tropes, and easy to look at. But the movie features a number of excellent action setpieces strung together with rather silly character work by young actors like Neil Patrick Harris, Dina Meyer, Denise Richards, and Casper Van Diem. The movie doesn't beg for deeper analysis; it just exists as fun, escapist entertainment.

Star Trek wasn't originally conceived as escapist entertainment. The original television show and the many, many offspring of it (including the original movies) sought to explore the clash of cultures and responsibilities that come as man explores deeper into the world. There's a self-seriousness about the original series (and cast) that became easy to parody and has become more and more ridiculous as America's horizon became more and more reduced.

J.J. Abrams was presented with a challenge when he was asked to retool the franchise. In part, his goal was obviously to open the appeal to a larger and younger generation. Star Trek certainly has some appeal to the same types of science geeks that have always loved it, but if it going to return to the mainstream zeitgeist, it would have to find a way to speak to a generation of Americans whose parents may not even have been born when the original series aired in 1966. There's some question about whether the Star Trek universe can even be relevant after it was fully deconstructed in the very, very good Galaxy Quest (1999).

What comes to the screen is closer to Starship Troopers than it is to what Gene Roddenberry originally conceived.

The plot is largely a boondoggle for all that gets set up for later: The film begins with the birth of James Tiberius Kirk. His father and mother are on a science mission for Starfleet (Mom is already in labor) when an enormous Romluan vessel appears out of a strange phoneomenon. The Romulan vessel requests an audience with Ambassador Spock, who is unknown to the crew. The Romulan captain (played by Eric Bana in another thankless, almost unrecognizable role) destroys the ship, but not before Kirk's father is able to allow the crew to escape, sacrificing himself in the process. Later, the young Kirk is an Iowa farmboy with a rebellious streak, who eventually is convinced to join Starfleet, where he may be about to graduate in three years. He meets up with the crew that the fans have come to love: Spock, Dr. McCoy (whose presence has really been missed from the Star Trek universe), Uhura, Sulu, Chekov, and, eventually, Scotty.

The movie is beautifully composed. Abrams puts together some incredible images. The Romulan vessel is fantastic looking, and the image of the U.S.S. Enterprise being built atop the vast plains of the American midwest is breathtaking (although nonsensical when you think about it). The U.S.S. Enterprise of the new series looks more futuristic though grounded in a kind of mechanical reality. The bridge looks not unlike the FBI office in Minority Report, but deeper on the engineering decks, the ship looks like the interior of a present-day aircraft carrier, with a maze of piping and stairwells.

Most of the cast members are interesting to spend time with. Chris Pine probably has the greatest burden in playing Captain Kirk, but he resists the urge to do an impression of William Shatner. Of all the cast members, Pine comes off as having the most fun, and can be a successful axis for the franchise to spin. Zachary Quinto is excellent as Spock, although some may be waiting for him to turn into Sylar from the television show Heroes and begin eating brains. Simon Pegg is a pleasant mid-screening surprise as Scotty.

There are tons of inside jokes for casual fans or followers of the originial series or movies to note and enjoy, although this is not a movie that will alienate newcomers. Never don the red jersey, guys.

J.J. Abrams's style here is often hard to follow. Some of the fight scense are choreographed in a way that is difficult to follow for the viewer. The geography of the landscapes is hard to ascertain (personally, I'm perplexed about the scale of the Enterprise, although this has long been difficult to cobble together). The movie in itself is dynamic, but it's hard to tell sometimes what all the motion is getting us toward.

Ultimately, what the audience is left with is an attractive, interesting cast of characters that feel familiar. Abrams moves the pieces into place, but it feels like the game is just beginning. Star Trek probably feels most like (though is inferior to) Bryan Singer's 2000 film X-Men. Everything is ready to go, but there isn't really time left to get the journey started.

The primary cast is reportedly signed for at least two movies after this one. Star Trek is a good summer movie, but it won't leave anyone thinking about its deeper meanings or implications. It's possible that the existential scifi genre has been relegated to small, indie films like Sunshine, but I hold out hope that these characters can give us more to think about in the summers to come.

Just, please, stay away from the whales.

Final Verdict: Not as good as Hellboy 2: The Golden Army, but better than Pineapple Express.