Film News: September 2009

Since the time I was born I have been an avid Trekkie. And now, with the release of the latest Star Trek DVD just a couple of months away, I have decided to weigh in with my review of one of the highest grossing films of 2009: Star Trek.

This movie had a lot of expectations from both the longtime fans, known as Trekkies, and from the more broad general movie going public. J.J. Abrams, a man with a great knack for commercially viable story telling had been tapped to produce and direct. Abrams promised something new and exciting while bracing fans for the fact that some tenets of the old canon might get tossed aside.

The film was either going to be a smash or a dud. It seemed as if there could not possibly be any middle ground. I saw it anxiously the night that it came out in a state of the art theater in Indianapolis, Indiana. And my breath was taken away. Everything that I had ever dreamed of Star Trek this was.

First, Abrams nailed a very act of trying to both deliver a good film and deliver good Star Trek -- something that can be very difficult to achieve. I can't say that he created the best Star Trek film ever made. No that title will always belong with Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. However he made the best entertainment that has ever been produced with the Star Trek tag on it.

Now, the movie excelled in three areas. First, and most mind blowing, were the performances. Every single performer but especially Karl Urban as Leonard "Bones" McCoy nailed there character. I thought that both Zachary Quinto (as Spock) and Chris Pine (as Kirk) also hit the ball out of the park. But some of the so-called lesser characters, especially Simon Pegg as Scotty really delivered for me as well.

The other area that the movie really exceeded my expectations was in the special effects. Now, I realize that not every Star Trek film in the past has been able to boast really top notch special effects. In some ways that has always kind of been a charming element of the franchise. However, in 2009, sub-par effects were just not going to cut it. And the guys at Paramount really pulled out the stops on this one. The space battles look tremendous and sequence on the drilling platform (involving the parachutes) will really blow you away.

The last thing that I think really sets this Trek apart is the direction by Abrams. With a lot of lens flares and cutaways he has a very distinctive visual style. He also shoots fast with a lot of wide shots and quick edits. The result is that his film bristles with action and energy. This is a credit to Abrams who has really improved as a director since he first started out on television's "Felicity."

I hope that, if you were on the fence about whether to purchase the new Star Trek DVD, that this review might convince you that the movie is really very well done. I am excited myself about both this DVD release and the future of Star Trek.

Bryan writes about media, entertainment and film for a number of websites and online publications. He is quite excited about the new DVD to be released on November 17, 2009. To read more reviews of the Star Trek DVD visit his blog. He also has recently written a piece about the best Star Trek captain.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bryan_Enderson