Star Trek successfully modernizes the franchise with a genuinely thrilling blockbuster that quickly charts its own course to free itself of the burden of continuity whilst still being a loving homage to what came before. Everything here is at operating at full power to create the ideal reboot that's great on it's own terms.
Everyone here is so perfectly cast, embodying the key parts of their characters and still making them their own. As they are essentially co-leads, Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto are the standouts. Pine has the charm of Kirk in spades with a yearning to be more hidden behind the cocky exterior. Quinto nails the cold and calculating nature of Spock that masks all the pain, wit and rage that comes with his human side.
J. J. Abrams is a real showman as a director here. He really knows how to build to an epic moment and is a master at juggling multiple things at once. With Dan Mindel's cinematography every single scene is dynamically staged and with editing courtesy of Maryann Brandon & Mary Jo Markey the pacing is flawless. It feels like the film has been trimmed down to just it's core components and yet it doesn't feel even remotely rushed.
The CGI is amazing, every penny of that $150 million budget is seen on screen with immensely detailed and gorgeously rendered starship designs. Michael Giacchino's score boldly goes into uncharted territory to create music that feels completely unique within the greater franchise. To put it simply, Star Trek has never sounded better than his work on these films.
Everyone here is so perfectly cast, embodying the key parts of their characters and still making them their own. As they are essentially co-leads, Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto are the standouts. Pine has the charm of Kirk in spades with a yearning to be more hidden behind the cocky exterior. Quinto nails the cold and calculating nature of Spock that masks all the pain, wit and rage that comes with his human side.
J. J. Abrams is a real showman as a director here. He really knows how to build to an epic moment and is a master at juggling multiple things at once. With Dan Mindel's cinematography every single scene is dynamically staged and with editing courtesy of Maryann Brandon & Mary Jo Markey the pacing is flawless. It feels like the film has been trimmed down to just it's core components and yet it doesn't feel even remotely rushed.
The CGI is amazing, every penny of that $150 million budget is seen on screen with immensely detailed and gorgeously rendered starship designs. Michael Giacchino's score boldly goes into uncharted territory to create music that feels completely unique within the greater franchise. To put it simply, Star Trek has never sounded better than his work on these films.