STAR TREK

"Live long and prosper"

Having lost his father on the day he was born, James T. Kirk (Pine) was an angry young man always getting in trouble, with no direction or purpose. After getting into a bar fight with a group of Starfleet cadets, Captain Christopher Pike (Greenwood) challenges him to enlist and give himself a goal of becoming an officer and commanding his own starship. At the same time, a young Spock (Quinto) decides to turn his back on are career in science on Vulcan to join the Federation. While both Spock's and Kirk's destinies were linked, something has happened to change future and the galaxy they know is about to change forever.

One of the biggest franchises in TV and motion picture history died in 2005 and disappeared from the small and big screen but nothing is ever dead, especially in science fiction.

After the complete failure of 'Star Trek: Nemesis' at the box office in 2002 and 'Star Trek: Enterprise' killing the franchise on TV and ending in 2005, the second biggest science fiction franchise (after Star Wars, of course) was no more. The Trekkers kept the franchise alive, the conventions were as popular as ever and the stories of Kirk, Picard, Janeway, Sisko and Archer continued in novels and comics, and this didn't go unnoticed by Paramount. Instead of turning to the people who had killed off Gene Roddenberry's beloved creation however, they turned to the man who was currently reinvigorating television and movies with hits like 'Alias', 'Lost', 'Fringe', 'Mission: Impossible III' and 'Cloverfield', J.J. Abrams.

In turning to J.J. Abrams, Paramount were hoping to tap into the creative team of Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, Damon Lindelof and Abrams himself, to relaunch the franchise that still had a completely devoted following but the reaction wasn't as positive from the Trekkers as they might have hoped. The problem was that it was announced that Abrams and his team would be attempting a plot that had been hanging around the Star Trek Universe for decades, showing Kirk and Spock in their younger, Starfleet Academy days. With fears of Abrams and his team rewriting the established history of the show and rumours of updates to past storylines, fan favourite episodes and the inclusion of all, some and only one of the original actors, Trekkers were very weary of what was going to happen to their beloved crew of the Starship Enterprise, and rightly so. The good news is that those fears are completely unfounded.

What J.J. Abrams and his creative team have done have breathed new life into a dead franchise but at the same time paid homage to what has come before. The old Star Trek plot stalwart of time travel is back but this time it is a plot device that will complete change what has come before and make you look at the Star Trek Universe in a whole new light. Yes, there are younger versions of Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Uhura, Scotty, Sulu and Chekov and a pivotal appearance by the older version of Spock, but the time travel element justifies their inclusion and sends the established universe in a whole new direction. While some of the plot twist will cause debate and even anger for some Trekkers, they create a new canvas that will redefine what we know but also strengthen some of the characters we have grown to love.

Casting was always going to be a pivotal exercise for Abrams and the good news is that he has got it spot on with all of the young actors capturing the essence of what made Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Uhura, Scotty, Sulu and Chekov so loved in the first place. Chris Pine is suitably cocky and confident as James T. Kirk. Zachary Quinto is exactly how you would expect young Spock to be. Simon Pegg's Scottish accent is first rate but it takes a while for him to appear. Zoe Saldana is beautiful as Uhura. Anton Yelchin really has fun with the Russian accent as Chekov and John Cho growing into Sulu. It is Karl Urban as Leonard 'Bones' McCoy who steals the show however and you would think that the late, great DeForest Kelly would be smiling down at him. The supporting cast is also good with Bruce Greenwood perfectly cast as Captain Pike, Ben Cross and Winona Ryder as Sarek and Amanda, Spock's parents and Leonard Nimoy is as perfect as ever, as the time travelling Spock. The only real let down is Eric Bana as Romulan bad guy Nero. Through no fault of his own, the character just doesn't get enough screen time or development to make a truly great Star Trek villain like the Borg Queen, General Chang or Khan.

With stunning visual effects, a fantastic storyline and a cast revelling in their roles, J.J. Abrams and his creative team have succeeded in resurrecting a dead franchise. While some of the plot decisions maybe controversial to die-hard Trekkers and the villain not given enough screen time to really make an impact, this is still a movie that should appeal to them but also to a new audience who just want to see a good science fiction action adventure. With J.J. Abrams in charge of 'Star Trek', the franchise is definitely going to live long and prosper.

PICTURE & SOUND

The Blu-Ray disc presents the movie in High Definition wide screen 2:40 up to 1080p, with Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround sound.

BONUS FEATURES

Disc 1

Commentary by J.J. Abrams, executive producer Brian Burk, producers Damon Lindelof and writers Alex Kurtzman and Robert Orci
The directors and his long time collaborators talk about taking over the legendary Star Trek franchise and reinvigorating it. With insights into taking on such a mammoth job, casting, the VFX and the importance of been true to the beloved characters, this is an excellent chatty and informative commentary.

Disc 2

To Boldly Go (16.41 mins/HD)
Director J.J. Abrams, executive producer Brian Burk, producers Damon Lindelof and writers Alex Kurtzman and Robert Orci and star Leonard Nimoy talk about bringing the franchise back to the silver screen.

Casting (28.53 mins/HD)
Director J.J. Abrams, executive producer Brian Burk, producers Damon Lindelof and writers Alex Kurtzman and Robert Orci and stars Leonard Nimoy, Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, John Cho, Anton Yelchin, Bruce Greenwood and Simon Pegg talk about casting the immortal roles of Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Sulu, Chekov, Scotty, Uhura and Captain Christopher Pike.

A New Vision (19.31 mins/HD)
Director J.J. Abrams, executive producer Brian Burk and writers Alex Kurtzman and Robert Orci talk about the new look of Star Trek.

Star Ships (24.33 mins/HD)
Director J.J. Abrams, production designer Scott Chambliss and star Leonard Nimoy talk about the design of the USS Kelvin, the new Shuttles, the Narada and the USS Enterprise.

Aliens (16.30 mins/HD)
A look at the new aliens in Star Trek and new designs for classic races and enemies.

Planets (16.10 mins/HD)
A look at the design of Vulcan and Delta Vega

Props and Costumes (9.22 mins/HD)
Prop Master Russell Bobbitt and costume designer Michael Kaplan shows you the new communicator, tricorder, phaser, ear piece and the new uniforms.

Ben Burtt and the Sounds of Star Trek (11.45 mins/HD)
The legendary sound designer talks about his journey into the archives to discovers the sounds from the original series and then update them for the new film.

Score (6.28 mins/HD)
Composer Michael Giacchino talks about the new music for the film and his own interpretation of the classic theme.

Deleted Scenes (13.30 mins/HD)
Entitled ‘Young Spock’, ‘Klingons take over Narada’, ‘Young Kirk, Johnny and Uncle Frank’, ‘Amanda and Sarek argue after Spock fights’, ‘Prison interrogation and breakout’, ‘Sarek gets Amanda’, ‘Dorm room and Kobayashi Maru’, ‘Kirk apologises to Green Girl’ and ‘Sarek sees Spock’, these deleted scenes are accompanied by commentary by Director J.J. Abrams, executive producer Brian Burk, producers Damon Lindelof and writers Alex Kurtzman and Robert Orci.

Star Fleet Vessel Simulator
View interactive simulations of the Narvada and the USS Enterprise

Gag Reel (6.22 mins/HD)
Watch the cast and crew have fun on the set and with their lines Trailers View the teaser trailer and the three theatrical trailers

Disc 3

Digital Copy
A digital copy of the film is included so you can watch it on your computer, portable media player or iPhone.

OVERALL

The Blu-Ray treatment for Star Trek is superb. The amount of material in the three disc presentation is first rate, with excellent featurettes and a good commentary, this is a must buy for all fans of the film and Trekkers alike.

BLU-RAY

Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan

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2009