Star Trek: Generations Blu-Ray Review

Rated PG (Sci-Fi Action and Some Mild Language)

Running Time: 1 Hour & 58 Minutes

Cast:

Patrick Stewart-Captain Jean-Luc Picard

William Shatner-Captain James T. Kirk

Jonathan Frakes-Commander William Riker

Brent Spiner-Lieutenant Commander Data

LeVar Burton-Chief Engineer Geordi La Forge

Michael Dorn-Lieutenant Commander Worf

Gates McFadden-Doctor Beverly Crusher

Marina Sirtis-Counselor Deanna Troi

Malcolm McDowell-Dr. Tolian Soran

Whoopi Goldberg-Guinan

Barbara March-Lursa

Gwynyth Walsh-B'Etor

James Doohan-Captain Montgomery 'Scotty' Scott

Walter Koenig-Commander Pavel Chekov

Alan Ruck-Captain John Harriman

Jacqueline Kim-Ensign Demora Sulu

Majel Barrett-Ship's Computer

Directed by David Carson

You have two of the finest captains in the history of Starfleet and what do you have them do? Cook breakfast.

Note: Part of the "Star Trek The Next Generation Motion Picture Collection" Blu-Ray set.

“Star Trek The Next Generation” finally ended its seven year run in May of 1994 but that wasn’t the end for Captain Picard and the crew of the USS Enterprise-D, because the seventh film, “Star Trek Generations,” was just around the corner. Released on November 18, 1994 and now available on Blu-Ray, “Generations” was supposed to be a ‘passing of the torch’ moment with the much-hyped meeting of Picard and Kirk from the Original Series. To be honest, this is my least favorite of the TNG films because it feels like an extended episode of the TV series. Despite being bogged down by a rather bland story and weak villains, there are still enough moments to win over most Trek fans. 

The USS Enterprise-B is about to begin its maiden voyage and former captains James T. Kirk (William Shatner), Montgomery Scott (James Doohan) and Commander Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig) are on-hand to send the ship on her way. However, they receive a distress call about two ships trapped in some sort of ‘energy ribbon’ and the Enterprise is the closest ship to conduct a rescue. The ships happen to carrying El-Aurian refugees who are escaping from the Borg and while some of them managed to be rescued, the Enterprise becomes trapped in the energy ribbon. Kirk descends to the Engineering Bay to simulate to effect of a photon torpedo to break free and he succeeds, although he is killed after a hull breach. 78 years later, Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) of the USS Enterprise-D is attending a ceremony to promote Worf (Michael Dorn) to the rank of Lieutenant Commander when they receive a distress call from the Amargosa Solar Observatory. Commander Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and his away team find only one survivor, a Dr. Tolian Soran (Malcolm McDowell), and the body of a dead Romulan. While Data (Brent Spiner) and LaForge (LeVar Burton) are investigating the observatory for clues, they come under attack by Soran, who launches a solar probe to destroy the nearby Amargosa star. He captures LaForge and is beamed to safety with the help of the Duras sisters, Lursa and B'Etor (Barbara March and Gwynyth Walsh). Picard learns from Guinan (Whoopi Goldberg) that Soran is trying to get back into the Nexus, a place where time has no meaning and where one’s every dream becomes reality. With time running out, Picard and his crew must find a way to stop Soran and enlist the aid of a long-dead Starfleet captain. 

The plot of “Star Trek Generations” definitely feels like little more than an excuse to have Picard and Kirk team up and is rife with a few plot holes. One of the more obvious is when Picard is in the Nexus and is told he can leave to any point in time since time has no meaning. He chooses to arrive mere minutes before Soran is about to destroy the Viridian star when he could’ve just picked any time and catch Soran unawares. Writer Ronald D. Moore reasoned that it was because Picard didn’t want to tamper with the timeline, a lame excuse if I ever heard any. Still, like all Trek films, there is a theme and this time it’s time and mortality. When Picard gets the news that his older brother and nephew had died in a fire, he remarks that he was become aware that ‘there were fewer days ahead than they are behind,’ meaning he has spent most of life dedicated to Starfleet that he has neglected to start a family and raise children. Kirk also feels this way in the prologue when he questions how Hikaru Sulu found time for family. By the end of the film, Picard comes to the conclusion that there’s no point lamenting on what you could or couldn’t do but to try to make the most of whatever time you have left (‘I rather believe that time is a companion who goes with us on the journey and reminds us to cherish every moment, because it will never come again’). Of course, Soran does not see it this way and wants to use the Nexus as a way of bringing his family back after they were attacked by the Borg. Even though what the Nexus creates is all an illusion, he doesn’t care. Like the sequel, “First Contact,” there’s a subplot involving Data, who has now taken that leap of faith and installed the emotion chip from his evil brother, Lore. This leads to much hilarity such as when he starts guffawing at a joke made seven years ago and expresses his love of scanning life-forms through song. Some of it borders on being cheesy but come on, it’s Data! 

The acting is generally good and Patrick Stewart continues to have a commanding presence whenever he’s on-screen. Unfortunately, when he finally meets Kirk face-to-face, the moment just isn’t as powerful as I thought it would be. Also,  when Kirk finally does go down fighting, the scene doesn’t pack any emotional punch. Malcolm McDowell’s Soran also doesn’t appear to be menacing at all but it’s more the fault of the writers in handling the character than his performance. The special effects are a cut above from the TNG series but lacks the ‘wow effect’ when I first laid eyes on the Enterprise-E in “First Contact.” Although Industrial Light & Magic did create a digital model of the Enterprise-D, they still used physical models to keep costs down. The most impressive set-piece would be the Stellar Cartography room, which provides a three-dimensional view of space and various planets on a two-dimensional screen. There’s also a ship battle between the Enterprise and a Klingon Bird of Prey but it pales in comparison to the one in “First Contact.” The film crew also tore up the Enterprise real good with consoles exploding everywhere and the scene when it crash lands into Viridian III is the most visually impressive. 

The Blu-Ray looks very good for a film made in 1994 and close-up shots on the actors/actresses faces reveal incredible detail. Hell, I could see every line on Data’s face! However, it makes much of the dated effects look like it came from the Sci-Fi Channel and you’ll notice a slight outline whenever a person is standing behind a blue-screen. Audio is better as weapon sounds like disrupter fire or photon torpedoes pack quite a punch, especially during the space battle over Viridian III. Things get even louder as the Enterprise crashes into the planet below and you can feel the floor shake as it skids to a stop in a forest. Special features include audio commentaries from director David Carson and Manny Coto, writers Brannon Braga and Ronald D. Moore and various featurettes detailing the production process such as visual effects and creating the weapons. Like “First Contact,” Paramount spared no effort in packing the disc with extras. 

“Star Trek Generations” received quite a large amount of hype leading up to its release (including an official website dedicated to the film) but critical reception was mixed, with a 48% on Rotten Tomatoes. The film made $76 million domestic and $118 million worldwide, impressive considering it had a $35 million production budget. “Star Trek Generations” is an average Trek film with a few good moments but the story is nothing more than an excuse to bring Picard and Kirk together. While it succeeds in passing the torch to the TNG crew, one can’t help but feel like they’re watching a double length TV episode of the series.

Final Rating: 3 out of 5

"Someone once told me that time was a predator that stalked us all our lives. I rather believe that time is a companion who goes with us on the journey and reminds us to cherish every moment, because it will never come again. What we leave behind is not as important as how we've lived."

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District 9 Review

Rated R (Bloody Violence and Pervasive Language)

Running Time: 1 Hour & 52 Minutes

Cast:

Sharlto Copley-Wikus Van Der Merwe

Vanessa Haywood-Tania Van Der Merwe

Jason Cope-Grey Bradnam (UKNR Chief Correspondent)

Nathalie Boltt-Sarah Livingstone (Sociologist)

Sylvaine Strike-Dr. Katrina McKenzie

John Summer-Les Feldman (MIL Engineer)

William Allen Young-Dirk Michaels

Nick Blake-Francois Moraneu (CIV Engineer Team)

Jed Brophy-James Hope (Police Officer)

Louis Minnaar-Piet Smit

Marian Hooman-Sandra Van Der Merwe

Johan van Schoor-Nicolas Van Der Merwe

Vittorio Leonardi-Michael Bloemstein (MNU Alien Civil Affairs)

Mandla Gaduka-Fundiswa Mhlanga

Stella Steenkamp-Phyllis Sinderson (MNU Alien Relations)

David James-Koobus Venter

Tim Gordon-Clive Henderson (Entomologist)

Directed by Neill Blomkamp

Humanity comes face-to-face with extraterrestrial life in Neill Blomkamp's "District 9."

So far, this summer has proven a general disappointment for movies, dominated by big, special effects laden films like “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” and “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra” that appeal to the lowest common denominator. Make no mistake, my feelings about those films are evident and whether you choose to agree with me or not is up to you. As we head into the final weeks of August, along comes the long-awaited “District 9,” a science fiction film directed by newcomer Neill Blomkamp with “Lord of the Rings” director Peter Jackson serving as executive producer. Blomkamp was set to direct “Halo,” based upon the famed video game franchise from Microsoft and Bungie Studios but the project has now been defunct due to budgetary concerns from 20th Century Fox and Universal Pictures. Jackson felt obligated to give Blomkamp a chance to direct another film and decided to make a full-length adaptation of his short film, “Alive in Joburg.” After seeing the film, I am left shaken as to how original and brutal “District 9” is as Blomkamp successfully crafts one of the most emotionally gut-wrenching tales that explore the darkest depths of the human soul but also their capacity for good. In a summer full of mediocre films made for mass consumption, “District 9” is a godsend and you’ll be hard pressed not to leave the theater deeply affected.

SOME SPOILERS FOLLOW! They came 28 years ago, a large alien mothership just hovering over the city of Johannesburg, South Africa. For three months, nothing happened and it was decided that a small research group would forcibly enter the ship. What they found was thousands of insect-like aliens starving and on the verge of death. At first, people welcomed them with open arms and tried to nurse them back to health at the holding facility dubbed District 9, but the aliens quickly became a drain on society. District 9 began to devolve into a colony of shantytowns, with crime rampant and the aliens, called derogatively ‘prawns,’ living in terrible conditions. Control over the colony was transferred over to Multi-National United, who cared little for the aliens’ welfare but instead wanted to reverse engineer their technology. They have been unsuccessful as the weapons only interact with alien DNA. Wikus van der Merwe (Sharlto Copley) is assigned to evict the 1.8 million aliens to District 10 but after an accident (which I will not reveal), his life is turned upside down and he is forced to become a fugitive. His only salvation lies in Christopher Johnson, an alien with a son who desperately wants to go home, and together they unlock the secrets of District 9.

This is a film that you should go in with as little knowledge as possible and the trailers have done a good job of introducing the basic premise, but the mystique is still preserved. The allegory of “District 9” is obvious: apartheid but applied to extraterrestrials. We know the horror of apartheid between whites and blacks in South Africa but how would we react to aliens just suddenly popping up? How we interact with them will certainly define the human race forever. Blomkamp shows that at first, we welcome these aliens, I mean, anyone seeing someone so malnourished would do the right thing and help them. Of course, helping them becomes a drain on society and people begin to say that these ‘prawns’ should just go. Their problems don’t concern us and whatever they’re dealing with pales in comparison with what we go through. This reminds me of how the American public slowly started to call for the withdrawal of soldiers of Iraq. The economy was tanking so why the hell are we wasting time trying to save some backwater country? As public opinion turns against the aliens, they treat them with disdain and take advantage of them. Thugs begin setting up shop, trying to get their hands on their weapons and even outright killing them to consume their flesh in order to gain ‘special powers.’ Corporations are driven by greed as they try to reverse engineer their technology and have no qualms performing horrific experiments on the aliens. District 9 is a trash heap, a concentration camp where its residents scrape by on nothing but garbage. In terms of different races, everyone tries to look out for themselves and no matter how much we say we accept everyone, deep down you’re just as prejudiced as you and me. We’ve just gotten to the point where we’re good at hiding them. When you look at the treatment of these aliens, it’s just a mirror showing us who we truly are deep down.

Out of this chaos arrives Wikus van der Merwe, played with such excellence and sincerity by Sharlto Copley, a virtual unknown actor from South Africa. When we first meet him, he’s nothing but a pencil-pusher and brown noser. While serving eviction notices to the aliens, he curses and treats them with extreme disrespect. Once the accident happens, he finally experiences first-hand the extreme cruelty of what the aliens go through. His superior, who just happens to be his father-in-law, immediately allows him to be experimented upon and the scenes where he’s pleading to see his wife (Vanessa Haywood) are gut-wrenching to watch. Once he’s a fugitive, he enlists the help of Christopher Johnson, an alien single father who’s trying to save his people. Wikus still has selfish means and is using Christopher for his own gain but as he achieves his moral awakening, he decides to put his life on the line and allow his new friend the chance to save his people.

The alien themselves are brought to life through Jackson’s own Weta Digital and they look amazingly lifelike and sympathetic. They’re black in color and have a shrimp-like appearance, communicating through clicks and chirps. One of their most unusual quirks is their love for cat food. Christopher and his son are at the heart of the story. Whenever the camera is up-close, their eyes are so expressive, revealing how much they’re on the verge of giving up. The son, as he stares at a hologram of his homeworld, asks his father how many moons it has and when he will go there but Christopher holds a pamphlet saying they can’t, because they are being relocated to District 10. There’s also another scene where the little guy curiously looks at Wikus and remarks that they’re the same. The relationship between parent and child shows more humanity than Wikus’ own family. It’s easy to dismiss them as nothing more as CG creations but that line of thought is absolutely wrong. As the film convinces us that mankind is the enemy, one wouldn’t feel any guilt if the aliens unleashed hell like the ones in “Independence Day.” In fact, it would be just. The ship itself is never shown off like another CGI effect and is little more than an afterthought, allowing us quick glimpses while remaining fuzzy in the background. The second half explodes with quite a lot of action, as Wikus and Christopher fight their way through MNU with alien weaponry, which isn’t all that advanced but absolutely destructive. You’ll see quite a lot of bodies explode and it earns it’s R-rating in spades. There’s also the Mech scene and that’s when the film has you firmly in its grasp as you’re wondering if there’s any hope for Wikus or Christopher. Blomkamp utilizes a documentary-style to tell the story through the use of testimonials looking back at these events and their effects on the human community. It lends the movie realism and allows us to accept what we’re being told as ‘fact.’

Released nationwide today, pre-release buzz of “District 9” has been immensely positive, and critic reviews reflect with that, with an 87% on Rotten Tomatoes. Made on a relatively small budget of $30 million, the film may make three times this amount through positive word-of-mouth, though when I was at the theater today, there was only a moderate amount of people. “District 9” also leaves many of its plot threads unresolved so while a sequel is likely, I think it’s better to leave it as a stand-alone film and let it foster debate of what happens next. This film has single-handedly saved a summer dominated by inane toilet humor and loud explosions and one will leave the theater disturbed when ‘gazing through the dark lens of…human nature’ (James Berardinelli, ReelViews). Berardinelli also wishes that the ‘inhabitants of Earth never encounter visitors from another planet because the reality of how we might interact with them could be close to what is depicted here, and that's a depressing thought.’ “District 9” is brutal and cynical, depicting humanity at its worst but also at their best. No question this is the best movie of the summer by far and has all the makings of a classic science-fiction masterpiece.

Final Rating: 5 out of 5

"There are a lot of secrets in District 9."

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Orphan Review

Rated R (Disturbing Violent Content, Some Sexuality and Language)

Running Time: 2 Hours & 3 Minutes

Cast-

Vera Farmiga-Kate Coleman

Peter Sarsgaard-John Coleman

Isabelle Fuhrman-Esther

Aryana Engineer-Max Coleman

Jimmy Bennett-Daniel Coleman

C.C.H. Pounder-Sister Abigail

Margo Martindale-Dr. Browning

Rosemary Dunsmore-Grandma Barbara

Karel Roden-Dr. Värava

Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra

Don't you hate it when the little girl you adopted turns out to be a killer psycho?

Nothing is scarier than a little child. A few years ago I worked at a tutoring place for afterschool children and was assigned the most rowdy bunch to look after. Food was thrown at me and following endless requests to make them do their homework, I ended up quitting right then and there. At around five hours, it remains one of the shortest jobs I've ever held. Of course, those children are angels compared to the one in "Orphan," the latest film from Joel Silver's Dark Castle Entertainment. "Orphan" is a back-to-basics 'killer kid' film that tends to give into standard horror conventions at times but Jaume Collet-Serra's picture makes up for it with an intriguing mystery, well-developed characters, and good performances—especially from Isabelle Fuhrman as the creepy Esther.

SOME SPOILERS FOLLOW! After a disturbing scene which will give pregnant women everywhere nightmares, Kate Coleman (Vera Farmiga) wakes up in the middle of the night reminiscing about her third child, Jessica, who was still-born. Her marriage with John (Peter Sarsgaard) has been in a downward spiral ever since as she struggles to recover from a drinking problem that led to her daughter, Max (Aryana Engineer), becoming deaf. To regain a sense of normalcy in their lives, the couple decides to go the adoption route and immediately takes a liking to a nine-year-old Russian orphan named Esther (Isabelle Fuhrman). She's well-mannered, creates amazing artwork, and is incredibly mature for her age but tends to be shy around other children. 'I guess I'm just different,' she says and Kate, being the liberal parent she is, remarks, 'Well, there's nothing wrong with being different.' Esther immediately bonds with Max but Kate's older son, Daniel (Jimmy Bennett) makes fun of her, particularly the way she dresses. Of course, good things never come without a price and soon, bad things start happening around Esther. A little girl gets pushed off the playground slide and breaks her leg. The nun from the adoption agency goes missing and later turns up dead with her skull bashed open. Through it all, Esther remains behind her 'cute girl' smile but beneath that façade is a disturbing serial killer. As Kate's world begins to fall apart, she desperately tries to convince her family that Esther is not what she seems…but it may be already too late.

"Orphan" uses the classic plot device where a main character knows the truth but everyone is convinced he or she is mad and won't have any of it. While it's definitely a familiar concept by this point, Spanish director Jaume Collet-Serra handles it well enough by taking the time to develop his characters, a concept that has become all but foreign to the myriad PG-13 'horror' films that Hollywood studios seem fit to continuously dump on audiences. There are some problems, such as when Esther's secret is finally revealed. I'll admit that it surprised me since I was expecting some sort of supernatural angle or that she simply had an obsessive Electra complex but the twist, while novel, just didn't seem all that plausible if you looked at it from a scientific perspective. The ending also suffers from 'villain-who-won't-die' syndrome. When it comes to the actual horror, Collet-Serra demonstrates an overreliance on jump scares. You get a nice, quiet scene and then suddenly the sound blares but hey, it's only your dopey, smiling husband! None of these issues detract from the film too much and I generally enjoyed "Orphan" thanks to the intriguing premise that kept me on my toes until the very last minute.

The acting is solid, considering both Vera Farmiga and Peter Sarsgaard have been mainstays in numerous indie films. Farmiga is convincing as the mother who's haunted by her past and overcome with grief over the loss of her third child. We sympathize with everything she's been through and when she finally takes matters into her own hands, we cheer her on. Sarsgaard doesn't fare as well unfortunately, mainly because he seems to sleepwalk through his role. He plays the understanding, oblivious husband who doesn't find anything wrong until it's too late. Generally speaking, any capable actor can play this role without too much fuss. The best performance comes from twelve-year-old Isabelle Fuhrman as the creepy killer kid Esther. She transitions from the cute little girl with pigtails to sneering murderer effortlessly. Some of her scenes take on a whole new level of creepy, such as when she dresses up in a black gown, wearing mascara and lipstick in an attempt to seduce Kate's husband. I said to myself, 'All right, I hope this isn't going where I think its going!' Fuhrman also excels at dealing with the darker side of adult emotions, displaying such malice behind her eyes that'll unnerve you. When she is caught watching Kate and John make love on the kitchen table, Kate attempts to explain 'the birds and the bees' but Esther surprises her with two words: 'They f*ck.' It's delivered in such a nonchalant way with just a hint of menace and I can tell you, the audience was taken aback! I see great things in Fuhrman's future and hopefully she'll have a successful career. The rest of the cast includes Aryana Engineer and Jimmy Bennett as Kate and John's children, Max and Daniel. Aryana is forced to communicate using only her body language since she's playing a deaf character but she does a good job. One particularly memorable moment is when Max has this priceless look of shock upon seeing Esther dressed up like Little Bo-Peep for school.

Released on July 24, 2009, "Orphan" has received largely mixed reviews with 55% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics felt that 'it has moments of dark humor and the requisite scares [but the film] fails to build on its interesting premise and degenerates into a formulaic, sleazy horror/thriller.' It will probably reach number three or four at the domestic box office, seeing as how it's competing with two other movies this weekend: Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler's battle-of-the-sexes comedy "The Ugly Truth" and the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced "G-Force," about guinea pig spies, of all things. There was also a small controversy from the adoption community that claimed the film promotes a negative stereotype about orphans and there's even a Facebook group calling for people to boycott the picture. Honestly, they're making a big fuss over nothing but people will always find something to be offended about. Although "Orphan" may stumble by relying on standard horror conventions a little too much, it remains an above-average film that most will enjoy thanks to a standout performance from Isabelle Fuhrman. It sure gives a new meaning to 'hell hath no fury like a woman scorned' or, in this case, little girl!

Final Rating: 3.5 out of 5

"I'm NOT your f*cking mommy!"

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The Hangover Review

Rated R (Pervasive Language, Sexual Content Including Nudity, and Some Drug Material)

Running Time: 1 Hour & 40 Minutes

Cast:

Bradley Cooper-Phil Wenneck

Ed Helms-Stu Price

Zach Galifianakis-Alan Garner

Justin Bartha-Doug Billings

Heather Graham-Jade

Ken Jeong-Leslie Chow

Rachael Harris-Melissa

Jeffrey Tambor-Sid Garner

Sasha Barrese-Tracy Garner

Mike Tyson-Himself

Jernard Burks-Leonard

Mike Epps-Black Doug

Bryan Callen-Eddie Palermo

Directed by Todd Phillips

'Crazy night' would be a massive understatement for these three friends in Todd Phillips' "The Hangover."

Can you handle Vegas? Well, some people obviously can’t in Todd Philips’ latest comedy “The Hangover,” released into theaters on June 5, 2009. As you’ve noticed, I’m rather late with this review and while raunchy comedies is usually not one of favorite genres, I decided to check out the film after hearing so much positive word-of-mouth. “The Hangover” takes a worn, predictable concept and turns it on its head, creating one of the funniest films I’ve seen thanks to the chemistry between the three leads but at times, the comedy may get too juvenile for some viewers. 

SOME SPOILERS FOLLOW! Doug Billings (Justin Bartha) is getting married in two days so his friends, Phil Wenneck (Bradley Cooper), Stu Price (Ed Helms), and his soon to be brother-in-law Alan Garner (Zach Galifianakis) take him to Las Vegas in an attempt to throw him the wildest bachelor party ever. The four friends decide to get the most expensive suite at Caesar’s Palace and after a rooftop toast, wake up the next morning with absolutely no recollection of what happened during the previous twelve hours. The entire suite has turned into a wreck, with a tiger in the bathroom, someone’s crying baby in the closet, Stu missing a tooth, and worst of all, Doug has gone completely missing! Phil gathers his remaining two friends in an attempt to retrace their steps and find Doug but learns that their wild night was beyond anything they could’ve imagined as they get into one ridiculous situation after the other. 

When I originally viewed the trailer, my first impression was that of another throwaway, clichéd R-rated comedy and while the film begins conventionally, Philips smartly jumps over the groups expected raucous activities, leaving it a mystery for both the audience and the characters. This is precisely what makes “The Hangover” so outrageously hilarious, with everyone trying to piece together what happened and finally coming full circle by the film’s end. The second half falters somewhat with the inclusion of a standard kidnapping plot, and you know that the three friends will eventually find Doug and make it to the wedding but these are minor quibbles compared to the payoff during the end credits. If there was any major flaw that I would point to is that the revelation of where Doug was all this time was a bit of a letdown and came too easily, almost as if the filmmakers were in a rush to wrap it up. 

Most of the success comes from the odd mix of characters gathered on-screen and while other films derive their comedy when they don’t work together, there are much more laughs when they do as the three friends are put through the gauntlet, getting hit by cars, beat up by thugs, tasered by children and mauled by a tiger. Phil is the former ‘cool guy’ who has settled into a rather mundane life with a wife and child, and he keeps the group together as the situations seem to grow more outlandish. Cooper is essentially playing the straight man role with a slight air of arrogance, a school teacher who seems to have no qualms about stealing from his students for a fake trip. He doesn’t seem too appreciative of the life he’s built, longing for the freedom from before he was married but predictably, changes his tune by the film’s end. Stu is much more memorable thanks to Ed Helm’s performance, a dentist that is so dominated by his controlling girlfriend, Melissa (Rachael Harris) that he can’t even make his own decisions and freaks out at everything. We learn that he’s planning to actually propose to Melissa but Doug reveals that she had cheated on him before with a bartender, to which Stu replies that ‘he didn't even come inside her’ and that it was ‘a good thing [because] she's afraid of semen.’ As he retraces his steps, Stu learns that he had inadvertently married a stripper named Jade (Heather Graham) but technically, she’s more of an escort! Worst of all, she’s wearing his grandmother’s Holocaust ring, the same ring that he was going to use to propose to Melissa. Of course, Alan, being the eccentric, possibly mentally-ill weirdo, says aloud, ‘I didn’t know they gave out rings at the Holocaust.’ 

Speaking of Alan, Zach Galifianakis steals every scene in the movie and no matter how crazy his behavior gets, everything he does is pure comedic gold. During the drive to Vegas, he says that counting cards is frowned upon similar to ‘masturbating on an airplane’ but it’s now illegal since 9/11 because ‘everybody got so sensitive.’ Later on when he finds the baby in the closet, he mimes the baby masturbating and exclaims, ‘He's jackin' his little weenus! Not at the table, Carlos!’ Some may find it in poor taste but I couldn’t help but laugh. There’s also a reference to “A Beautiful Mind” when Alan turns out be a mathematical savant and uses his ability at the blackjack table. What makes Galifianakis’ character stick out is his sincerity in playing a spaced-out simpleton who at times amazes us with his calmed logic, such as when a panicked Stu screams that Doug ‘is probably face down in a ditch right now with a meth head butt-f*cking his corpse,’ to which Alan replies, ‘That's highly unlikely.’ 

Most of the laughs come from the first half of the film as the group is arrested for stealing a police vehicle and to get out of jail time, Phil negotiates a deal where they ‘volunteer’ to be in a demonstration in the use of tasers. Sure, one of them gets hit in the nuts but it’s the fact that children are the ones tasering them that makes it funny. Later, they manage to retrieve Doug’s prized Mercedes, only to discover a naked Chinese man in the trunk, who promptly attacks them with a tire iron. The man is later revealed to be a mobster named Leslie Chow (Ken Jeong), but he soon wears out his welcome with his over-the-top, juvenile performance that stereotypes both Asians and homosexuals. Although the second half begins to lose steam as there are too many lulls between the laughs, “The Hangover” makes up for it with a hilarious appearance from Mike Tyson and a slideshow of pictures during the end credits that reveals what happened during the group’s wild night. Some of it even borders on NC-17 and will leave some viewers wondering if they saw what they really thought they saw! 

“The Hangover” is another film that took everyone by surprise, earning a solid 78% on Rotten Tomatoes, with professional critics citing a ‘clever script and hilarious interplay among the cast.’ Made on a relatively low budget of $35 million, the film opened #1 at the box office with $45 million, just edging out Pixar’s “Up” and stayed there for two weeks. Currently, it has grossed $194 million domestic and $224 million worldwide, making the film a rousing success for Warner Brothers. It was a full house at the theater when I saw the film last night (surprising, since it has been out for over a month now) and everyone thoroughly enjoyed it. So far, the drops have been rather minimal, similar to “Star Trek,” thanks to positive word-of-mouth, while other more highly anticipated films have faced a 60% or more drop off in the second week of release. At first glance, “The Hangover” may look like another forgettable R-rated comedy with a trite concept but Todd Philips manages to take this concept and give it a twist, resulting in hilarious situations thanks to the chemistry between the three main characters that overshadows its weaker second half and some of its more juvenile/stereotypical humor. Guaranteed, this is the most fun you’ll have at the theater this summer!

Final Rating: 4 out of 5

"What do tigers dream of when they take their little tiger snooze? Do they dream of mauling zebras, or Halle Berry in her Catwoman suit? Don't you worry your pretty striped head, we're gonna get you back to Tyson and your cozy tiger bed. And then we're gonna find our best friend Doug, and then we're gonna give him a best friend hug. Doug, Doug, oh, Doug, Dougie, Dougie, Doug, Doug! But if he's been murdered by crystal meth tweakers, well then we're sh*t out of luck." 

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Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - The IMAX Experience Review

Rated PG-13 (Intense Sequences of Sci-Fi Action Violence, Language, Some Crude and Sexual Material, and Brief Drug Material)

Running Time: 2 Hours & 30 Minutes

Cast-

Shia LaBeouf-Sam Witwicky

Megan Fox-Mikaela Banes

Josh Duhamel-Major William Lennox

Tyrese Gibson-Sergeant Robert Epps

Ramon Rodriguez-Leo Spitz

John Turturro-Reggie Simmons

Kevin Dunn-Ron Witwicky

Julie White-Judy Witwicky

Isabel Lucas-Alice

Glenn Morshower-General Morshower

John Benjamin Hickey-Galloway

Rainn Wilson-Professor Colan

Peter Cullen (voice)-Optimus Prime

Hugo Weaving (voice)-Megatron

Tony Todd (voice)-The Fallen

Robert Foxworth (voice)-Ratchet

Jess Harnell (voice)-Ironhide

André Sogliuzzo (voice)-Sideswipe

Grey DeLisle (voice)-Arcee

Tom Kenny-Wheelie/Skids

Reno Wilson-Mudflap

Mark Ryan (voice)-Jetfire

Charlie Adler (voice)-Starscream

Frank Welker (voice)-Soundwave/Devastator/Reedman/Grindor

Calvin Wimmer (voice)-Wheelbot

Michael York (voice)-Prime #1

Kevin Michael Richardson (voice)-Prime #2/Skipjack/Rampage

Robin Atkin Downes (voice)-Prime #3

Directed by Michael Bay

Outside of the forest battle halfway through the film, everything else about "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" is total garbage.

We’ve finally arrived at the most anticipated movie of the summer, “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” released into conventional theaters and IMAX yesterday. The sequel to the 2007 hit has been outselling “Star Trek” in advanced ticket sales and your favorite reviewer has returned from the multiplex to give you the verdict. Unfortunately, “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” is a massive disappointment and earns the dubious honor of being the worst summer film I’ve seen so far. The visual effects are still state-of-the-art but they’re no longer any special and while Bay certainly ups the ante in scope, everything else from the story to the characters suffers. The sexual humor extends the camp factor to an almost unbearable limit and by the time the film meanders toward its loud climax, you’d wish it ended forty minutes earlier.

SOME SPOILERS FOLLOW! After a short prologue taking place in 17,000 BC, we return to our main characters two years after the first film, with the Autobots, led by Optimus Prime (voice of Peter Cullen) joining forces with the British and American military to form NEST, an organization devoted to hunting down the remaining Decepticons on Earth. Both Major William Lennox (Josh Duhamel) and Sergeant Robert Epps (Tyrese Gibson) are part of this newly formed organization. Meanwhile, Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) is preparing to go to college and while going through his belongings, he finds a shard of the All-Spark. Upon touching it, his mind is filled with ancient Cybertronian text. He requests his girlfriend, Mikaela Banes (Megan Fox) to keep the shard for safe keeping and says good-bye to his guardian, Bumblebee. In space, Soundwave, the Decepticons’ intelligence officer, hacks a United States military satellite in an attempt to learn the location of Megatron’s corpse and a shard of the All-Spark in the hopes of resurrecting their leader. The shard happens to be heavily guarded in a NEST bunker and Soundwave sends Ravage to retrieve it. Deep in the Laurentian Abyss, the Constructicons revive Megatron (voice of Hugo Weaving), who flies into space and meet his true master, the Fallen (voice of Tony Todd), one of the original thirteen Transformers who is now looking for a Sun Harvester, a large device that can harvest the energy of a planet’s sun and convert it into energon, the lifeblood of all Transformers. The Autobots now must face their old foes, the Decepticons, in battle once more and protect Sam, whose mind holds the key to the survival of the Transformers and their hidden origins.

First let’s look at the plot of “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.” Unfortunately, there is none because everything is a damn near incomprehensible mess. Of course, story is never important in these types of films but if that’s true, why did Bay and writers Ehren Kruger, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman spend two hours and thirty minutes telling it? What made the first film mostly work was that amidst all the mindless robot battles lay a simple coming-of-age tale of a boy buying his first car and taking that first step into adulthood. No such themes are found here and the sequel’s sense of scope begins to work against it as we’re introduced to convenient plot devices such as a large ‘rail gun’ that the U.S. military just happens to have and when Sam discovers the ‘Matrix of Leadership,’ which just happens to have the ability to resurrect a major character. Another problem is that "Revenge of the Fallen" reaches its climax about midway and after that, it comes to a screeching halt as it wanders aimlessly toward the final battle. The sequel tries to cover too much ground by piling on the mythology even when it makes no sense and requires too much suspension of disbelief.

It doesn’t help that the characters aren’t all that engaging and Shia LaBeouf seems to have lost much of the wit and charm he had in the first film. Still, I can say that Sam remains the most fleshed-out character, which is no surprise considering he’s always at the center of everything but it’s hard to care about his mission because there’s just no emotional investment. When he suffers a fatal blast from Megatron that leaves him near-death, we don’t feel any grief because we know Bay will find some way to bring him back or there’s no “Transformers 3.” This film reaffirms the fact that Megan Fox absolutely cannot act. When her character Mikaela first appears, she’s wearing ultra-short, cut-off jeans and leaning suggestively on top of a motorcycle. This led to all the male audience members to start whooping and hollering. Yes, we get it, Fox is really attractive and I don’t dispute that but here, it’s just overdone way too much as we’re constantly reminded of how good-looking she is. During the final battle, there’s debris and dirt flying everywhere but amazingly, Fox’s white jeans remain clean throughout that entire sequence! I certainly would like a pair of these special pants as it would sure save on quarters at the local Laundromat! Both Duhamel and Gibson’s characters are now little more than cardboard cutouts with their macho-man banter, taking part in the action yet adding little to the plot. Sam’s neurotic parents, played by Kevin Dunn and Julie White, continues to steal the show in one of the film’s more humorous bits when White’s character accidentally eats brownies that are filled with weed while visiting Sam’s college campus. John Turturro also reprises his role as Reggie Simmons, who now works in a Brooklyn deli since the U.S. government has disbanded Sector 7. Unfortunately, his character is now more annoying than ever and we’re even treated to a shot of his bare buttocks in a thong. Seriously, Bay, was that even necessary? Joining the cast is Ramon Rodriguez (last seen in “The Taking of Pelham 123”) as conspiracy theorist Leo Spitz but he soon wears out his welcome with his incessant screaming that I wished one of the Decepticons would just step on him.

As for the Transformers themselves, they’re still relegated to supporting characters but the film suffers from what I call “X-Men 3 syndrome” as a gaggle of unknown, uncharacterized robots just suddenly pop up to wail on each other and little else. Outside of Optimus Prime, Megatron and a few others, all the other robots are interchangeable, and they exist only to fight because someone decided that’s all the core audience is interested in. Some of the new Transformers wear out their welcome fast, such as Jetfire (voice of Mark Ryan) with his grumpy old man shtick or Wheelie (voice of Tom Kenny), who ends up latching on to Fox’s leg and humping it. Those are minor gripes compared to Mudflap and Skids, two of the worst racial stereotypes I’ve seen in a film since Jar Jar Binks in “Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.” Both of them have gold buck teeth, speak in street slang and get this, they admit that they’re illiterate! This is the twenty first century and its amazing films have to fall back on these offensive caricatures just to provide a cheap laugh. Just when it couldn’t get any worse, Bay fills the entire film with a constant barrage of campy sexual humor that makes “Batman & Robin” look like an Academy Award-winning masterpiece. We have dogs humping each other, Megan Fox landing on people’s crotches, and testicles on Devastator. The audience just ate it up, laughing throughout at the most inane and banal of jokes. The one thing I can positively say is that the special effects and action scenes don’t disappoint but even then they begin to grow tiresome. Bay has refined his technique in making the fights more comprehensible and the highlight would be when Optimus Prime takes on Megatron, Starscream, and Grindor in a thrilling forest battle but when the all-out rumble begins to take place in an Egyptian desert, you’re just too exhausted to even care about the outcome anymore. Roger Ebert says it best, ‘If you want to save yourself the ticket price, go into the kitchen, cue up a male choir singing the music of hell, and get a kid to start banging pots and pans together. Then close your eyes and use your imagination.’

Critics agreed with everything I have mentioned as “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” currently holds the lowest rating of all the high-profile summer releases: 22% on Rotten Tomatoes. I know I hold an unpopular opinion with this film and I’ll probably get bashed for it but that’s something a critic, even an amateur one has to deal with it. So far, the box office gross stands at a record-breaking $60.6 million for a movie opening on a Wednesday, surpassing 2004’s “Spider-Man 2,” which earned $59.8 million that same day. There is no doubt now that the film will open at number one at the box office and the final figure might be upwards of $150 million. Last year, “The Dark Knight” was the highest grossing film of the year and had emotionally resonant characters and an intelligent script that asked interesting questions of what a man would do to save a city, the likes of which is rarely seen in a high-profile summer picture. I can’t help but think of Joshua Starnes' review on ComingSoon, where he wrote that 'the people the film was made for won't notice; they'll like it for what it is. Which, on consideration, is probably the saddest thing of all. As long as you're willing to accept crap, you're not likely to get anything better.' At first, I thought it was too harsh of a statement but after seeing this garbage on the big screen, it’s apt. Nonetheless, it doesn’t matter what I or other critics think, because the film will still make millions of dollars but as you’re watching, keep Starnes' statement in the back of your mind. If “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” has already sunk this low, I can’t imagine how the third film will turn out.

Final Rating: 1.5 out of 5

"Fate rarely calls upon us at a moment of our choosing."

Addendum: Having seen "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" in IMAX, I am here to report that there are only two scenes shot with full IMAX cameras: the forest battle between Optimus Prime and the Decepticons and when Devastator rampages across the Egyptian desert.

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Transformers Blu-Ray Review

Rated PG-13 (Intense Sequences of Sci-Fi Action Violence, Brief Sexual Humor, and Language)

Running Time: 2 Hours & 24 Minutes

Cast-

Shia LaBeouf-Sam Witwicky

Megan Fox-Mikaela Banes

Josh Duhamel-Captain William Lennox

Tyrese Gibson-Sergeant Robert Epps

Rachael Taylor-Maggie Madsen

Anthony Anderson-Glen Whitmann

John Turturro-Agent Reggie Simmons

Jon Voight-Defense Secretary John Keller

Michael O'Neill-Tom Banacheck

Kevin Dunn-Ron Witwicky

Julie White-Judy Witwicky

Amaury Nolasco-ACWO Jorge 'Fig' Figueroa

Zack Ward-First Sergeant Donnelly

Bernie Mac-Bobby Bolivia

Peter Cullen (voice)-Optimus Prime

Hugo Weaving (voice)-Megatron

Mark Ryan (voice)-Bumblebee

Darius McCrary (voice)-Jazz

Robert Foxworth (voice)-Ratchet

Jess Harnell (voice)-Ironhide/Barricade

Jimmie Wood (voice)-Bonecrusher

Reno Wilson (voice)-Frenzy

Charlie Adler (voice)-Starscream

Directed by Michael Bay

This picture is a commentary on the awesomeness of America.

Summer movies have gained a reputation for being heavily driven by special effects whose sole purpose is to make money, regardless of what critics think of said movie. No other film epitomizes this than 2007’s “Transformers,” with the sequel, “Revenge of the Fallen” opening in theaters and IMAX tomorrow. Transformers are actually a series of toys created in 1984 by a Japanese toy company called Takara Tomy. Hasbro originally handled distribution in the United States but eventually, brought the entire toy line after Takara gave them sole ownership of the series and copyrights. Takara retained its right to produce and distribute the toys for the Japanese market. Transformers quickly became popular, leading to the creation of various television shows, video games and a full-length animated film but that popularity began to wane until Michael Bay came along. While Bay’s films have certainly raked in millions at the box office with the exception of 2005’s “The Island,” his rather dubious reputation as a filmmaker invoked fears of ‘butchering’ the franchise among hardcore fans, and the radical redesign of many characters didn’t exactly help matters. Available on Blu-Ray since last year, “Transformers” certainly delivers on the spectacle that borders on sensory overload but the story often feels trite with its disparate subplots and the human characters aren’t that interesting to begin with. At the end of the day, this is either a love-it or hate-it film but for me, “Transformers” is merely just average.

After a short narration from Autobot leader Optimus Prime (voice of Peter Cullen) that explains how the war with the Decepticons destroyed their homeworld Cybertron, the film switches to present day Qatar in the Middle East where a U.S. SOCCENT base is tracking an unknown helicopter. The helicopter turns out to be none other than the Decepticon Blackout, who promptly begins to demolish the base in an attempt to hack into the U.S. military network. Captain William Lennox (Josh Duhamel) and Sergeant Robert Epps (Tyrese Gibson) lead a group of survivors but Scorponok burrows underground to follow them. Meanwhile, regular kid Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) is shopping for his first car with his father when he comes upon a faded yellow Chevy Camaro. Sam promptly buys it in an attempt to woo his school crush, Mikaela Banes (Megan Fox) but discovers to his horror that the Camaro is actually Autobot Bumblebee, who transmits a homing signal to his fellow compatriots. Led by Optimus Prime, the group reveals that they are looking for the ‘All-Spark’ and are at war with Megatron (voice of Hugo Weaving), leader of the Decepticons. A map to the location of the All-Spark happens to be etched into the glasses of Sam’s great-great grandfather, who discovered a giant ‘ice man’ buried in the Arctic Circle in 1897. Sam agrees to help the Autobots in a race against time with the Decepticons as the United States military prepare for what seems to be a full-scale alien invasion.

For a movie that is called “Transformers,” the actual Transformers are relegated to supporting characters that end up doing very little until the final thirty minutes of the film. The main plot is your typical coming-of-age story that we’ve seen thousands of times before but Shia LaBeouf’s charismatic and sincere performance makes it work. It's not particularly deep or emotionally involving and the only time that it comes close to that is when Bumblebee is captured by the government. At times, the film’s fragmented storytelling may frustrate viewers as they wonder how the subplot involving the United States military fits into Sam’s predicament but writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman manage to make it come together into a satisfying whole…for the most part. There are a few lingering plot holes involving the All-Spark, the picture’s MacGuffin, as we are led to believe that whoever possesses it wields unlimited power but this idea is thrown out the window when Sam shoves the cube into Megatron’s chest to destroy him. Of course, a film like “Transformers” seems to follow its own logic and scenes such as Frenzy walking nonchalantly through an airbase with Secret Service crawling around or the Autobots milling about in Sam’s backyard begs the question: shouldn’t someone outside the core cast notice giant anthropomorphic robots running around? I mean, they’re pretty hard to miss! Sure, Bay doesn’t want us to take the film too seriously but in reality, it just comes off as distracting. Also, Lennox trying to hide the All-Spark in 'Mission City' (actually Los Angeles) struck me as poor thinking since they know the Decepticons are coming after it so why would they go to a heavily populated area with civilians? The real reason is to have an epic battle but for all its effort to ground the film in reality, this just borders on the absurd. “Transformers” is certainly Bay’s best film to date as he spends a fair amount of time developing the characters, though some only exist mainly to sprout exposition or provide comedy relief but at the end of the day, it’s just an excuse for giant robots to pummel the metal out of each other.

The acting is somewhat mixed but Shia LaBeouf continues to prove that he has the effective screen presence to carry an entire film. His character Sam is your normal, everyday kid who’s excited about getting his first car because this is his ticket to winning the hot girlfriend. It’s a tried-and-true formula for this type of story but Shia manages to bring a maturity to Sam as the film progresses, thanks to his family motto, ‘No sacrifice, no victory.’ Unfortunately, the rest of the cast aren’t given much to do; Megan Fox serves as the obligatory eye candy and the rest of the supporting cast, which includes Josh Duhamel, Rachael Taylor, and Jon Voight, serve to provide exposition so audiences new to Transformers wouldn’t get lost in the shuffle. However John Turturro is rather memorable as the stereotypical, Area 51-like, government official. Turturro never ceases to amaze me thanks to the wide range of different genre’s he’s been involved in, being able to switch from serious to more comedic roles without any effort.

Of course, the real reason to watch “Transformers” is the robots themselves and thanks to Industrial Light & Magic, you’ll see every little gear move with life-like accuracy as they switch between bot and vehicle modes. As actual characters they don’t fare as well and with the exception of Optimus, all of them are just given a name, what their function is and that’s it. As I mentioned before, the robots end up doing very little, with the Decepticons being shortchanged the most as they just suddenly pop up for the final battle! One thing I can say positively is that the special effects are nothing short of astonishing and it was a letdown that they lost the Academy Award to “The Golden Compass.” The action scenes are very much Michael Bay and has his personal, over-the-top touch. Some of them border on sensory overload as you’ll see so many robots shooting and pummeling each other that it all starts to blur together. One of the primary complaints was that viewers had trouble telling who was fighting whom or what faction they belonged to. It was also disappointing that some of the later battles, like the one between Optimus and Megatron, partially take place off-camera, making it feel like a bit of a gyp.

“Transformers” was at the center of the format war between HD DVD and Blu-Ray and was considered to push HD DVD to victory as it was arguably the best looking high definition transfer at the time. When HD DVD was finally phased out and the film arrived on the superior Blu-Ray format in September 2008, the picture quality went beyond reference material. The opening scenes of the film are absolutely breathtaking as we see every drop of sweat on the soldiers gleaming off their pores but where the Blu-Ray really shines is in revealing all the intricacies of the robots and the hard work that was put into bringing them to life. Shadows are rich and inky and all the primary colors of the Autobots leap off the screen. The battles will leave your mouth hanging open as debris flies everywhere, windows shatter, and spent shell casings scatter all over the ground. Audio quality is likewise flawless, the highpoint being Peter Cullen’s booming and authoritative voice of Optimus Prime. When the music swells, you will get chills, especially during the scene when the Autobots crash-land to Earth. Sound effects are everywhere as buildings crumble while machine gun fire splits the air with the robots throwing each other around like rag dolls in the background, resulting in room-shaking thuds. Special features are plentiful with an audio commentary from Bay and three in-depth features on the making of the film, including a history of the Transformers franchise and the special effects involved. “Transformers” may be average but this Blu-Ray is certainly a must-buy as it is an experience you’ll never forget.

Released on July 3, 2007, “Transformers” received a mixed reception from critics, averaging a 57% on Rotten Tomatoes, citing the lack of believable characters but praised that the ‘effects are staggering and the action is exhilarating.’ Made on a surprisingly low budget of $150 million (compared to the $258 million for “Spider-Man 3”), the film earned an impressive $319 million domestic and $708 million worldwide, so a sequel was already a given. For me, “Transformers” at times borders on being plain dumb or absurd but I agree that it is one of the most entertaining movies I’ve seen in a while. The problem is that it never strives to amount to anything more than just robots fighting and that’s a damn shame but what would you expect from a Michael Bay film?

Final Rating: 3 out of 5

"Were we so different? They're a young species. They have much to learn. But I've seen goodness in them. Freedom is the right of all sentient beings."

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Star Trek Review

Rated PG-13 (Sci-Fi Action and Violence, and Brief Sexual Content)

Running Time: 2 Hours & 6 Minutes

Cast:

Chris Pine-Captain James T. Kirk

Zachary Quinto-Commander Spock

Karl Urban-Dr. Leonard 'Bones' McCoy

Zoe Saldana-Lieutenant Nyota Uhura

John Cho-Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu

Simon Pegg-Chief Engineer Montgomery 'Scotty' Scott

Anton Yelchin-Ensign Pavel Chekov

Eric Bana-Nero

Bruce Greenwood-Captain Christopher Pike

Winona Ryder-Amanda Grayson

Ben Cross-Ambassador Sarek

Jennifer Morrison-Winona Kirk

Chris Hemsworth-Commander George Kirk

Leonard Nimoy-Future Spock

Directed by J.J. Abrams

Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto  boldly goes where no man has gone before in J.J. Abrams' reboot of "Star Trek."  

Captain’s Log, Stardate 2009.07.05: Today, the much anticipated “Star Trek” has beamed into theaters and your favorite movie reviewer was there at an advance screening! The eleventh film in one of the most iconic science fiction franchises ever, Star Trek, created by Gene Roddenberry in 1966, was deemed by many critics and fans to have worn out its welcome after the disastrous box office take of 2002’s “Star Trek Nemesis,” earning a mere $43 million domestic ($67 million worldwide) and serving as a swan song to “The Next Generation” cast. Making matters worse was the declining viewership of UPN’s “Star Trek Enterprise,” leading to a truncated fourth season, being canceled in May, 2005. Many thought this to be the death knell of Star Trek but a few months later, Paramount Pictures announced that pre-production had begun for the eleventh film and it was to be a prequel that dealt with James Kirk and Spock fresh out of Starfleet Academy. The internet forums were abuzz, with many questioning why another film was being made and whether it was necessary to prolong a dying franchise. After all, “Star Wars” stopped with six films. “Transformers” writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, with “Lost” producer Damon Lindelof decided that a clean reboot would be unwise but that the new film should acknowledge what came before while also creating an opportunity to write a new set of adventures that was accessible to our generation. J.J. Abrams, creator of “Alias,” “Lost,” and “Fringe” came onboard to lend a helping hand but once he read the script, he remarked, ‘I would be so agonizingly envious of whoever stepped in and directed the movie,’ and accepted Paramount’s offer to direct in February, 2007. So, with “Star Trek” opening in wide release tomorrow, the big question would be whether the movie achieved its goals of pleasing us ‘Trekkies’ and creating a new legion of fans. I answer with a resounding YES! “Star Trek” successfully reinvigorates a franchise that was in its death throes and offers an amazing story, a perfect cast and astonishing visual effects that make “Star Wars” looks like a 1950’s film. In short, the film is a masterpiece of the best of what science fiction has to offer and is definitely a must-see summer film, whether you’re a hardcore or casual fan or just completely new to the franchise!

SOME SPOILERS FOLLOW! The film doesn’t waste any time, opening with a brutal space battle between the Federation starship USS Kelvin and a massive, heavily-armed Romulan vessel, the Narada, which emerges from a black hole. Led by the Romulan rogue Nero (Eric Bana), he demands the surrender of the Kelvin’s captain in an attempt to learn the whereabouts of a certain Ambassador Spock. First officer George Kirk takes command and begins immediate evacuation of the ship as he prevents to hold off the Narada while the survivors escape. His wife, Winona (Jennifer Morrison) gives birth to James T. Kirk onboard a shuttlecraft but his father sacrifices himself by setting the Kelvin on a collision course with the Narada. Twenty two years later, James (Chris Pine) grows to be a young, intelligent adolescent with a reckless streak. While at a bar in Iowa, he meets Nyota Uhura (Zoe Saldaña), a Starfleet cadet studying in the field of communications and alien languages. He is goaded into a fight with a group of bullying cadets and would surely have been beaten to death if it were not for the timely intervention of Captain Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood). Pike reminds James of the sacrifice that his father made and urges him to join Starfleet Academy, and with some reluctance, he relents. Along the way the he meets the eccentric Dr. Leonard ‘Bones’ McCoy (Karl Urban), who becomes his closest friend during his three years at the Academy. At the end of the semester, Kirk takes the Kobayashi Maru, an ‘unwinnable test’ designed by half-human, half-Vulcan Spock (Zachary Quinto) but is caught cheating. Before he can be reprimanded, the Academy learns of a distress signal on nearby Vulcan and all the cadets are quickly assigned to their ships. McCoy smuggles Kirk onboard the USS Enterprise, led by Captain Pike and includes Uhura, Spock, Hikaru Sulu (John Cho) and Pavel Chekov (Anton Yelchin). Kirk realizes that the situation is highly similar to the event that caused his father’s death 25 years ago and convinces Pike that they are walking into a trap. When they disengage from warp, the Enterprise finds itself in the midst of a battle involving the Narada, who are in the process of drilling into Vulcan’s core. The crew learns that Nero is from the future and has time-traveled to the past from the black hole to exact his revenge for the destruction of his homeworld, Romulus. Kirk must lead this untested crew against Nero and battle to protect their future, boldly going where no man has gone before!

Trekkies can relax their phasers, as the story in “Star Trek” is an adrenaline rush from start to finish. While it does use the worn concept of time-travel, which has already been explored in “Star Trek First Contact” in great detail, Orci and Kurtzman uses it to acknowledge the previous mythology while allowing future films to tell new, fresh adventures without being burdened by so much back-story. It does an amazing job of re-introducing all of the old characters, taking all of the familiar character traits from the original series but never outright imitating them, instead the actors/actresses provide their own unique perspective that will still be instantly recognizable by fans. One of the primary goals was to make “Star Trek” accessible to people who were unfamiliar or have shunned the franchise, and the way the writers have done it is by stripping away much of the confusing ‘Treknobabble,’ but still letting the dialogue feel distinctly Star Trek. Although the new film is definitely faster and more intense, J.J. Abrams takes the time to inject some emotion too, as we’re treated to a heartbreaking scene where Kirk’s father hears his newborn son crying through the communicator and then mere seconds after sacrifices himself.

While the entire supporting cast is given scenes to shine, the focus of “Star Trek” is always on Kirk and Spock and how they become rivals with differing ideologies to becoming best friends who are inseparable. This is in no small part thanks to the perfect casting and everyone brings their A-game in playing these iconic characters. Chris Pine is often hilarious as young Kirk but he displays a kind of determination that is often at odds with authority yet follows what he knows in his heart is right. He’s cocky and confident but is also the type of person who won’t leave any man behind. The one cast member that really goes above and beyond is Zachary Quinto as Spock and his performance is just perfect. Ever since he was a child, Spock has been an outcast due to his half-human heritage and Abrams even injects a bit of a racism issue when the council at the Vulcan Science Academy is surprised at Spock’s achievements despite his ‘disadvantage.’ You really feel in the inner turmoil that rages on Spock; on one hand he has been taught to think logically by the Vulcans but at times, cannot help but let his emotions takeover. He’s the heart and soul of the film, more so then Kirk, especially with the plot involving Romulans attempting to wipe out his entire race. All the other cast members have great scenes such as John Cho’s Sulu getting down with an old-fashioned sword fight with a group of Romulan grunts, Karl Urban’s Dr. McCoy needlessly poking and jabbing Kirk with injections and Anton Yelchin’s Chekov saving the day using math! There’s also the right amount of humor injected into the film that keeps everything from being too serious yet doesn’t go into cheesy territory. One of them is when McCoy sneaks Kirk aboard the USS Enterprise and as the situation spirals out of control, he gets an allergic reaction to an injection! There’s also a funny moment between Chekov and the voice recognition computer, plus the endless rejections between Kirk and Uhura. When Kirk sees that Uhura loves Spock, he gets this dumbfounded look that echoes just what the audience is thinking! If there was one cast member that didn’t get his due, it would be Eric Bana as the vengeance-hungry Romulan Nero. His character is not on-screen very much and I think the writers should’ve spent some more time with him so we get a better handle of his pain and seeing the loss of his homeworld. Nonetheless, Bana’s performance is fine and he looks particularly badass with all his tattoos!

The visual effects by Industrial Light & Magic are nothing short of breathtaking. All the Federation starships feature incredible detail and you can see every individual phaser on the ship moving. Sometimes it’s a little hard to tell what is going on with the use of ‘shaky cam’ and the extreme close-ups but once the camera is pulled back, prepare for a new definition of space battle that rivals even those of Star Wars! The design of the Narada impressed me the most, with its claw-like design that recalls its initial origins of being a mere mining ship, not a military vessel. The USS Enterprise maintains the basic shape of the original series but is given a much sleeker, modernized look inspired by the Enterprise-E from “Star Trek First Contact.” There’s also a “Cloverfield” reference when Kirk becomes stranded on the ice planet Delta Vega. I can only imagine just how impressive the film would look on IMAX, as I was unable to obtain tickets due to being sold out early. There is one annoying issue and that’s the overuse of lens flare in every scene. Sometimes it creates a blinding effect that might irk some people. The score from Michael Giacchino is also a joy to listen to and he delays using the familiar Star Trek until the end, signifying that the crew has finally come together.

Upon its release, no one could’ve predicted the overwhelming positive response to the film, and “Star Trek” currently stands at a whopping 96% on Rotten Tomatoes and is currently the best-reviewed movie of 2009! For anyone that still thinks Star Trek is silly and that people should ‘get a life,’ just stop, because you really shouldn’t judge until after you’ve seen the film and I have no doubt all of you naysayers will be equally impressed. I am worried about what the opening box office gross will be since the advance screening I was at had relatively few people, with almost half of the theater empty. One fan showed his dedication by coming in wearing a full Starfleet uniform! Hopefully positive word-of-mouth spreads and makes “Star Trek” become a rousing box office success. Consider the irony of this statement when someone asked Roddenberry what would become of Star Trek in the future and he answered that he ‘hoped that someday some bright young thing would come along and do it again, bigger and better than he had ever done it. And he wished them well.’ Too right, mate, too right! Be it hardcore, casual, or just plain new to the franchise, “Star Trek” is an amazing film that will have you on the edge of your seat as you prepare to BOLDLY GO WHERE NO MAN HAS GONE BEFORE!

Final Rating: 5 out of 5

"Space: the final frontier. These are the continuing voyages of the starship Enterprise. Her ongoing mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life-forms and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before!"

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