True story: The soon-to-be-Mrs-McNeil was talking to a co-worker and mentioned that four days after its release, she had not yet seen J.J. Abrams’ STAR TREK. Without missing a beat, her co-worker replied “How is that possible? You’re marrying a geek!”

Thanks pal.

Little does my intended’s work peer know, that while I am indeed a geek, I am not – nor have I ever been – a Trekker. Which left me very curious what a new Star Trek film could do for this particular breed of nerd.

Our story begins with the U.S.S. Kelvin, which becomes the victim of a surprise unprovoked attack. After its captain is killed, the first officer does all he can to evacuate as much crew to safety – including his own pregnant wife. As she escapes to safety, she gives birth to the officer’s son; a baby that is named James T. Kirk (Chris Pine). We learn that James grows up as a bad seed, who always seems to find trouble, and likewise appears to be wasting away his potential. This is until Captain Pike (Bruce Greenwood) pulls him out of a bar fight. Pike tells him of his father’s bravery, and practically dares him to join Starfleet.

Meanwhile, on the planet Vulcan, a young child named Spock (Zachary Quinto)is having troubles of his own. He is the son of a vulcan father and a human mother, and thus a bullseye for ridicule. As he grows into a young man, he hedges his bets and applies to both Starfleet Academy and the Vulcan Science Academy. He spurns the Vulcan elders by declining his placement, and goes on to excel at Starfleet. It’s here where he first meets young Kirk – when Kirk seems to cheat to pass an unbeatable simulation test of Spock’s design. Thus, a frosty relationship is born.

Before Kirk can be disciplined for his actions, the class of Starfleet are assigned to Starships to respond to a Vulcan distress signal. With the help of his friend Leonard “Bones” McCoy (Karl Urban), Kirk stows on to The Starship Enterprise and joins a crew that includes Captain Pike, Spock, Nyoto Uhura (Zoe Saldana), Pavel Chekov (Anton Yelchin), and Hikaru Sulu (John Cho). Most of them are so inexperienced, they wear expressions that just barely mask their deep-seeded nervousness. As the ship is en route to Vulcan, Kirk realizes that they are flying into an ambush.

When the ship arrives, and he is tragically proved right, his uneasy commission as a Starfleet officer begins. Indeed, the distress signal was actually a beacon baiting starships into a Romulan attack. What’s worse is that Spock must now watch, as the attack is turned towards his home planet. The crew of The Enterprise is forced to mature and come together quickly, in order to try and stop further destruction in the galaxy.

First thing’s first – I am not about to convert to a new religion. I’ve never understood the Trekker sub-culture, and I still don’t. But that in itself is what slants my reaction to the film. I don’t care a bean for any bit of Trek that has come before, and yet I had a blast watching this movie. The glimpses that I’ve had of the movies that have come so far have always left me with the same indifference to how seriously they take themselves…to the point where nobody ever seems to be having any fun. This vision of the quest to boldly go where no man has gone before seems to be hellbent on broadening the base. Indeed, with a well woven story that ups the action, drops the earnestness, and even serves up a few laughs, Abrams has taken Trek out of the conventions and shown the rest of us what all the fuss was about.

STAR TREK walked down a dangerous path when the filmmakers decided that it should be an origin story. If recent origin films have taught us one thing, it’s when the audience already knows what’s waiting for them at the end of the road ends, the trip to get there better be well worth the walk. In this respect, STAR TREK has succeeded admirably. The crew of The Enterprise are far from an intergalactic all-star team, and their reasons for being on the bridge are varied and amusing(Heck – Kirk and Scotty aren’t even supposed to be there!).

Indeed, the origins of the crew are spotted with distrust, distention, happenstance, fist fights, fate, and luck. It’s the way some of the best teams are created. Think about the best workplace you ever punched the clock at – chances are, everyone was brought in at different times, for different reasons, with different backgrounds. Somewhere along the line though, your group clicks, and everyone suddenly realizes that they are a part of something good. The fact that STAR TREK understands such group dynamics is what makes it a more familiar story.

The entire cast brings their A-game, though in the end, this is Zachary Quinto’s show. Showing that his work as TV’s Sylar is no fluke, he brings a wonderful range to the Spock character. Your attention always goes right to him, whether he’s playing stoic and logical, or giving us a rare glimpse of the Vulcan in a moment of violent rage. He even gets to say “Live long and prosper” with a tone of distaste it has never had. One can only hope that more big-screen parts are on the horizon for Quinto.

What STAR TREK has done is proved that a movie shouldn’t be tethered to mediocrity simply because it has a built-in audience. It’s a movie that could have been content to be a straight sci-fi geekfest. It could have pleased the long time fans, made a few million bucks, and retreated into a safe spot in the nerd lexicon. Instead, it combined a smart script, with an accessible set-up, and action that is exciting without being overindulgent. In so doing, it won over a few nerds that previously hadn’t given Trek the time of day – nerds like me.

Matineescore: ★ ★ ★ 1/2 out of ★ ★ ★ ★

 

What did you think? Please leave comments with your thoughts and reactions on STAR TREK