I Saw Star Trek and It's the Best Movie of the Summer

There. I said it. It’s not even summer yet, but the blockbuster season begins and ends this Friday with Star Trek. Sure, X-Men Origins: Wolverine came out last week, but any tepid urge I had to go see it has been flushed from my system. Since it’s not released until this Friday, May 8th, I’m going to keep this post as spoiler-free as I can.

I was lucky enough to score an advance screening pass at the AMC in White Marsh, Maryland, thanks to my friends Spam and Anna. My dad met me at the theater, and we all went in with cautiously high expectations.

I’m used to being let down by big-budget Hollywood movies, especially those adapted from source material I already know and love. This movie did something that very, very rarely happens: It was better than I had hoped. Way better.

Star Trek is unbelievably awesome. I loved nearly everything about this movie. The fight scenes are great. The space battles are expertly done without being visually overwhelming (I’m looking at you, George Lucas). Each cast member is perfect in his or her role. The story was well-paced and never hit a stretch where I felt it dragged. Even though the sets, ships, weapons, and costumes all received 2009 updates, they still feel like they’re a part of the familiar original story.

It somehow manages to be awesome for hardcore fans and people who have never stepped foot into a Star Trek universe, something I thought would be impossible. It’s helpful that the story starts way at the beginning, before the original series. Everybody in the theater, Trekkie Trekker or not, has to get oriented with the tone of the film as they are introduced to the characters. Even if you don’t know your Scotty from your Chekov, you’ll feel right at home.

The movie also has a great sense of humor, which makes the serious parts even more powerful. There are plenty of references to the original series and movies. There are bar fights and phaser shoot-outs. There are big surprises and twists. And at the end of it all, you want to get back in line and watch it again.

Okay, Gavin. Breathe. This is unlike you. You’re normally very, very cynical about movies. What didn’t you like?

Well, there were two minor things that irked me. Near the beginning, there’s a certain pop-culture reference and a certain product placement that completely threw me out of the narrative. You’ll know them when they happen. It was a very Michael Bay-esque move, and I started to get really worried that J.J. Abrams ruined everything. Thankfully, the movie was non-stop awesome from that point on, so I was able to forgive him for the blunder.

Of course, there are bound to be unflappable, hardcore, über-nerdy fans that will tear this movie to shreds simply for not being the original material. To those people I say, relax. Enjoy. No one going to break into your house and trash your DVD box sets while you’re in the theater. No one is going to open your sealed action figures. Your characters and canonical storylines are safe.

It’s going to be very difficult for any other blockbuster of the 2009 season to be this good. As far as I’m concerned, Wolverine can wait for DVD, the new Terminator is a toss-up, and there’s no way I’m getting anywhere near the Transformers sequel. G.I. Joe? I fear it’ll be another Transformers-caliber letdown. Of course, I could be totally wrong about all those movies. Still, they’ve got some tough competition from the young crew of the Enterprise.

If you’re unconvinced, do yourself a favor and make this the one movie you go see in the theater this summer. I can’t wait to go see it in IMAX for my second go-round.