We live in an age where what was once considered geek culture is now considered part of popular culture. Superheroes, video games, fantasy and science fiction are no longer only enjoyed by the kind of people who got wedgies on the elementary school playground. Nowadays, what used to be considered uncool is now considered part of culture itself, and everybody loves to watch and read what only those who were once considered nerds took part in. But back before elements of geekdom were integrated into the popular culture, there were a few franchises that helped define how this culture was shaped. Star Trek is quite possibly the oldest instance of a piece of media generating what I would consider to be geek culture, a piece of science fiction that has spanned generations and created one of the original fandoms. Over the fifty years since the original series aired, Star Trek has seen many iterations, with the newest film in its most recent run, Star Trek Beyond, set to release this Friday. So, I thought it would be best to take a look at two of the better film adaptations of the beloved series.
Star Trek: First Contact
My personal favorite Star Trek film, First Contact is like the perfect episode of The Next Generation, with everything that’s great about the series being enhanced on the big screen. The movie follows the crew of the newly commissioned Enterprise-E, who are forced to travel back in time to stop the Borg from destroying the Earth. The Borg, a hive-mind collective who assimilate their enemies, plan to stop the human race from making first contact with the Vulcans and therefore preventing the formation of the United Federation of Planets which opposes them. Thus, the members of the crew must stop the Borg from taking over the Earth and help scientist Zefram Cochrane use the first piece of warp drive technology to meet the Vulcans.
First Contact perfectly captures everything that I love about Star Trek: TNG, keeping the tone and energy of a great episode in the series. Though the film lacks much of the philosophy and questions about the human condition that many episodes of the show featured, it replaces this with both great action and excellent performances from the cast. All of the original cast members from the show bring the performances that made the show so great, with Patrick Stewart’s performance as Jean-Luc Picard especially riveting. Picard has a personal vendetta against the Borg, as he once was forced into their collective, and the tension and anger he feels toward them makes him the most interesting of the characters.
The rest of the actors are great as well, bringing the quirks of their characters from the small screen to the big. The characters are all as charming and interesting as they have ever been, which might be the perfect way to describe this movie. It is the best reminder of the quality of The Next Generation that I can think of, a movie that perfectly expresses and characterizes everything that made the show great. It’s one of the best ways that I can think of to experience Star Trek’s excellent atmosphere and charm.
Grade: A
First Contact perfectly captures everything that I love about Star Trek: TNG, keeping the tone and energy of a great episode in the series. Though the film lacks much of the philosophy and questions about the human condition that many episodes of the show featured, it replaces this with both great action and excellent performances from the cast. All of the original cast members from the show bring the performances that made the show so great, with Patrick Stewart’s performance as Jean-Luc Picard especially riveting. Picard has a personal vendetta against the Borg, as he once was forced into their collective, and the tension and anger he feels toward them makes him the most interesting of the characters.
The rest of the actors are great as well, bringing the quirks of their characters from the small screen to the big. The characters are all as charming and interesting as they have ever been, which might be the perfect way to describe this movie. It is the best reminder of the quality of The Next Generation that I can think of, a movie that perfectly expresses and characterizes everything that made the show great. It’s one of the best ways that I can think of to experience Star Trek’s excellent atmosphere and charm.
Grade: A
Star Trek (2009)
While the 2009 remake of the classic crew may not be the favorite film of the show’s fans, losing some of the original series’ feel, Star Trek is still a pretty fun ride with a new interpretation the original Enterprise crew. The movie follows the first expedition of the original Enterprise crew, as Captain Kirk attempts to fend off the attacks of the Romulan commander Nero. Nero, who is from a future where his planet is destroyed by a black-hole, blames Spock for the death of his planet, destroying Vulcan and planning on destroying Earth for revenge.
Most of what makes Star Trek’s best iterations so great are the characters, and this film does an overall good job at creating interpretations of the original characters that are both similar and different from the originals. The majority of the films performances are quite good, with Simon Pegg, Karl Urban and Zachary Quinto all doing a great job. Each actor captures the tone of the original characters, but adds different layers of depth that weren’t present in the original. The only performance that lacks much depth is that of Eric Bana, who plays the very one-note villain Nero. While Nero has a very powerful motivation, which one would think might lead to a very tortured and deep villain, he basically fills the film’s need for a bad guy without adding much to the movie.
However, unlike most Trek films and shows, the movie is much flashier and more action filled. This is where fans of the original series may take umbrage with the movie, feeling as though it is much more “summer blockbuster” than classic Star Trek. Because I didn’t grow up with Star Trek, and this film was the first Trek product I saw, I didn’t have a problem with the action. Director J.J. Abrams creates a more active and less diplomatic Star Trek world, feeling more like Star Wars than Star Trek. The action and special effects are very well done, but turning Star Trek into an action movie might still turn many audiences off of the film. I, however, don’t mind the more action-packed Trek adventure.
Grade: B+
Most of what makes Star Trek’s best iterations so great are the characters, and this film does an overall good job at creating interpretations of the original characters that are both similar and different from the originals. The majority of the films performances are quite good, with Simon Pegg, Karl Urban and Zachary Quinto all doing a great job. Each actor captures the tone of the original characters, but adds different layers of depth that weren’t present in the original. The only performance that lacks much depth is that of Eric Bana, who plays the very one-note villain Nero. While Nero has a very powerful motivation, which one would think might lead to a very tortured and deep villain, he basically fills the film’s need for a bad guy without adding much to the movie.
However, unlike most Trek films and shows, the movie is much flashier and more action filled. This is where fans of the original series may take umbrage with the movie, feeling as though it is much more “summer blockbuster” than classic Star Trek. Because I didn’t grow up with Star Trek, and this film was the first Trek product I saw, I didn’t have a problem with the action. Director J.J. Abrams creates a more active and less diplomatic Star Trek world, feeling more like Star Wars than Star Trek. The action and special effects are very well done, but turning Star Trek into an action movie might still turn many audiences off of the film. I, however, don’t mind the more action-packed Trek adventure.
Grade: B+
Check back every Wednesday for another installment of This Week in Movies!
Last week's article covered the Ghostbusters franchise in preparation for this year's remake.
Last week's article covered the Ghostbusters franchise in preparation for this year's remake.
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