Star Trek XI (DVD)

With the recent trend for cinematic reboots - Batman, James Bond - it was only a matter of time I suppose until the ailing Star Trek franchise received a similar rebranding. The Next Generation run of films had long fizzled out to indifferent box-office numbers and Enterprise, the last television series, was axed after just four 'seasons', adding to a general feeling that Star Trek, as an overall product, had gradually disappeared up its own metaphorical black hole. Star Trek just hadn't been a big deal for a long time so in came JJ Abrams of Lost and Mission Impossible III fame, essentially charged with making the franchise lucrative and trendy, more mainstream and ...  Read the complete review

It took me a while to see Star Trek, as it had its cinematic release whilst I was away on holiday, and I only got round to viewing it last week. Having heard only positive reviews about the film, I was sure it wouldn't live up to my expectations as I've occasionally found myself hating films that come with high recommendations from others. Directed by JJ Abrams, the story works as a prequel to the original TV series, and we join the film in an action-packed intro sequence showing the birth of Kirk during an unprovoked attack on the ship which his father was captaining. The film then splits into a duel narrative; and the viewer is shown the exploits ...  Read the complete review

When it comes to Star Trek fans, there is a mantra: Odd numbered films - bad; even numbered films good. J J Abrams' franchise reboot breaks that pattern - it's an odd numbered film that works. Sure, it has its flaws, but it shows there is still plenty of life left in the franchise. Attempting to reinvent a franchise like this is fraught with problems. Star Trek fans are notoriously protective of the characters and hate changes. Yet to be commercially successful, the film needs to break out of its traditional fan-base and appeal to a wider audience. It's a tricky balancing act, maintaining hard core support, whilst attracting new fans. Yet Star Trek ...  Read the complete review

I must admit I've been thrilled at the previews of the new film and couldn't wait to see it. And I'm very pleased to say, it's as good as I hoped. The film plunges the viewer right into breathtaking action. It begins with a huge Romulan mining vessel, the Narada, emerging from a black hole in space. The Romulan ship's captain, Nero (Eric Bana) is on a mysterious mission of vengeance. When challenged by Captain George Kirk of the U.S.S Kelven, the Narada begins a deadly attack, ending in the heroic death of the Captain. However during the attack, his son James Tiberious Kirk (Chris Pine as the adult) is born. After that it swiftly skips through James Kirk's ...  Read the complete review

It must be summertime again as the big blockbusters are starting to come in to play! This is probably the first film of the summer that I've been aching to see from the moment that I heard it was going into production. However there were a few questions that I had in my mind as to how the new cast and crew would be bought into the story whilst people still have the image of Kirk as played by William Shatner. People were also worried that this was going to be Star Trek 90210, and its not. As you would expect from Star Trek the plot revolves around Kirk and Spock. The film begins with the USS Kelvin encountering a space anomaly, they watch as an enormous ...  Read the complete review