Star Trek 2009: Bad Boys

Bad Boys: Birth of a Legend
Movie Review Star Trek: 2009 Version
by Sylvia Bond

Back in 1991, TV Guide ran a poll where they asked the question: If the world needed saving from “forces threatening to wipe out Earth,” which captain would you rather have come to the rescue, Kirk or Picard?  Guess who won? Kirk did, hands down.

But the overwhelming response in Kirk’s favor wasn’t really about the global-wide awareness of a short-lived TV show from the 60’s, no. It was about the need for the kind of man that Kirk embodies as opposed to the tea-drinking cerebral guy that Picard represents. Sure Picard could help you with your taxes or talk the League of Nations to death. But if you needed someone to go over there (or up there or out there) and kick something’s collective ass? You call Kirk.

Kirk is not just a character, he is the embodiment of an idea. He is the guy who can get it done with duct tape, spit, his Swiss army knife, and a head full of battle plans. He has been immortalized in song and dance and was perfectly described in this passage from a book called Deep Survival by Laurence Gonzales: “All the gear made a sort of rattling, atavistic music, and the big rucksack shifted, boots shuffling, with that inimitable slack-limbed indolence—no, no one else can walk like that, pose like that; it was unmistakable, for there was only one breed of human being in the whole world over who could be so unstrung yet graceful. Movies have been made, novels written, about nothing more than that insouciant walk, that very carefree nonchalance…that cool.” (Page 268)

To me, that’s Kirk. It also describes men like Kirk, men who play hard, fight hard, and live hard. And then who sacrifice self in the name of protecting kith, kin, and country. Men who go out of fashion in times of peace and prosperity because their muscles and their training and their single-minded glares remind us all of what we’d rather not remember, the hard times and the fighting. All I have to say is thank God for testosterone. Without it, men would not be the manly things that they are. 

Which brings me to the point of this review, about a movie I saw (several times) on Friday, which was full of manly men. It had womanly women in there as well, but, you know, I’m not there to see them. I’m there to see him. And him….and him, and oh, yes, him. I had a fine time watching this movie, I’ll tell you right up front. 

Also up front, I’m a big, BIG Star Trek fan from the 70’s. I developed a taste for it after my sister would bully me and my other sister into watching it instead of Gilligan’s Island and Hogan’s Heroes, and torment us when we wanted to play with dolls or anything sissy like that. It’s a proven fact that you grow to like being tortured, and such it was with me. I developed a crush on Chekov first (almost because I was supposed to, it seemed) and then I moved swiftly on to James Tiberius Kirk. Ah, me. What a man. 

Being a Star Trek fan might set the precedent for me liking the new movie without reserve or without anything remotely resembling a critical or objective eye. But really, because it was Star Trek, I set the bar very high. Any failure of this movie to deliver the goods (as promised in the preview), and I would be Very Disappointed. So my being a True Fan would work against rather than for, if you see what I mean. 

Because it was opening weekend, in all of my viewings, I was surrounded by fellow fans either of Star Trek. The 7:10 audience was much more well behaved; the 10:10 showing was attended by rowdy Klingons, Next Gen wanna bees, and several Romulans, many of whom were drunk. That just added to the fun, I think, because they had a tendency to shout out during the opening and closing credits in what was supposed to be Klingon. (They were perfectly silent the rest of the time, and laughed at all the right moments.) Ah, it was good to be among my peeps.

As for the movie itself? Man. It was awesome, not just in that it embodied the aforementioned manly men (see above), but also in that it hit every note it strove to hit. It gathered the essence of what was good about ST and spun it out like a web and SNAGGED every last piece of what I loved about the original show. And then made two hours of juicy, textured, character-driven movie goodness for the big screen.

There were improvements in set design and special effects from original Trek, of course; in this day and age it’s almost a given that ships should look like they are flying through space and scary monsters actually look like they could eat you. If you like special effects, then you’ll love this movie. They did the Enterprise PERFECTLY, inside and out, and I think my favorite shot was where the Enterprise came to a halt and rose up through the dust rings of Saturn, where with the clouds sweeping around the hull of the ship like red sand in a totally evocative and sensual slow-mo move. So big kisses to the Special Effects Team just for that one bit. And gold stars for everything else, too. But what really made all of that stuff work was because it never took over what was really important to me, and that’s the characters.

As for the characters, every single one of the actors did a great job capturing the essence of the original character. I could see that the roles were reprised not just with respect, but with real affection. I love all of the characters from original Trek, but I really love Kirk the best, okay? I know he’s a womanizer and a bit of a jerk and is sometimes “a swaggering, overbearing, tin-plated, dictator with delusions of godhood,” but I love him just the same. And that’s because Kirk is a good man, the kind of man who makes the best kind of leader. And in this movie, they GOT that, that for all of Kirk’s inexperience and brash scream-and-dive approach to every single decision, he’s not always looking out for Number One. 

If a little lizard alien guy needs help down from the beaming platform? Kirk helps him down without demeaning him. If Sulu flies off the drilling platform? Kirk leaps off to save him, with nary a thought to his own life. If Uhura needs her talent shoved into the spotlight? Kirk will make sure that everyone knows who was the brains behind translating an obscure Klingon message. If Chekov has an idea, it’s Kirk who will listen to him blather in a heavy Russian accent, when everyone else is dismissing the 17 year old ensign. And if Spock needs to have his emotions compromised? Then Kirk can handle that, too. 

Kirk ROCKED in this movie. I’m not saying his passions don’t get in the way, or that he doesn’t have tunnel vision sometimes, but a leader strives for the greater good in spite of his own failings and always, always, looks out for his team. When Pike goes off to “negotiate” with the rogue Romulan Nero, Kirk is all yes sir, no sir, and then he asks Pike, “What about you?” Kirk is more concerned with Pike’s safety than he is with himself or his own mission. When Spock is going to beam down to the planet to save his beloved mother, Kirk is the embodiment of concern: “Why are you doing that”? The theme of the needs of the one, especially if the one is someone Kirk is developing (or has developed) an attachment to, always outweighs the needs of the many.  

The movie played off all the other aspects of Kirk as well. There’s this one scene of Kirk wildly hurtling down the corridors of the Enterprise in an effort to reach Pike before they all find themselves the victim of a Romulan ambush. He’s suffering from whatever concoction Bones used to sneak him on the ship, and he’s trying to fight off more injections from Bones (“Stop it! Stop it!”) even as he’s trying to find Uhura. And all this with a swollen tongue and swollen hands. It’s hysterical in the way that original Trek (or any of the spinoffs) never dared to be. For all Kirk is human, he’s also an archetype. This movie took a risk putting Kirk in a less than flattering light, and I’d say the risk paid off. Kirk is more well-rounded in this movie, and more enjoyable for it.

He’s still a womanizer, and I loved the way the movie showed that. No matter where he is or who he’s talking with, if a pretty miss walks by him, Kirk’s apt to spin around and smile and make some Cro-Magnon remark that gets him no response but doesn’t upset him in the least. He’s happy to notice and admire the female form and he’s sure it’ll get him laid one day, if not sooner. (Which, being Kirk, it probably will.) There’s something very refreshing about a man who simply loves woman and not afraid to say so.

And then there’s his relationship with Spock, which to me is central to his character. If the movie had made a wrong step here, believe me, I’d be telling you about it long and loud, taking great pains to tell you all how they got it wrong, wrong, WRONG. But they didn’t. Instead, they got the connection between these two characters, the passion and the balance, they got it absolutely right. Because Spock is so perfect, he’s flawed, and Kirk is so flawed, he’s perfect; without each other, they would flail and fail. Kirk and Spock are each other’s missing piece. 

Scenes between them are like adagios laced throughout the plot and each making sense. Paramount for all of them is the idea that whenever one of them is in the vicinity, the other one is very aware of that. This concept is developed from the beginning of the film right to the end. Case in point, the First Meet. Kirk is getting called out for mucking with the Kobayashi Maru, which is a test for potential captains. Needless to say, it’s Spock who programmed the test, and he’s peeved that Kirk was about to circumvent this. Kirk quickly figures this out, and the two of them snipe and argue and from then on, whenever their eyes meet, sparks fly. 

Of course, from contention grows respect and even admiration, and both quickly learn the value of the other. But what makes it cool is the way the movie plays on this, the exchanges and the glances and the trust. Like, for example, there’s the part where Kirk and Spock are on the Romulan vessel and Kirk says, “I’ll cover you,” and Spock goes off to do his mind meld thing, holding perfectly still while the battle rages around him, even when some Romulan dude has got Spock dead in his sights. He doesn’t move a muscle, and why? Because Kirk said “I’ll cover you,” and for Spock, that’s all she wrote. It’s a perfect scene, a perfect example how the movie understands this very cornerstone relationship.

Another great exchange between these two (and there were MANY of these) was where everyone is on the bridge discussing the Romulans and what to do about Pike and so on. It’s a great showcase scene for all the characters, each one has their bit to express, and really, with the gang all there, it felt like old times. Kirk is sitting in the Captain’s chair, but he’s not the Captain you see, Spock is. Spock is pacing the bridge, walks by the chair, and says, without pausing or even looking at Kirk, “Out of the chair.” It’s not even remotely a thing you would expect a Vulcan to say, it’s missing a major verb, for crying out loud, plus it’s said in such a human, parental tone, I just didn’t expect it. But it was so very perfect because of course Spock understands Kirk’s ambition, so he’s not going to make a big deal out of it. Still, regulations must be followed: only the Captain sits in that chair. 

And here’s just one more, in case you don’t get how close I think these guys are, how important they are to each other. (And hey, don’t take my word for it, the original Mr. Spock says to the young Kirk a nice little speech along those very same lines!) Anyway, it’s at the end of the battle, all are successful, Kirk has once again saved the planet. He’s sitting in the captain’s chair, and the bridge is boiling with activity. And what does Kirk do? He looks over at Spock and smiles. And Spock gives him this nod that is approval and acceptance. Which just totally makes Kirk’s day. Which just totally makes MY day, you know? 

One last little mention, or you guys would think I wasn’t paying attention, but I was. The actors who played Kirk and Spock both had huge shoes to fill. Not just what the world thinks about these two characters, but what I think of them, which was critical to my enjoyment of this movie. I’ve waxed poetic about Kirk (and, obviously, Chris Pine’s brilliant job), so I wanted to add something for Zachary Quinto, who I’d never heard of before this. (Yes, I don’t watch Heros, get over it.) Quinto did such a marvelously still Spock, so very passive in some respects, but a ranging tempest underneath the science blue shirt. And his eyes, holy cow, those liquid-soft eyes of his, I thought I was going to out of my mind, they were perfect! He was perfect, frankly, so perfect, that my sister who was a die-hard Sulu fan jumped ship for the Vulcan, so well done there. 

There were so many perfect moments by the major players, drawn from the original series, and made new. Like where Bones calls Spock a “green-blodded hobgoblin” under his breath. Or Scotty in the belly of the Enterprise, coming up with a last-minute idea to save them all, an idea that is riddled with unpredictability. Or how towards the end, where Kirk walks onto the bridge, he makes a little pause and then says, “Bones,” in a very Shatneresque way, a nice shout out to the first Kirk. Or how about Sulu’s fencing habit, which actually comes in handy during a battle with the Romulans? And then there’s Chekov, so young, so green, yet so smart and willing to lay himself out there. And Uhura, smart as a whip and twice as sassy.

All around, this is just a terrific movie, taking what was good about original Trek and making it, dare I say, better. Riding on the shoulders of giants, yes, but working all the ideas and passion anew with deft skill and love. This movie has been called a re-boot, there’s a strange new world here with dead mothers and fathers and destroyed worlds, and whether the next movie (yes, there’s already talk of another one, hurray!) undoes the alternate universe idea remains to be seen, and I will happily buy tickets for that. 

I could go on and on, as I sometimes do, but that won’t make this movie any more watchable than it already is, so. I’ll just end with this: This movie was so good, I didn’t know they made movies like this anymore, full of excitement and danger, laced with humor and passion, and best of all, Kirk was Kirk and Spock was Spock. I would have been happy with that. Luckily, I didn’t need to be.

Sylvia Bond is a ten-year technical writing veteran with too many degrees under her belt to count. She lives in Colorado, but does not ski, preferring instead to spend her money and time at the annual Great American Beer Festival, taking road trips across the United States, and reading historical fiction from the comfort of her fluffy green arm chair. She has been involved in fandom since 1993 and been writing fanfic since approximately 1993. What she finds most amazing about fandom (besides the open heartedness of fans and the sheer amount of creativity) is how visible fandom has become. “In my day,” she says, “we had to hide behind P.O. boxes to get fanfic. But nowadays, people wear t-shirts that shout their affiliation and share their shiny toys on the internet.” It’s a wonderful world.

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