Sweeping panoramic vistas and haunting imagery cannot save this altogether pedantic historical drama that never manages to incite much emotion except for bone crushing monotony. Based on Genghis Khan, one of history’s grandest conquerors, the film by Russian director Sergei Bodrov never manages to move out of first gear and relies on some incredible leaps in time and suspect scene construction that never presents more than a wafer thin insight into the early years of the man who would go on to cut a path of conquest through much of Asia.

The subject matter certainly seems rife with myriad possibilities as it is always fascinating to see how events shaped these great historical figures and the film does present a largely fresh angle by focusing on how young Temudjin managed to unite Mongolia under his banner. Other films on the same subject matter have largely focused on his great military victories that built the Mongol Empire from the Sea of Japan to the Caspian Sea.

The movie opens as a young nine-year-old Temudjin accompanies his father to choose his bride. Against his father’s wishes he chooses Borte, or more to the point she chooses him and so Temudjin gives her a polished wishbone and promises to return in five years to claim her. However, on the way home his father is poisoned by a rival tribe and dies causing his followers to rebel flocking to a former charge named Targutai who usurps the Khan title. Knowing that Temudjin will be a threat he informs everyone that in keeping with tradition he will kill him once he reaches a certain age.

The film depicts Temudjin’s formative years as being incredibly harrowing as the young boy constantly has to fend for himself against both nature and those who want him dead. I am not too familiar with Genghis Khan’s childhood so I can’t easily tell if what the movie shows as following history but it seemed to me that what is on display here would make any Hollywood screenwriter weary. This stems for the fact that the film feels like some bastardized version of Groundhog Day staring Bill Murray who plays a simple weatherman who detests reporting on Groundhog Day yet somehow is forced to relive it over and over again, caught in some temporal loop.

Young Temudjin would be so lucky. Unfortunately, for him things are much dire. After escaping from Targutai he gets captured by him again and locked up. However, he manages to escape and spends some time being free before being captured once again whereby he later escapes only to fall prey to capture yet again. Now, I’m not an expert in Genghis Khan’s early life but as a film this simple structure of escaping and being caught keeps repeating over and over again until the viewer cannot help but wonder just how this figure managed to unite Mongolia since he spends more than half the film as a slave.

This is the film’s biggest faux pas. Although it’s refreshing to watch young Temudjin grow up, director and writer Sergei Bodrov rarely provides insight as to how he learned military strategy or political acumen that enabled him to rise above all the other Mongol warlords. For such a brutal warrior the film constantly has trouble showcasing him as having any sort of emotional response. As played by Japanese actor Tadanobu Asano, the adult version of Temudjin seems incredibly relaxed, laid back and carrying a heavy air of honour and regal grace. His spirit is completely at ease with an almost Zen-like peacefulness even when he finds himself rotting in a Tangut prison cell, his skin parched and peeling off in flakes. This sort of detached personality seems at odds with his military endeavors that are extremely ignored. The only way the audience can tell that he is a master strategist is because his opponents inform us in lines of dialogue that basically give praise to him.

For a figure universally admired as a capable warrior and leader but also vehemently despised as a genocidal mass murderer that caused much destruction around the world it is very tough to match this view with Asano’s depiction of the honourable warrior. It’s as if the filmmakers have decided to put on rose-coloured glasses and elevate his stature past the point of believability into an almost Jesus-like figure.

Little is actually known about ancient Mongolian history as most of it was passed through oral traditions. In terms of written accounts there’s precious few so there seems to be a lot of leeway that director Bodrov can use to fill in gaps but he does so with some suspect sequences that play up the spiritual world that borders on science fiction mysticism. Locked in a wooden slave contraption around his neck that also binds his hands young Temudjin makes his way to a sacred stone temple and prays to the God Tengri to give him strength to persevere. After a few shots of a striking gray wolf Bodrov cuts back to Temudjin who is suddenly free of the slave device. Did God intervene? Did the wolf bite it off? We’ll never know but this sort of blatant divine intervention should not belong in a historical movie.

This concept of the divine also shows up at the climax as two opposing Mongol armies clash yet Temudjin wins precisely because the Gods help him. It also pops up during a key moment when Temudjin returns to the sacred stone temple to tell the God Tengri the beginnings of his famous Yassa, the Mongolian code of law that he creates to govern and unify his people. All these scenes are not properly set up and merely appear as separate instances with no background. Watching Temudjin recite his code of conduct to the Gods comes off as incredibly unconvincing since the movie had never previously shown us enough evidence to lead him to these conclusions. Even Borte is involved in these divine maneuverings as she somehow knows that a monk has died in the middle of the desert and magically finds his body in the vast wasteland. Maybe she’s in tune with The Force?

Some of the events that the film makes great pains to highlight would cause any contemporary man, or woman, to feel a rush of uneasiness and downright disgust. Most of these revolve around Temudjin’s wife Borte who routinely undergoes humiliating bouts of sleeping with other men. Now, the film does present reasons for each instance but most telling is Temudjin’s complete nonchalant reaction to these discoveries. In short, he doesn’t care one bit that his first two children are not his – one fathered from the Merkit tribe, which killed his dad and the other from a wealthy Tangut merchant who saved Borte in the desert. Temudjin is a paragon of virtue here and takes both kids under his wing without a moment’s hesitation even though his followers deride him behind his back.

The film spends an inordinate amount of time showcasing Temudjin’s complete devotion to Borte yet lags in his relationship to other key figures such as his blood brother Jamukha. When Borte is captured by the Merkits, Temudjin has no choice but to go to Jamukha and ask for help. At first Jamukha is unconvinced even chastising his friend for forcing a war over a woman yet he eventually relents. They eventually manage to defeat the Merkits and save Borte but Temudjin leaves silently in the night taking some of Jamukha’s finest warriors with him. An infuriated Jamukha rides to Temudjin and demands to know why he has done this whereupon Temudjin calmly states that any Mongol has the right to choose his leader. Sun Honglei as Jamukha is a breath of fresh air taking a one-dimensional role and giving it much needed oomph with bone cracking snarls, guttural singing and piercing stares that the audience expects from Genghis Khan not his rival.

This causes a split between the two and sets up their rivalry for leadership of Mongolia but the film never delves further into this angle which might had added some needed spark to the proceedings instead shunting it aside until the slapdash final battle where the two face off against one another.

This final battle relies heavily on CG to enhance the size of armies and add weather effects but it is incredibly obvious and intrusive especially when the clouds suddenly darken and lightning descends onto the battlefield. Not to mention, it looks as if the entire population of Mongolia has shown up as the armies stretch for miles. I can understand ending the movie on a rousing note but for a film that rarely showed more than two or three people on screen at the same time it’s completely jarring.

Bodrov’s editing is also very blunt and though most can easily understand what is happening the time lapses between scenes escalates until it becomes a detriment to the narrative. After escaping from the Tangut prison with the help of his wife the two embark on a sex scene that is not at all needed followed by the reunited family frolicking amongst a field of grass. Borte knows that Temudjin is going to leave and he does and then suddenly we cut to the future final battle between Temudjin and Jamukha without ever showing the audience how an escaped slave managed to cobble together a fully armored fighting force.

The movie’s only two saving graces are an incredibly poignant score by Tuomas Kantelinen and the aforementioned stunning scenery. Filmed mostly in China in the province of Inner Mongolia the gloriously bleak landscapes become another character by themselves and do more to show the harsh existence of ancient Mongol life than the machinations of the narrative. Watching the barren arid landscape, rock-strewn ground and brutal winter condition drives home the astounding fact that such a hardy people rose up to follow Genghis Khan on a drive for global hegemony even though their homeland is almost unlivable.

Sadly, the film does not present a compelling picture of the great warrior, reducing him to a mere passive observer instead of steely willed leader. Without attempting to explain and show how he rose to prominence it turns the movie into one that basically comes down to fate and destiny that chose him for this monumental task. Even worse, whatever military strategy is on display is completely suspect. Instead of utilizing his famed horse archers the film instead replaces them with cavalry that wield two swords that basically cut a path through the opposing army by galloping straight ahead with their outstretched arms killing everyone who doesn’t have the brains to just avoid them.

Do yourself a favor if you really want to know history – go and read historical texts or the numerous books written on Genghis Khan. Even though this is a multinational production it falls prey to too many inconsistencies and Hollywood styled platitudes.

** out of ****

2008, Kazakhstan, 126 minutes, R, Picturehouse Entertainment
Directed by Sergei Bodrov
Screenplay by Arif Aliyev & Sergei Bodrov
Produced by Sergei Bodrov, Anton Melnik, Sergei Selyanov
Executive Producer: Bob Berney, Bulat Galimgereyev, Alec Schulmann
Original Music by Tuomas Kantelinen
Cinematography by Rogier Stoffers & Sergey Trofimov
Film Editing by Valdís Óskarsdóttir & Zach Staenberg

Temudjin: Tadanobu Asano
Jamukha: Honglei Sun
Börte: Khulan Chuluun
Oelun - Temudjin's Mother: Aliya
Esugei - Temudjin's Father: Ba Sen
Targutai: Amadu Mamadakov
Merchant with Golden Ring: Ying Bai
Dai-Sechen: He Qi
Monk: Ben Hon Sun
Boorchu: Ji Ri Mu Tu

© 2009 The Galactic Pillow

In my previous blog about food I touched upon the one accidental restaurant that my wife and I always seem to end up going to. This time around I’m going to focus on my wife’s favourite fast food restaurant which, we found completely be chance. These are always the best finds and though they often turn out being unpalatable there is a chance that you will find something refreshing.

Growing up in Toronto, Canada, I’ve been exposed to many fast food restaurants, all of which are western chains such as your usual suspects like McDonalds, Burger King, Taco Bell and KFC. I don’t think there are many people around the world who would never have heard about any of these. Then you have those franchises that are a step up like Swiss Chalet, TGIF, and Pizza Hut. All of them have their own advantages depending on your current culinary mood. I sincerely doubt that those professional food critics will not find something to their liking in all these joints. Then again, not knowing any professional food critics, maybe they go out of their way to avoid these establishments.

So what about franchises that are not Western in nature? Even though Toronto is the most culturally diverse city in the world (yes, I know technically Miami has a higher ethnic population but the bulk of those are Latinos whereas Toronto is amazingly split into many different groups), there aren’t too many big food franchises based here that specialize and originally come from other parts of the world.

So why this preamble on non-western food chains? Well, that’s because my wife’s favourite fast food restaurant originates from Japan and it so happens to have taken root here in Toronto. Yes, that’s like someone from China saying their favourite joint was McDonalds. I shiver at the thought. Like so often happens, we were one day driving home and spotted a new restaurant that had opened. It wasn’t so much the look of the restaurant that made us excited but rather the name that gave it away.

The store in question is called, Ajisen Ramen, originally from Kumamoto, Japan and its speciality is ramen. Yup, simple ramen.

For the uninitiated, ramen is basically noodles and soup, the base of which is usually meat-based. To this is added a variety of toppings such as pork, beef, seaweed, green onions, cabbage, or corn. Ramen originally came from China although through the years the Japanese have refined and modified the recipes into many different permutations. If one goes to Japan you can find ramen stores just about anywhere including crowded locations such as subway terminals where you see business men and women eating bowls while standing up – they are obviously pressed for time. Ramen is featured prominently in Japanese animation (anime) and is treated as fast food. Turn on your local broadcast of Naruto for instance and you can always see the title character longing for his favourite noodle dish.

Now my wife loves going to Japan for what reason I don’t know – might be the shopping? Anyhow, she’s always loved ramen so imagine our excitement when we realized a new ramen store was opening up right here in our home city. Of course, we had to try it a.s.a.p.

With over 120 stores, Ajisen Ramen has quickly expanded to include tons of locations in mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Phillipines and Malaysia. It even has stores in Australia and the United States. I must admit I have not tried any of these other locations but by chance my wife and I managed to find one, in all places, in Changi International Airport Terminal 3 in Singapore. Unfortunately, I was not feeling too well that day and could not order anything but luckily my wife had no such impediments and merrily ordered a steaming hot bowl of ramen.

Ajisen Ramen’s big draw is its soup which is not clear but a milky white. I remember our first time there thinking, “What type of soup is this??” as I had never seen ramen cooked in broth that resembled this. Sure, I have had miso based soup before but even that has a different texture. Imagine my surprise when I tasted the soup and found it tasted very rich, a bit salty but satisfyingly smooth. The salt level is above average which probably makes people think it comes from a powder but after tasting it more than a hundred times I don’t think this is the case.

According to the literature, the soup gets its unique look and taste by boiling pork bones until the broth turns white. One can only imagine what sort of minerals and nutrients are added by the bones dissolving in this process yet one can’t deny it definitely makes for a tasty broth.

The noodles themselves are not what you usually expect as they are not udon or soba but rather have a texture more resembling spaghetti. This gives the noodles an unexpected firmness that compliments the soup very well. I am not a lover of mushy noodles and I can’t stand it when I overcook instant noodles in a pot or go to an Italian restaurant only to find my linguine is as limp as a wet towel. The closest description I can think of is “Al Dante” in that the noodles are firm but neither too hard nor too soft.

Nearly all the ramen choices come with either a half-egg boiled in soya sauce or a healthy helping of bean sprouts. When the store initially opened they used cabbage but they changed it to bean sprouts after a while probably due to customer feedback. I didn’t mind the cabbage but bean sprouts are fine for me as well although there are times when I think too many sprouts alter and dilute the taste of the soup base. Depending on my mood this is not such a big deal unless I get too many sprouts but all I have to do is deposit them on a side plate anyhow.

Though the soup and the noodles are the most important in ramen one shouldn’t forget the toppings as plain soup and noodles can get a bit mundane. Ajisen Ramen has quite a large variety of noodle choices that will satisfy a wide range of palettes ranging from different meats like chicken, beef and lamb to seafood like scallops and shrimp to completely vegetarian. Usually, these toppings are placed right on top of your noodles and soup unless you order something like the chicken teriyaki which comes on a separate plate.


--------Ajisen Ramen's Pork Ramen---------

My personal favourite is the Beef Teppanyaki Noodles ($7.95 CAD) that adds grilled peppered beef on top of the soup. I just find that the subtle taste of the beef teppanyaki soaks into the soup below slightly altering but accentuating the flavour. My wife’s dish of choice is probably the pork ramen ($7.95 CAD) which adds extremely thinly sliced pieces of pork that have their edges grilled, not too hard, but enough to see them blacken, to the soup. These thinly sliced pieces of pork almost literally melt in your mouth as they are extremely tender.

That’s not all my wife likes though. She likes things HOT – not temperature hot although that’s a must for ramen, but hot as in chilli. First, it must be said that lukewarm ramen is a huge turn off and any store which doesn’t properly heat their soup base is just looking to drive customers away. Thankfully, Ajisen Ramen has piping hot soup which works well especially when the Canadian winter arrives and temperatures plunge well below zero Celsius.

So to the pork ramen, my wife always orders a side dish of spicy pork. You can get spicy pork as well in Ajisen Spicy Pork Ramen ($7.50 CAD) but this dish doesn’t include the thin pork instead substituting it with rounded thicker slices of pork where you can see a layer of fat. This is also appetizing although the texture is much meatier than the thin slices. Now my wife can eat hot food and so can I although my own level of chilli tolerance is much lower. I remember clearly that during my first visit to Ajisen Ramen I ordered the Spicy Pork Ramen thinking that it would not be hot and boy was I in for a shock. To my complete surprise it is incredibly pungent and biting. This is way beyond Tabasco sauce and tastes much fiercer than raw Jalapeno peppers. In short, be prepared and don’t order it if you are adverse to eating spicy foods.

Ajisen Ramen offers four levels of hotness (50, 100, 150, 200) indicated by number from lowest being mild to highest being almost hellish. 50 and 100 I can handle but 150 and 200 is scorching but my wife doesn’t blink an eye. If this is your first time there you can ask the server to give this to you in a separate bowl which makes things much easier as you can pick and choose how much to add to your ramen at any given point in time. If not, they will add it straight into your ramen which drastically increases its potency.

Also included in the menu are some appetizers that range from dumpling gyoza to cucumber and crab meat salads. Most of these are your standard fare and make a good compliment to your bowl of ramen. There is sushi on the menu but these are not your typical sushi rolls with raw fish but rather different concoctions that center more on seaweed and cucumber. Don’t expect raw fish or sashimi here.

You can also change the soup if you want as they offer a miso broth instead. I am not a fan of miso broth in general so although I tried it I much prefer the original soup base.

If ramen is not your thing the restaurant also serves rice dishes although I have never tried any of them. From what I could see these include your standard Japanese-style curry dishes as well as beef and chicken staples. Then again, if you don’t like ramen why would you go to a store that specializes in ramen in the first place?

Finally, as for beverages, you can order your usual soft drinks and ice tea but the Yonge Street Ajisen Ramen location offers Chinese Bubble Tea for a discount if you order it with your meal.

In terms of a bill, depending on what you order, lunch or dinner for two which includes just two bowls of ramen will set you back around $14-16 without tax. Add an appetizer and two soft drinks and you’re looking at around $25 which is not a bad deal considering the quantity is quite big as the ramen bowls are rather large.

In terms of decor, both Toronto locations feature shocking pink chairs and giant Japanese style handpainted wall murals. Each location also has an assortment of ramen bowls on display on wall shelves. It’s a comfortable atmosphere although you can’t say that this is fine dining. This is, afterall, a fast food restaurant where you expect customers to finish their ramen in around 30 minutes. Just be warned that the location at Warden and Steeles is not very large and is usually packed during lunch hours so getting a seat might take a while if you go during those hours. The second location at Yonge and Finch is much more spacious although parking is usually on the main street.

Ajisen Ramen might be known as a fast food chain in vast parts of Asia but it still goes down well and the rather odd combination of Al Dante noodles and pork bone broth works wonders giving the ramen its own unique taste while providing customers a satisfying meal. I know after this review my wife will probably ask me to go back a.s.a.p. and I for one don’t mind one bit.

***1/2 out of ****

Two Toronto Locations:

5229 Yonge St.
Just North of North York Center
416.223.0618

7010 Warden Ave., Unit 23
NW corner of Warden Ave. & Steeles
905.470.6318

Note: Whoever designed the ventilation system in the Yonge store needs to have his head examined as I constantly find cold air blasting down on me while sitting in the booth – not bad unless it’s the middle of winter!

Much like a certain suave secret agent, Quantum of Solace’s technical merits are impeccable with enormous attention focused on sumptuous location shooting, exquisite costumes and jaw dropping action sequences. Unfortunately, this recipe is missing one key ingredient – namely a coherent and riveting plot. After the enormously successful reboot of the James Bond franchise in Martin Campbell’s Casino Royale both expectations and hype were sky-high for its sequel Quantum of Solace.

Quantum is the first true follow-up to a previous Bond movie continuing the storyline left hanging at the end of Casino Royale but unlike its predecessor which managed to be both insightful and entertaining, the new movie feels rushed with too much emphasis on outright kinetic action and an ill-advised move to excessive shaky-cam and rapid editing that does more harm than good completely draining tension and torpedoing any attempt to construct simple spatial relation.

Bond is back and he’s pissed. This much is obvious. After being betrayed by his former lover, Vesper Lynn, in the previous movie Bond embarks on a worldwide hunt for revenge with as much subtlety as a barreling bulldozer. In fact, the film begins literally minutes after the end of Casino Royale with the customary pre-title action sequence this time featuring a car chase through some beautiful Italian scenery. Of course, it also features an action genre staple where the villains can’t shoot the broadside of a barn even when armed with a repertoire of machine guns.

Soon after, Bond begins his worldwide journey by attempting to track down the elusive Quantum organization (visions of SPECTRE anyone?) that seems to have moles in nearly every government agency on the planet. This leads Bond to Bolivia where the plot finally kicks in as antagonist and Quantum member extraordinaire Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric) is revealed to be in the process of regime change and seeks to become the countries’ chief provider of fresh water at an obviously bloated price.

Much has been said about Daniel Craig as the new James Bond and while he basically reinvigorated the role from scratch in his first outing giving the character a wonderful melding of untamed brutality coupled with surprisingly thoughtful insecurities this time he turns in an incredibly one-dimensional robotic performance. It’s as if both Craig and director Marc Forster have decided to just hone in on his violent rage and ignore everything else. While this works for an unthinking killing machine it creates an odd dichotomy for the audience as they are basically rooting for an unfeeling lout to clobber his way to the goal regardless of ramification. Craig’s Bond is still as raw as sashimi and has no tact whatsoever making his actions akin to a common thug. This is not Pierce Brosnan or Roger Moore who attempted more stealthy infiltrations or when that failed, employed their ample charisma to cajole or seduce needed targets.

While Craig’s manic energy is initially refreshing it quickly devolves into an odd joke or two as M chastises her agent for killing first and asking questions later but after the umpteenth time it occurs it veers into outright farce. We get that Bond is hell-bent on revenge but certainly the basic fundamentals of interrogating the suspect first to obtain relevant information still applies. It doesn’t make much sense for Bond to go on a killing spree and then conveniently find clues that the victim has left behind that lead him in the correct direction.

While Casino Royale had a much tougher job of reintroducing a new Bond and a refreshingly multilayered take on the series the sequel seems content to be nothing more than your rote action spectacle. Gone are the intricate character studies or internal conflicts replaced with a series of increasingly incongruous stunts. In fact, the first third of the film is so chock full of successive action routines that it becomes increasingly mind numbing. Craig certainly has the gravitas and the physicality down pat but having him run around like a loose cannon without rhyme or reason is not enough to keep the audience involved.

I can’t remember a previous Bond movie that concentrated this much on outright action and it even prompted my wife to remark, “There’s a lot of action so I guess the plot hasn’t started yet.” Just look at the first act and follow along with the action bouncing ball here – you get a car chase opening; a truly awful and uninspired opening theme song along with one of the most visually stunted opening credit sequences; an extended chase featuring Bond and a MI6 mole that starts amidst the sewers and manages to traverse rooftops and even the Siena horse running race; Bond arriving in Haiti whereby he gets into a brutal fistfight with the person he should interrogate; finally going to a nearby pier and meeting Bond girl Camille (Olga Kurylenko) whereby the duo get involved in a long speedboat action spectacle. All this in the first 30 minutes before Bond flies to Austria and has the entire evil scheme exposed to him in a perfunctory theatrical performance at the stunning Bregenzer festival within the Seebühne theatre that sits on a lake. Real life detectives and secret agents would be so lucky to have the entire nefarious scheme plainly told to them without an ounce of sleuthing.

Make no mistake, even if you love exciting sequences this is excessive and glosses over the fact that when the true narrative thrust appears it’s so underdeveloped and ignored that it basically makes little sense. While it is refreshing to see a villain whose scheme is not an overtly megalomaniacal one based on taking over the world or deploying some sort of super powered weapon like a space laser, Quantum’s machinations to basically monopolize Bolivia’s water supply are about as exciting as Craig’s taciturn visage throughout the movie. The film makes a rather unconvincing attempt at displaying world geopolitics in motion vis a vis the CIA knowing about Quantum’s regime change tactic but it’s never expanded upon except to show morally upstanding American agent Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright) warn Bond of his own countries’ greed.

Screenwriters Paul Haggis, Neal Purvis and Robert Wade do attempt some salient juxtapositions such as the one between new girl, Camille (Olga Kurylenko) and Bond himself both of which are motivated by a strong sense of vengeance for past deeds. The issue however, is in its execution as expository screentime is as sparse as water in a desert. Though Kurylenko makes a fetching partner, the film makes the error of introducing her and then proceeding to split the duo apart for a huge section of the film as Bond goes off on his own tangent. Along the way he meets the requisite second girl, this time a British consulate aide named Strawberry Fields (Gemma Arterton) who seems thrown into the mix for no discernable reason but to give Bond a chance to bed someone. I must admit that the particular sequence in question is one of the most awkwardly dim-witted romantic teases I’ve ever seen and boils down to Bond saying, “I can’t find any stationary,” while giving Agent Fields a teasing glance. 30 seconds later while the duo are in bed she’s already lamenting that she was too weak to resist his overture. Now, why didn’t I use that excuse back in high school? Who would have thought that the lack of paper would act like a babe magnet? If only I had a time machine…

Of course, we all know the formula and what happens to Bond’s secondary girls and in a homage to previous films Quantum doesn’t disappoint except for the fact that the reveal comes off as stilted and leaves no impression whatsoever. Without ruining the scene just compare it to its more famous counterpart and you’ll be left with the impression that the screenwriters threw it in as nothing more than a token wink.

Being a direct sequel the movie also is heavily reliant on knowledge from the previous film. In short, those who never saw Casino Royale are going to feel incredibly lost amongst the various plot threads that openly link back to Craig’s Bond debut. While one can attempt to watch outright action there’s just no way that someone will get engaged with Bond’s revenge motive without an understanding of what got him to this position in the first place. Not to mention, other Casino Royale elements are included such as the character of René Mathis (Giancarlo Giannini) whom Bond contacts as a last resort while on the run from MI6. Without knowing his connection to Bond most viewers will likely scratch their heads wondering just who this person is and why he’s important to the redemption undertones.

The best Bond movies feature a convincing villain who matches wits mano a mano with our hero. This time around Dominic Greene’s Mathieu Amalric is nothing more than a weaselly corporate suit more at ease with political machinations than physical violence. Not since Jonathan Pryce’s media mogul turn in Tomorrow Never Dies has a Bond villain been this non-threatening. That is not to say Greene is phoning in his performance as there’s nothing wrong with a paper pusher but without a significant heavy as a sidekick or bodyguard at his side watching Greene flail away with a hatchet in a vain attempt to kill Bond is like watching an ant facing off against the sole of your steel toe boot. Not to mention, due to Bond’s bull in a China shop mentality he never manages to dig deeper into Quantum to discover just what exactly the fate of the free world is up against. I suppose that will be left for the inevitable sequel.

Director Marc Forster was an odd choice to helm this movie but his past work on truly dramatic films such as Monster’s Ball or Stranger Than Fiction that coaxed intimately restrained yet poignant performances out of Halle Berry and even the usually manic Will Farrell bode well for Quantum as most expected him to focus on character drama. Yet, he has done the polar opposite and turned his attention to action leaving his stylistic background on the editing floor. The result can tactfully be called an incoherent jumble with a high degree of rapid cuts and machine gun edits that basically shred any action sequence into millisecond shots that carry no significance. Even a basic car chase that opens the film is rendered impossible to follow as Forster never bothers to slow his editing down to give the audience a better idea of the location. Each car involved begins to resemble the other every so often intercut with a close up of Craig’s sweaty face as he attempts to weave his way through the traffic. Wider establishing shots are woefully underused instead replaced by countless tight shots of henchmen aimlessly shooting rounds or wheels spinning on the concrete.

Some of the action indeed also makes little sense such as the spectacular hotel in the middle of the desert that blows up in sequence as each room detonates as if on a timer even though a violent fire is suppose to be raging in the entire structure or the plane chase through deserted canyons that does nothing but further emphasize how bad a shot Bond villains truly are. Of note to producers, please keep excessive CG out of a movie as much as possible or use some nifty stunt teams as watching atrociously formatted green screen work in a movie that is suppose to highlight realism seem hypocritical.

Perhaps Quantum’s biggest faux pas is that it just does not feel at all like a James Bond movie. Replace Daniel Craig with Jason Statham and you’d barely notice. It’s commendable that the filmmakers are trying to shy away from Bond stereotypes such as an excessive use of gadgets, location shoots that make you want to run out and book your next vacation, or Bond bedding a hundred women but by stripping all of these aesthetics away the audience is left with a movie that could feature Jean Claude Van Damme or Steven Seagal albeit with a bigger budget. What exactly are the producers trying to say to the public when one of their major selling points boils down to Bond girl Camille being the first woman that Bond does not seduce? Is that such a big deal in this day and age? There’s nothing wrong with a true partnership amongst equals but Camille is no cold-blooded killer differing to Bond for advice during tough situations. Olga Kurylenko certainly exudes enough sexual energy and poutiness to melt an iceberg and makes a good companion for Bond but her lack of overall screentime and presence that does not affect the overall plot make one yearn for a better narrative that could better integrate her character into the proceedings.

Taken as nothing more than a standard action ensemble, Quantum of Solace might pass the mustard but coming after the vaunted Casino Royale this is a massive step backwards. Bond fans shouldn’t fret as this is not on the level of Timothy Dalton’s disastrous License to Kill but they should at least be concerned with the overall direction of the franchise if the producers veer the formula into being nothing more than a mainstream action blockbuster. Lacking any sort of dry wit or marked sense of exuberance this Bond is incredibly stale and lifeless. Although it has a short 106 minute running time it certainly feels as if three monotonous hours of ill-conceived action that is suppose to excite has instead taken a jack hammer to your brain leaving you less than content and most wanting to make a bee line to your local pharmacist for a large dose of aspirin.

** out of ****

2008, USA/UK, 106 Minutes, PG-13, MGM
Directed by Marc Forster
Screenplay by Paul Haggis, Neal Purvis, Robert Wade
Produced by Barbara Broccoli & Michael G. Wilson
Executive producer: Callum McDougall & Anthony Waye
Original Music by David Arnold
Cinematography by Roberto Schaefer
Film Editing by Matt Chesse & Richard Pearson

James Bond: Daniel Craig
Camille: Olga Kurylenko
Dominic Greene: Mathieu Amalric
M: Judi Dench
René Mathis: Giancarlo Giannini
Strawberry Fields: Gemma Arterton
Felix Leiter: Jeffrey Wright
Gregg Beam: David Harbour
Mr. White: Jesper Christensen
Elvis: Anatole Taubman
Bill Tanner: Rory Kinnear
Foreign Secretary: Tim Pigott-Smith
General Medrano: Joaquín Cosio
Colonel of Police: Fernando Guillén Cuervo
Lieutenant Orso: Jesús Ochoa
Gemma: Lucrezia Lante della Rovere
Henry Mitchell: Glenn Foster
Guy Haines: Paul Ritter

© 2009 The Galactic Pillow

For those who are impatiently waiting my review of J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek movie I present the following mini review in two simple lines.

Is it good? Yes.

Is it better than the all time franchise standard bearer, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan? No.

Satisfied?

Seriously, that said, J.J. Abrams has managed the near impossible feat of crafting a movie that will please both diehard fans and complete neophytes. Those who have been following this blog for a while will undoubtedly realize what a huge Trekkie I am and though my bias towards the series has had me tooting the horn to promote this movie I must admit that I had a deep inherent fear that the end result would insult my intelligence or just plain pull my chain the wrong way. Please excuse the following jumbled up stream of consciousness review that follows. I usually let a movie percolate in my head for some time sorting through my thoughts before putting them down on a piece of paper, or in this case, Microsoft Word. In the interest of expediency I’m writing this particular review only a few hours after catching the May 7th, 7pm showing of the movie and if I sound as if I’m occasionally rambling or that it contains more typos or grammatical errors than usual I apologize in advance.

Without giving away a single spoiler all I can say is that diehard purist Trekkies who only obsess about Kirk’s safe combination or the angle and size of the Enterprise’s warp nacelles and spend hours debating the relative merits of the Prime Directive might be in for some major seismic shocks to the system. Frankly, Abrams and his creative writing team have concocted a surprisingly effective solution based on real scientific theory that gives them full creative license to basically discard and jettison huge chunks of Trek lore to make way for this new iteration. It is actually so simple it’s a wonder no one bothered to think about it or actually enact it before.

When the commercial spouts, “This is NOT your father’s Star Trek,” it’s not lying. This is in fact an alternate universe which has been forcibly created as a result of some major time travelling that changes the timeline Trekkies have known into this new creation. Yet it also means that the original timeline has not been destroyed at all and that everything we’ve grown up with as Trek history still exists and that all Abram’s is doing is shifting the perspective from the old timeline to the newly created one.

This simple explanation, obviously espoused during the film, should satisfy most fans who don’t really want to see 40 years of previous lore blown to bits by this move. As an aside I have to really recommend all Trekkies read the Countdown comic book prequel that was released before this movie written by Bob Orci and Alex Kurtzman who both wrote the screenplay. It works as a bridge between the last film Star Trek Nemesis and ends literally seconds before this new movie begins. The comic provides the Next Generation crew an excellent send off and manages to fill in the gaps that lead straight into the opening shot right after the Paramount logo appears.

For myself all these changes turn out mostly for the better as they add a palpable sense of awe and suspense that would not be present if the filmmakers just decided to follow along with established Trek history. For those fans who demand nothing but pure adherence to canon this movie is going to be grating as just about everything you’ve learned about Kirk and Spock’s past has been altered.

My simple advice to all Trekkies is this – watch the movie and don’t worry about Kirk not being a Lieutenant on the USS Farragut. Chuck away the image of Captain Pike stuck in that silly plywood wheelchair with the blinking lights indicating a yes or a no. Conversely, wipe your brain of that silly notion that Spock had served with Pike for years before Kirk took over. Although we Trekkies that have followed the classic series for years have dreamed about these scenarios before the simple fact is that they are not present in Abrams’ version of things. If you can’t accept that and deem it heresy that this has been allowed to happen then the only piece of advice I can give is to just not watch the film as you’d end up seething about how things have supposedly changed for the worse.



To everyone else who are more open minded, Star Trek circa 2009 is a rip roaring science fiction spectacle full of innovative camera work, top notch visual effects, rousing soundtrack and most important of all, a pitch-perfect cast that recalls the original cast yet carves out their own paths. Set to a blisteringly paced cadence that never pauses for a breath J.J. Abram’s vision of Trek is stunning to behold. The movie itself clocks in at 126 minutes but it feels like a slim 90 precisely because Abram’s never lets up on the gas pedal. I sincerely cannot recall a recent movie that has had such an inherently fast pace as this film yet it never sinks to having an unending chain of action sequences that have unfortunately plagued many films of late (I’m looking at you Quantum of Solace!) that mask their wafer-thin plots with pointless fisticuffs or redundant chases.

The movie begins with a truly emotionally effective pre-title sequence much like those that occur during James Bond films albeit laced with a gripping subtext that brackets the action. A small Federation ship called the USS Kelvin is merrily cruising by a huge and surprisingly violently animated sun when out of nowhere a giant rift in space opens in front of her revealing a menacing monstrosity of a ship inspired by H.R. Geiger with tentacle arms and jagged edges. Before the Kelvin can properly react it comes under heavy fire pummelling the ship in seconds. As the attack ends a Romulan named Nero appears on screen demanding their surrender and orders the Kelvin’s Captain named Robau (Faran Tahir) to come over to his ship. Totally outgunned Robau gets into a shuttle and leaves command of the ship to his first officer, George Kirk (Chris Hemsworth). Needless to say negotiations don’t go well and soon George Kirk finds himself in a no-win scenario so he orders everyone to abandon ship including his pregnant wife who is in the midst of child birth.

This 10-12 minute segment is stunning in simplicity basically showcasing the rather mournful birth of a major character that is buffeted by some truly heart-wrenching melodrama yet it works wonders as it sets the tone for the overall movie. Right from the opening shot of the camera lovingly panning over the Kelvin’s hull it is obvious that you’ve never seen Star Trek done like this before. Everything feels so fresh and dynamic that for this long time Trekkie it was initially disorienting watching the rapid-fire cuts, exorbitant use of lens flares and tight angles of both machinery and characters that never have been seen before in this franchise. Imagine if the cameraman from the Jason Bourne series showed up on the set and started filming and you’d only be beginning to get an idea of how the photography has changed. Previous Trek’s had a high degree of theatricality to them with a large amount of static camera work. Abram’s has ditched all that relying on steady cams with a high degree of wobble that make everything feel as if the audience is part of a news camera crew covering a major war. The only downside to this technique is that Abrams chooses not to include too many grand establishing shots content to use tight angles that are sometimes majorly disorienting.

Then there’s the actual sets themselves that scream new design with high tech being melded with surprisingly low tech – the bridge of the Kelvin and later the Enterprise is teaming with LCD displays and feature viewscreens with multiple HUDs and graphical overlays whereas the engineering rooms are jarringly filled with industrial tubes and pipes as if you were in a brewery. Joking aside, it is a brewery! Abrams and crew actually went to these places and filmed there and if there’s one sour note from the production design it’s that the two sets don’t really mesh well. It’s kind of hard to believe that key locations such as the bridge or sick bay look like futuristic locales but the poor engine room looks like the bowels of the Yamato circa World War 2. Then again this little nitpick in no way ruins the film as the action is incredibly hectic and you rarely get a chance to savour any location you’re in as Abrams keeps his camera constantly moving. On the other hand I really wish I had this on Blu-ray so I could pause and savour the intricately detailed sets and revel in the superlative effects work.

The first third of the film is a rather satisfying look into the early life of both Kirk and Spock and how the two grew up in totally different environments nicely labelled for newcomers as Iowa and Vulcan. Without a father, Kirk (Chris Pine) grows up as a rebellious James Dean whose only goal is girls and cheap thrills until a pivotal encounter with Captain Pike (Bruce Greenwood) inspires him to join Starfleet. Spock (Zachary Quinto) has a totally different set of issues being a half-breed of both Vulcan and Human blood his childhood is filled with constant taunting decrying his mixed heritage that not only comes from kids but the supreme council as well. This in turn spurs Spock to join Starfleet instead of the Vulcan science academy.

J.J. Abram’s movie is no doubt an origin yarn and although it manages to deftly showcase all the major characters the focus is firmly on the budding relationship between Kirk and Spock. Some online commentators have funnily labelled their friendship as the first “bromance” but that’s something I’d rather leave in the hands of those who write their own fanfiction. Regardless, the original angle in this movie is that both these characters initially detest one another and that the narrative thrust from that point on is merely about how they come to admire the other. Indeed, this is the heart of the tale and it plainly works. Without revealing too much the screenwriters have concocted situations that at first rend them apart but as events unfold the duo come to the realization that they need each other.

Diehard Trekkies will undoubtedly fawn over many sequences that pop up such as the famed Kobayashi Maru exam simulator which Kirk easily beats while munching leisurely on an apple harkening directly to the famous scene in Trek 2 where Shatner’s Kirk does exactly the same apple munching as he cockily tells those near him that he doesn’t believe in a no-win scenario. Each character is given his or her time to shine and it’s no mean feat that Abrams managed to shoehorn every one of them in giving them just enough screentime to establish their characters.



In fact it seems that Abrams and screenwriters Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman have gone out of their way to include as many fan oriented moments as possible almost as if they had a massive checklist of items to go through. Many people in the audience during my screening reacted emphatically as each showed up none more so than when the “guy in the red shirt” appeared eliciting reams of laughter and cat calling. Throw in a green Orion babe who thankfully is not a slave this time, the use of original sound effects, ejecting the warp core(s) and a bevy of easily recognizable catch phrases and it is obvious that this new behind the camera crew knows their lore. In fact both Orci and Kurtzman are fans themselves and it shows. When our beloved characters throw out a famous line you can’t help but smile that they’ve managed to incorporate it without bludgeoning it over your head. When Mccoy (Karl Urban) finally blurts, “I’m a doctor, not a physicist” everyone around me started to spontaneously cheer.

That said, whatever issues or reservations I previously had about this new cast are long gone. These young actors are the real deal nailing their characters with ease. The supporting cast all get their moments in the sun but huge kudos goes to Karl Urban who absolutely embodies the cantankerous Leonard McCoy to the T. Of all the new cast, Urban seems to be voodoo channelling the ghost of DeForest Kelley and comes off closest to the original actor. It almost makes you think that Kelley was his father as his mannerisms are bang on. I have no doubt that fans are most probably going to identify and warm to Urban the most. Simon Pegg as Scotty is a hoot although the script has him firmly in the token comic relief column. Still, he and Urban steal nearly all the scenes they are in which is no mean feat especially for Pegg who really doesn’t show up until the final third of the film. It should also come as no surprise that both Urban and Pegg are Trekkies in real life and seem to dial in immediately to what made those two characters tick.

Both Anton Yelchin as Checkov and John Cho as Sulu don’t get much screentime but I can see some audience members being a bit annoyed at Yelchin who really lays into a thick Russian accent that is almost always played for laughs whereas Cho focuses almost completely on Sulu’s physical proficiency with a blade. The easiest way to describe Yelchin would be to compare him to Wil Wheaton playing Wesley Crusher except with a Russian accent. John Cho doesn’t get much to do but his big fight scene with Kirk on a giant space drill is a hoot although JJ.Abram’s Star Wars roots undoubtedly pop up with Sulu’s version of a lightsaber. Still, it looks cool and that’s all that matters especially since it plays upon the image of George Takai’s glistening naked torso while brandishing a rapier in the original series.

The biggest booster in terms of screentime is undoubtedly Zoe Seldana’s Uhura who plays a surprisingly integral role in the emotional well-being of one of the main characters. To say more would spoil it but Seldana brings both her remarkably alluring image and a surprisingly heartfelt presence to the predominantly male cast. Think of her take on Uhura as a politically correct look at the modern woman who can easily take charge and assert herself on anyone regardless of age or gender. This is a professional who knows what she wants and pursues it with a vengeance.

I would be remiss not to mention the exceptional work of Bruce Greenwood as the Enterprise’s first Captain Christopher Pike. Whenever he’s on screen his considerable acting chops and authoritative demeanour cut an impressive figure and for once the filmmakers have to be applauded for actually showcasing other Starfleet Captains who aren’t total morons. It had become a bit of a joke especially with the later TV series and movies to see other fleet officers (remember Captain Harriman from Generations?) display a startling lack of command proficiency but both Pike and to a lesser extent the doomed Captain Robau of the USS Kelvin are exemplary leaders who instinctively know what to do even when confronted with dire straits. Whenever Greenwood is on screen you can almost watch in awe as he inspires the newer cast members to raise their game in order to play off him.

Other guest stars such as Ben Cross as Sarek and a surprisingly effective Winona Ryder as Spock’s mom, Amanda round out the superlative cast. Then there’s Leonard Nimoy as Spock Prime. What can I say that hasn’t been said before? Much like Sir Alec Guiness’ turn as Obi-Wan in the original Star Wars trilogy, Nimoy arrives and easily commands each scene he is involved in. However, this is clearly an aged Spock nearing the end of his days with an even higher maturity level (if that is possible) than previously seen and Nimoy makes this Spock into a wise sage yet you can see the added sparkle in his eye when he comes face to face with young Kirk or the pained expression of mournful sorrow flush over his visage after he witnesses a cataclysmic event. Although his inclusion might seem like nothing more than a throwaway bone to us diehard fans Nimoy was quite correct in stating that this role plays an important part in the narrative. In fact, what transpires in the movie is a direct result of Spock Prime’s actions in the future that lead to both him and Nero being sucked back in time into this new alternate universe.

That brings us undoubtedly and most crucially to both Chris Pine as Kirk and Zachary Quinto as Spock. It should come as no surprise that if these two weren’t convincing than the movie would plainly not work. Happily, they both completely nail it. Quinto absolutely shines as Spock with a skilful portrayal of a more unhinged version of everyone’s most popular Vulcan. His task in some ways is even greater than Pine’s precisely because he’s up against Leonard Nimoy as Spock Prime – the differences are plain to see but Quinto’s take on the character is a wonder to behold filled with more angst and internal turmoil than I’d ever expected to see. This Spock is clearly a conflicted individual who fights almost daily between his cool Vulcan logic and hot-blooded human passions and Quinto conveys this through skilful manipulation of subtle facial ticks and body language that suggest his ongoing struggle. With a piercing stare that straddles the razor’s edge between outward cool and inner frustration Quinto makes the character a joy to watch especially when presented with the film’s biggest shocks of which I will not reveal. It is safe to say that Quinto’s Spock goes through a bevy of emotional, heart-pounding u-turns that Nimoy’s version never had to, at least not all at once. Yet it is precisely this internal confusion that makes this young Spock so incredibly sympathetic and I’m sure audiences will agree.

Conversely, the relatively unknown Chris Pine embodies everything we’ve come to love about James Tiberius Kirk without Shatner’s overblown body language or unique vocal cadence. When Pine won the role he immediately went to watch previous episodes for inspiration but thankfully Abrams had the foresight to realize that to mimic Shatner was folly and would send the movie into a haphazard SNL type mimicry that would torpedo whatever atmosphere they were trying to achieve. William Shatner is William Shatner and there’s no point even trying to ape “the man.” Instead, Pine dials back the ham and focuses instead on making his Kirk a rebellious James Dean with a touch of Han Solo’s roguish charm. This is a Kirk that is rudderless without a coherent goal in life who yearns for something more but doesn’t know exactly yet where to channel his energy. Even after his fateful meeting with Captain Pike and his entry into Starfleet Academy he’s still chasing skirt and being overtly cocky and boisterous.

Thankfully, as the 2nd act begins Pine begins down the path to resembling the best Kirk traits often seen in Shatner’s take. While still resolute with his convictions he begins to realize that he needs to use the crew around him and foster their considerable talents and soon settles into the position of leadership that is his birthright. Surprisingly, Pine’s Kirk is the recipient of a lot of witty abuse by the screenwriters who play up the character’s cockiness level yet proceed to constantly deflate it by involving him in numerous pratfalls the most obvious example being McCoy’s hilarious plan to smuggle Kirk onto the Enterprise that leads to Kirk drooling like a dog, being blind in one eye, slurred speech and enlarged hands that plays up the campiness level to the nines. It’s a good thing though that Abrams has impeccable comic timing and never lets any of the jokes overstay their welcome as it would detract from the coming emotional heft.

On the technical front there’s no doubt that every last cent from the $150 million dollar budget has made it on screen. Not since Star Trek The Motion Picture has a Trek film looked so darned delicious replete with expansive sets and jaw-dropping CG this is a visual tour de force that will leave audiences breathless. I don’t necessarily hate CG but it really distracts when it is not done well. Here it’s absolutely seamless with numerous transitions between the sets and the sprawling space exteriors that are awe inspiring. Many have heard this before but I’ll say it again – this film is epic in all aspects from sweeping vistas showing futuristic San Francisco to the Coruscant inspired Vulcan that goes one better by actually having buildings hanging like stalactites. The art design is simply stunning.

Purists will probably blanch at the new USS Enterprise, she of newly muscular nacelles and a rather flattened secondary hull but I’m sold. Although I love Classic Trek it would have been folly to just ram the old model into today’s high-tech CG as it would have looked wholly out of place. This new Enterprise just screams power and the first time you see it Abrams even has the right idea to hug her lines as a shuttle flies over her hull. I’m not so sure about the size but it seems gigantic when on screen easily dwarfing other Federation ships. Yes, we do see a new space dock and other ships as well which is a nice treat that I was not expecting and the only downside being that I wish we saw more. What we get evokes the scene from Starship Troopers as the fleet set out to attack the bug planet of Klandathu. A high degree of kudos has to go to, of all things, the sound effect department which has used real science whenever possible such as during several highly realistic sequences that specifically feature the lack of sound in a vacuum. Take the well advertised space jump which has Kirk, Sulu and obligatory red shirt cadet jumping out of a moving shuttle into the atmosphere in an attempt to land on a small drilling platform hovering over a planet. When the trio leave the shuttle there’s a loud whoosh of escaping air followed by dead silence as they plummet toward the surface. As they get closer and closer and into the planetary air the sound effects begin to ramp up as air resistance kicks in until it’s howling like a raging tornado. Cool stuff.

Sticking with sound, long time J.J. Abrams collaborator Michael Giacchino takes over the musical reigns and churns out a remarkably Jerry Goldsmith inspired score that ranks up there with the best of all Trek soundtracks. Giacchino sticks to a relatively inspiring tune for Kirk but it’s his take on Spock that is the highlight here as I never thought anyone would use a Chinese erhu instrument (think Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon) to denote the air of Vulcan spiritualism. The two themes serve as further justification showcasing the differences in personality between Kirk and Spock with such opposite ends of the musical spectrum.

So what prevents this movie from overtaking or even matching Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan? Technically the new film is without equal but the one major ingredient that it lacks is a large dose of gravitas. This is not the fault of either the screenwriters or Abrams but it’s just not fair to compare what is essentially the new crew’s maiden voyage to that of one taking place after decades of camaraderie. What the new crew achieves in such a short time span is amazing and sets the ground work for the inevitable sequels but in terms of resonance it’s plainly lacking the incredible nuance and maturity found in Nicholas Meyer’s movie that also runs through the best of the original series. Perhaps the next J.J. Abram’s movie can start tackling deeper plots that elicit more emotional response than pure exhilaration during action sequences or loud laughs at the numerous jokes. The film’s pre-title sequence comes closest to evoking deep gut-wrenching emotions but even that can’t hold a candle to the way in which a major character passes on in Trek 2.

Conversely, with such a high emphasis on Kirk, Spock and the other five core characters there’s little time to develop Eric Bana’s Nero who comes across as nothing more than a snarling lout with a giant grudge. He’s no Ricardo Montalban as Khan and thus doesn’t present Kirk with a truly equal adversary leaving Nero as nothing more than a plot device to keep the movie moving forward. It’s not that Bana can’t act as he’s actually very commanding when on screen but he’s just not given enough screentime to establish more than his basic motivation – yet another reason I recommend fans read Countdown as Nero is much better fleshed out and understood if one knew his back-story. Still, requiring the audience to read a comic book before the movie is lazy filmmaking and I have seen that many in attendance at the screening were perplexed as to Nero’s motivation. Those who have read the comic will appreciate more what Eric Bana pulls off but for everyone else they are going to be scratching their heads wondering how he became so full of hate with a singular thirst for revenge.

Indeed, when the movie finally gets around to the major expository sequence told with panache through a Vulcan mind meld it’s actually too dense and compacted than it needs to be as it basically compresses the entire Countdown comic storyline that spans four issues into a scant five minute flashback. My wife did not grasp what was being shown and I have no doubt others in the audience are going to experience brain spasms as it spins a yarn full of technobabble featuring super novas, red matter, old Spock, Nero, Romulus, black holes and time travel. It’s never a good thing to leave the audience adrift at sea without a life preserver but this sequence is just not plotted out well enough for neophytes to follow along.

Abrams and the new Trek team behind the scenes have honed their focus into presenting a summer popcorn movie with a high degree of action and wit and although the way he brings the crew together evokes great “geekgasms” the usual Trek political allegories and grandiose morality tales are shunted to the background. That’s to be expected as this is supposed to be a movie that appeals to a large swath of the population that has no prior knowledge of the show but I sincerely hope Abrams brings in these larger themes in subsequent installments.

However, all that said the one area where this new Trek hits the most potholes is in its plot that relies heavily on sheer coincidence. Some might argue that Abrams is merely highlighting the fact that forces of destiny are at play that clearly dictate that even though the timeline has been altered that these people were meant to meet and become the crew we love the fact remains that large parts of the movie hinge on seemingly random twists of fate that, at times, will make you raise a Vulcan eyebrow in disbelief. Having key characters meet on desolated ice planets that resemble Hoth from the Empire Strikes Back by stumbling into one another is really stretching credibility and there are also a few visual cues that seem out of place such as a character looking at the sky and watching a planet self destruct even though it is light years away. Didn’t the science team bring up this point with the filmmakers that you shouldn’t be able to see this phenomenon? Also, I might sound like I’m nitpicking here but unless someone didn’t send me a memo I never realized that transporters had a HUGE range so that you could conceivably beam someone from Earth to Saturn in one shot. I don’t seem to remember it being THAT far a distance.

Then again, this movie runs on such high-octane energy that it basically steamrolls over whatever little niggling issues it has. While classic Trek movies featuring Shatner and Nimoy centered on the never ending theme of growing old and showcased adult life this movie revels in its youthful exuberance. With movies tending to trend dark and explore the deep recesses of the human condition ala Chris Nolan’s The Dark Knight Abram’s Trek does the polar opposite by accentuating the positives that Trek has been so well known for. This is a stirring rendition of Gene Roddenberry’s utopic future where humanity has conquered the stars not with a sword but with the soul and Abrams does everything in his power to keep this focus. Humanity might be flawed but it is our ability to overcome our inherent prejudice that gives us a leg up on what evil lurks outside the preverbal window.

If I had to make a tonal comparison I’d have to say that Abram’s Trek feels much more in line with Raiders of the Lost Ark which had one of the most balanced and engaging combinations of pure unadulterated fun and humour coupled with barnstorming action sequences. That is not to say that this new Trek is devoid of touching moments as there are indeed many, a few actually shocking to say the least but the overall mood is one of pure boyish charm and optimism that it elevates the entire movie with feel good buoyancy.

In the end J.J. Abrams and his talented crew are to be applauded for basically rebooting Trek and making it relevant again. While I never truly downright hated the Star Trek Voyager or Enterprise TV shows nor even Star Trek Nemesis the writing was on the wall as the franchise slowly sank into an unending pit of mediocrity. It was actually infuriating for this Trek fan to watch the series spiral down and get stuck beholden to its own ponderous lore that stifled whatever creativity had flourished during both the original series and the Next Generation.



Abram’s Trek, with all its gnarly new gadgetry and clean high-tech design is exactly the boost in the arm that is required to re-energize this creaky old franchise. With a new look, capably young cast and a new creative focus from the filmmakers this new Trek is poised to explode the box office. That said, I know I promised the blog readers here my box office analysis and I apologize for not writing it sooner but I’ll be cautiously optimistic and incredibly elated if it somewhat follows Batman Begin’s trajectory but opens a bit higher – so for the record I’ll predict a $65 million opening weekly with a 3.5x multiplier bringing the total to a $227.5 million final gross. Anything more is cake. Of course, anything less than $150 million will probably make Paramount cry.

Box office prognostications aside, this is a masterfully crafted summer popcorn film that should please both diehard fans while bring in legions of new ones. Forget all the small inconsistencies or changes to past Trek lore and instead revel in the sheer delight of this new vision of Gene Roddenberry’s future of mankind. With one fell swoop, J.J. Abrams has plotted a course for the future and for the first time in years the future is bright. It would be sappy to end with Spock’s customary Vulcan salute so I’ll instead just say – the human adventure is just beginning.

***1/2 out of ****

2009, USA, 126 Minutes, PG-13, Paramount Pictures
Directed by J.J. Abrams
Screenplay by Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman
Based on Star Trek created by Gene Roddenberry
Produced by Damon Lindelof & J.J. Abrams
Executive Producer: Bryan Burk, Jeffrey Chernov, Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci
Original Music by Michael Giacchino
Cinematography by Daniel Mindel
Film Editing by Maryann Brandon & Mary Jo Markey
Casting by April Webster & Alyssa Weisberg
Production Design by Scott Chambliss

James T. Kirk: Chris Pine
Spock: Zachary Quinto
Spock Prime: Leonard Nimoy
Nero: Eric Bana
Capt. Christopher Pike: Bruce Greenwood
Dr. Leonard 'Bones' McCoy: Karl Urban
Nyota Uhura: Zoe Saldana
Scotty: Simon Pegg
Hikaru Sulu: John Cho
Pavel Chekov: Anton Yelchin
Sarek: Ben Cross
Amanda Grayson: Winona Ryder
George Kirk: Chris Hemsworth
Winona Kirk: Jennifer Morrison
Gaila: Rachel Nichols
Captain Robau: Faran Tahir
Ayel: Clifton Collins Jr.
Officer Pitts: Antonio Elias

© 2009 The Galactic Pillow