Star Trek DVD: Review By Jami Philbrick

"Star Trek" is not only the best Star Trek movie ever made (with the possible exception of Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan) but also it may be one of the best films of the year. Forget that it was a summer blockbuster or a sci-fi film, the movie had a human story, that made you care about the characters and packed in more humor, heart and excitement than most movies these days can deliver. Plus, it's fun for any age, children and parents alike can enjoy this film the way families enjoyed movies like "Star Wars" and "Raiders of the Lost Arc" together in the late '70s and '80s. What we eventually learn in the film is that in the year 2387 the galaxy is threatened by a supernova so Ambassador Spock (Leonard Nimoy) pilots a ship carrying "red matter" which should create a black hole to consume the supernova but instead destroys the planet Romulus. Captain Nero (Eric Bana) of the Romulan mining ship Narada blames Spock for the destruction of his home planet however, both ships, Nero and Spock's are pulled through the black hole causing them to travel through time.

The film begins 154 years earlier as the Narada comes through the time portal first and runs into a Federation starship, the USS Kelvin. Blaming the Federation, as well as Spock, for the destruction of his home Nero attacks the Kelvin and requests it's Captain meets with him on his ship. Nero asks for the whereabouts of Admiral Spock and quickly realizes that the black hole caused his ship to travel through time so he decides to destroy the Kelvin and wait for Admiral Spock's return. Back on the USS Kelvin, without a Captain the first mate, George Kirk, takes command and quickly begins evacuating the ship. Also on board is his pregnant wife, about to give birth to their son, who they will eventually name James Tiberius Kirk. In order to successfully see the evacuation of his wife and newborn child, George stays aboard the Kelvin as it goes down but not before he hears the cries of his newborn son.

We are next introduced to a young Spock and learn of his difficulties growing up and not being accepted by his Vulcan brothers because of his human Mother. Eventually Spock decides to leave Vulcan and join Starfleet Academy as we catch up with a young Kirk. Without his Father to guide him the James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) we meet is a lost rebel searching for some meaning in his life. When Kirk gets into a bar fight with some Starfleet cadets after making eyes with the beautiful Uhura (Zoe Saldana) Captain Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood) intervenes. Having done a dissertation on the USS Kelvin, Pike knows of Kirk's family heroics and recommends he join the Academy. Eventually he does and in doing so meets Dr. Leonard McCoy a divorced physician forced to leave Earth because wife got everything in the divorce except his "Bones."

We flash forward three years and see Kirk exactly the way we expect him, confident, c*cky, sure of him self and sleeping around with green girls. One green girl in particular is the roommate of Uhura, whom Kirk is still endlessly flirting with. The night before Kirk's third attempt at the Kobayashi Maru test, a no-win test that Kirk is determined to beat, he over hears Uhura intercept a distress call from Vulcan regarding a lightning storm and an attacking Romulan ship, which are all similar details to the night his Father died. Kirk goes on to beat the test but in doing so raises questions about his changing the test in order to win, essentially cheating and is forced to face his accuser, the inventor of the test, Spock in an Academy hearing. Before the outcome can be determined, all cadets are asked to report to their respective ships for duty, as the Starfleet must fly to Vulcan to aid in their distress call.

We begin to see the cadets get assigned to their ships and the Enterprise, as we know it take form. Kirk, who is still under suspension, does not get assigned so Bones poisons him in order to sneak him on the Enterprise. Uhura does not get assigned to the Enterprise much to her anger but convinces her secret boyfriend, Spock to change her assignment. Aboard we see Captain Pike on the bridge and meet familiar faces Pavel Chekov (Anton Yelchin) and Mr. Sulu (John Cho). While fighting off the alien sickness Bones has given him, Kirk must convince Pike and Spock that Vulcan is under attach and that they are warping into a trap.

Eventually, Pike realizes that Kirk is right but it is too late as Nero already has the upper hand. He orders Pike aboard his ship and is currently drilling into Vulcan's core, which is enabling the Enterprise to transport or warp. Pike agrees to meet with Nero but not before he makes Spock Captain and Kirk First Mate. Per Pike's orders, Kirk and Sulu are to dismantle the drill and then rescue Pike. Once the whole in the Vulcan's core is ready, Nero drops some of the red matter that he has gotten from Spock "Prime" who Nero intercepted upon arrival, into the Vulcan core destroying Spock's home forever. Captain Spock then leaves his ship to save the elders of his planet but cannot save his Mother (Winona Ryder). In the wake, Spock decides to return to Starfleet to regroup but Kirk strongly disagrees, stating that Pike gave orders to rescue him. Unhappy with Kirk's suborder ness, Spock exiles him off the ship and on to a cold and distant planet.

There he is rescued from a horrible monster by non-other than Spock 'Prime." He is surprised to see a young Kirk and explains to him, and the audience, how his time traveling has upset the order of things and that Nero exiled him to the planet so he could feel the pain of watching his home destroyed. He helps Kirk get off the planet and back on the Enterprise where he belongs when they meet up with another Starfleet member stationed on that planet, Scotty. "Prime" Spock convinces Kirk that he must take command of the ship from his younger self but cannot explain what has happened. The only way is to make the Vulcan with no emotions compromise himself by becoming emotionally unfit to be Captain. Unaware of how to do that Spock tells Kirk that he just watched his planet destroyed and his Mother die, "I assure you Jim, I am emotionally compromised," he says.

Finally aboard the Enterprise, Kirk and Captain Spock have the showdown we've been waiting for and eventually Kirk gets Spock to show his human side. With Spock no longer captain, Kirk takes command of the ship and orders the rescue of Pike. Eventually, all of our characters come together and are able to free Pike and defeat Nero. Kirk and Spock become friends, Pike becomes admiral and Kirk is awarded Captain of the Enterprise. Spock "Prime" meets his younger, alternate version self and convinces him to take his rightful place next to Kirk aboard the Enterprise as we see the ship, with all of our beloved characters preparing to boldly go where no one has gone before.

Chris Pine gives a star-making performance as the future Captain Kirk and breaths fresh life into a character that easily could have been played as a characture of William Shatner but instead is original yet resembles the hero we know. Zachary Quinto is equally brilliant as the steely Spock and lays the groundwork for the future friendship between the two characters that fans of the series adore. Eric Bana's villainous Nero makes for a great and believable villain while Bruce Greenwood centers the film as the Enterprise's original Captain, Pike. But it is Karl Urban who steals almost every scene he's in by channeling the late Deforest Kelley playing a spot-on Dr. "Bones" McCoy.

What is so cool about this movie for fans is that every character gets to have that moment you are waiting for but in a respectful and loving way. Bones says, "Are you out of your Vulcan mind" and you get a certain thrill. Other great moments included Kirk's c*cky-ness eating an apple during the Kobayashi Maru test and the use of another "Wrath of Khan" devise, the Centurion Slugs like creatures that crawl into your ear and control your mind. The filmmakers did an amazing job of fitting in all the geeky Star Trek stuff that fans want to see but doing it in a way that doesn't distract from the film. They are able to open a window to the heart of Star Trek for non-fans so that they get a fun, moving story that is easy to understand and has characters that everyone can relate to. J. J. Abrams' triumph here is creating a new jumping off point creating new fans and at the same time embracing the old fans who have kept the Star Trek name alive for so many years.

The special features on this DVD are amazing and must-sees for any fans including nine deleted scenes. One of the scenes features "Alias" star Victor Garber as a Klingon Prison Warden interrogating the prisoner Nero. Another great scene is the birth of Spock and his Mother's line to his Father, "he's got your ears." Another scene introduces us to Kirk's brother and we learn that Spock's father may have gotten a glimpse at Spock "Prime". Where many DVD's only include some sparse, generalized behind-the-scenes featurettes these are robust chronicling the conception, casting, design and scoring of the film. The casting featurette is especially moving in a moment where Leonard Nimoy chokes up giving a speech to the cast and crew on his final day of shooting. There is a very cleverly edited gag reel cut to look like the opening sequence of the original series. It's also great to see Nimoy curse at his frustration of flubbing a line. But it's the commentary by Abrams and writers Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Damon Lindelof that makes this DVD worth buying. The amount of love, thoughtfulness and caring about bringing this property to the big screen should be a must see for any filmmaker about to adapt a beloved property to the silver screen. The in depth information given on this DVD about the franchise, the future of the series and how this new timeline will play out is something that every fan of the movie and the franchise will want to own. There is so much information on these DVD's that you can literally spend a month dissecting it and discovering new gems of information about the film. And of course, the DVD does come with a digital download so you can easily put this in your ipod or on your computer.

The film is presented in widescreen format enhanced for 16:9 TV screens. The runtime is 2 hours and six minutes. It is rated PG-13 for violence and brief strong language.

The film is presented in English Dolby Digital 5.1. Subtitles are in English, Spanish and French.

The great thing about the packaging is that Paramount decided to do the same thing that they did with the "Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen" and "G.I. JOE: The Rise Of Cobra" DVD's and add something cool and different to the packaging so be sure not to just throw away the slipcover this time. With a digital camera, either external or on your computer you can make a hologram of the Enterprise. By logging on to the appropriate website you can make this hologram jump off of the DVD's slipcover and I think that the technology is pretty cool and makes for some good fun with the packaging as apposed to most DVD's where the slipcover is just a replica of the DVD's own cover.

In the end, I have no problem saying that this film is about as close to perfect as the filmmakers could make it. Everyone involved deserves a big pat on the back. They were able to take everything that fans have loved for years about the franchise and repackaged it in a way that makes it fun, exciting and new for brand new audiences. The most brilliant thing done with the film was the choice to tastefully introduce time travel in a way that it sets the slate clean and gives the filmmakers a bit of breathing room with the characters in turn allowing them to have freedom with the characters and yet keep them true to the original series. Although Nero's ship corrupts time it seems that the moral of the story is that nothing can change destiny. I believe that is the message at the heart of this film. Under the most unbelievable odds, these characters are all still able to find each other and in the end are on the path that they are supposed to be on. Nothing, not even time travel can stop to friends who destinies are so closely aligned as Spock and Kirk. Friendship and family are the themes that Abrams chose to examine instead of space and sci-fi but did so with the backdrop of the genre making Star Trek not just a great movie but a great film that can be enjoyed by any audience.