At The Movies With Peter Travers: “Star Trek”
This week, Peter Travers boldly goes where all critics are soon headed: the new Star Trek movie. There have been 10 ST films and many iterations of the TV show, which could lead to Trek fatigue — but Lost‘s J.J. Abrams has made something spectacular: the summer blockbuster Wolverine should have been. The movie is an origin story that tracks James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) and Mr. Spock (Zachary Quinto) as they are just starting their careers. Winona Ryder is solid as Spock’s human mother (OMFG, says Travers about the casting), but Pine and Quinto are standouts. And Quinto manages to utter “Live long and prosper” as a “screw-you salute.” The plot was penned by the writers of Transformers, and the casting and look of the film work well. Ultimately, the film allows fans to look at all the characters again for the first time, finding new life in them. And Travers was even touched by a moment of true friendship in the film — “If you can get moved by a movie that’s filled with explosions, something is being done right,” he says.
So what’s the trick to learning the Vulcan salute? Quinto gave Travers a few tips.
Evidently the left-handed Quinto, like Travers, had trouble with the finger-bending sign, and spent some time with his digits rubber-banded together. Pharrell would be impressed with the results.
As for the Scum Bucket, Peter returns to the 10 Star Trek films in search of the worst. The offender: Star Trek V: The Final Frontier starring and directed by William Shatner. In the film, Shatner’s pomposity is in full flower and the move is so awful, “Windbags at Warped Speed” was Travers’ original headline when he reviewed the film. Shatner actually sent a note back that said, “Fuck you, Bill Shatner” which Travers now has framed in his home. The movie is still Scum Bucket material, though.
Read Travers’ full Star Trek review here: Star Trek.