Izah Morales
INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines—“What path should I follow?”

This seems to be the recurring theme in the latest episode of “Star Trek: The Future Begins,” which tells the stories of each young crew of USS Kelvin Enterprise.

We see a young Spock (Zachary Quinto)–who is confused about his half-human, half-Vulcan roots–taking a path that would later shape his life as an adult.

Spock joins James Kirk (Chris Pine), Uhura (Zo Saldana), McCoy (Karl Urban), Sulu (John Cho) and Chekov (Anton Yelchin) in a maiden voyage to stop Romulan Nero’s vengeful attack on the United Federation of Planets. In the process, the “battle” also takes place among the crew whose friendships and leaderships are tested.

Quinto, popularly known in his role as “Sylar” in the hit television series “Heroes,” plays a more scholarly and stiff character in Spock. With the signature Vulcan’s husk-like haircut, Quinto takes on an emotionless character, similar to Sylar, but minus the ruthlessness that we see in the TV series.

Among trekkies, Vulcans are known as logical beings who rarely display emotion. Their life is decided by reason. Yet, it is Spock’s half-human nature that makes him yearn for love—again similar to his character in Heroes.

Pine, on the other hand, takes on the role of the young and happy-go-lucky Kirk. But as events unfold, the boy matures into a responsible man.

Another noteworthy character Chekov, the 17-year-old genius, steals some scenes from the protagonists. The quirky Chekov, played by Russian actor Yelchin, surprisingly provides the movie with some welcome humor.

Directed by J.J. Abrams of the “Mission: Impossible III,” “Lost,” “Alias,” Star Trek: The Future Begins provides a good mix of action and drama. However, the love angle is somehow forced and is not given much explanation and detail, which might leave viewers asking for more.

For trekkies, this movie is definitely stunning and sometimes visually overwhelming—a signature of J.J. Abrams-directed films. But as far as Star Trek movies are concerned, this a big improvement from previous attempts—considering the powerhouse production led by Abrams.

As the familiar introduction in the TV series goes, this movie will take you to a new “final frontier.”

Star Trek: The Future Begins is a movie by Paramount Pictures.