Star Trek ****1/2

Star Trek is far better than it has any business being.  And I say that as a moderate Trek fan.

Whenever it comes to Trek, it feels as if fans have to justify themselves.  So before I go into this review, I guess I should show my credentials.  I have never been to a Star Trek, or any Sci-Fi, convention.  I do not own any props or toys or clothing from Trek, and I have never read any book based on the series.  I have seen all of the films, mostly in cinemas and usually within the first weekend, and I have watched many of the original and Next Generation episodes (and occasionally seen episodes from the other three spinoffs), though I couldn’t answer any form of trivia fans ask.  I guess that makes me a casual fan, someone who enjoys the concept, stories and characters but one who isn’t the least bit obsessive.

Now, I don’t say all of this defensively or out of any apology; I say all of this just to let you know where I’m coming from, because I found this new version to be one of the best adventure films I’ve seen in recent years.  It has a rather interesting plot, a premise that basically rewrites everything we thought we knew about the Trek universe and manages to make all of the main characters into three-dimensional people you care about and like.  Even Kirk, who’s usually seen as a shameless space cowboy and serial womaniser, comes across well.  And with the exception of Nimoy’s older Spock, the original cast are nowhere to be seen and are never missed.  And for a reboot of a classic and much-loved series, that is a good thing.

And whoever had the bright idea of hiring J.J. Abrams took a winning gamble.  Abrams may be seen as a darling in Hollywood now, but a study of his past does not lead one to conclude that he was the right choice for leading this.  Yes, his work on Lost and Fringe is quite good, but that’s original TV, and his other genre TV show, Alias, had a great beginning but quickly disintegrated.   Abrams’ film work is less than stellar.  Cloverfield was a fun monster movie but wasn’t nearly as inventive or solid as it could have been, and his Mission Impossible III was weak at best.

But something miraculous has happened here.  Abrams has made a film that should appease Trek fans while still being a fun film for those not as enamoured with the original.  It is a fun adventure tale that isn’t too reliant on technobabble and is far more interested in telling human stories than it is with spectacle, even though there are some rather impressive fights and battles.

I could go into a plot and character summary, but really what’s the point?  All anyone needs to know is this: the film is an origins tale, showing how the original crew of the Starship Enterprise came together.  However, with a time travel twist, it actually manages to steer away from the original universe, meaning that Abrams and Paramount Studios have carte blanche to do whatever, and perhaps even kill whomever, they wish in future films.

Prequels seem to be the new trend in Hollywood.  And while most of these have been horrid failures, Star Trek is not only one of the best entries in a well-known series but stands well on its own.  It will probably attract a lot of new fans and should please the vast majority of established ones.

Extra note.  If one has the chance, you should see this on an IMAX screen.  It is well worth the extra money.

Peer Gynt ****1/2

Eighteen months ago, Dominic Hill’s final production with Dundee Rep made impressive waves.  It won lots of acclaim and awards and served as an effective swansong for Hill’s tenure at Dundee before taking artistic directorship of the Traverse.

After a stint in London, Hill’s production of Peer Gynt is back in Scotland for a limited tour.  A co-production between Dundee Rep and the National Theatre of Scotland, Gynt is an impressive theatrical tour de force that proves that this ‘unstageable’ play can make for brilliant theatre when put in the hands, and financial backing, of talented practitioners.

Gynt is probably best known as the difficult play in Henrik Ibsen’s cannon and a punch line in Willy Russell’s Educating Rita.  It follows the life of an anti-hero whose tendency to tell tall tales has made him an outcast in his community.  Reality and imagination constantly trade places, coming to a major collusion in the end when Gynt is forced to justify his life.

For this new version, Hill asked playwright Colin Teevan to adapt Ibsen’s original.  This decision proved to be the production’s greatest idea, for Teevan has turned a difficult, multi-threaded lyrical play into a modern morality tale with language that’s about as blue and explicit as one could imagine and has clever reinterpretations of the original’s multiple settings.  The choices may offend some and send traditionalist up the proverbial wall, but what it does is make the story both relevant and thrilling to listen to.  This production’s Gynt, with his frequent profanity, constant urge to drink and screw-anything-that-moves mentality, makes for a believable character in need of salvation.

And Hill is equally imaginative in his staging.  Much of the pleasure that comes in watching this production is in witnessing the raw energy and the constantly surprising staging choices.  It feels more like a punk rendition than a new version.

It also has some fantastic performances.  The ensemble work is consistently excellent, but there are some notable standouts, including Cliff Burnett as The Button Man, Irene Macdougall as both Kati and the Interviewer and Ann Louise Ross as Aase.  But the production belongs to both Keith Fleming and Gerry Mulgrew, who share the difficult titular role, with Fleming playing the young bucking Peer and Mulgrew playing the slightly more stable but equally commanding older version.

However, this is not a perfect production.  As inventive as the staging is, the directional flash does sometimes get in the way of character and plot.  There are many scenes that make little sense, even if they are impressive to watch.  And those unfamiliar with this play but knowledgeable of Ibsen’s classic work will be surprised by the character of Solveig, who is mostly the antithesis of Ibsen’s great feminist characters.  Actress Ashley Smith does a good job in portraying the character, but the production mostly sidelines her in favour of the more colourful supporting cast.

Still, this is a thrilling production that does not feel like the three-hour epic it is.  It is consistently inventive and has a rawness that is unfortunately rare in modern theatre.  It may not be a ‘classic’ rendition nor may it be a production that could be repeated as effectively a few years down the line.  Instead, this is a Peer Gynt meant for now.  And for that, it comes highly recommended.

Playing at the Theatre Royal in Glasgow until June 27, 2009.