Critics Consensus

Critics Consensus: Star Trek Is The Best-Reviewed Wide Release of 2009!

Plus, Next Day Air fails to deliver.

by Tim Ryan | May 7, 2009 | Comments

This week at the movies, we’ve got a brand new Enterprise (Star Trek, starring Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto) and a failed delivery (Next Day Air, starring Donald Faison and Mike Epps). What do the critics have to say?

[tomatometer]MuzeID=1186973[/tomatometer]

Star Trek

It boldly goes where no Trek has gone before. This new Trek will live long and prosper. No matter what clichés they may use, there’s no getting around the critics’ main point: JJ Abrams‘ Star Trek is stirring mainstream entertainment, and breathes new life into the moribund franchise. It’s an origin story, one that tells the tale of how Kirk (Chris Pine) and Spock (Zachary Quinto) became, well, Kirk and Spock. The pundits say Abrams’ action-packed, visually remarkable take on such venerable material will reward both fans and newcomers alike, and sets an impressive new course for one of pop culture’s most enduring series. Not only is Star Trek Certified Fresh, it’s the best-reviewed wide release of the year. To top it all off, it’s the best-reviewed entry in the Star Trek franchise to date. (Be sure to check out Starfleet Command, RT’s one-stop shop for all things Trek. Also, see this week’s Total Recall, in which we count down all the previous Trek films by Tomatometer.)

[tomatometer]MuzeID=10010788[/tomatometer]

Next Day Air

Caper comedies walk a fine line; if you get too bogged down in the crime itself, the laughs can suffer. Such is the case with Next Day Air, which critics say has some moments of madcap intensity but falters from a lack of discipline. The movie stars Donald Faison as an inept deliveryman who unwittingly drops a large shipment of cocaine at the apartment of two incompetent bank robbers; pretty soon, in Tarantino-esque fashion, a number of colorful characters intersect with wacky results. Or not, say pundits, who find the film’s tonal shift from slapstick to surprisingly cold-hearted violence unpleasant.

Also opening this week in limited release:

Audience of One, a documentary about a pastor’s attempt to make a Christian sci-fi epic, is at 80 percent.
The Dardenne Brothers‘ Lorna’s Silence, about a young woman who becomes entangled with the mafia, is at 80 percent.
The Argentine import The Window, a contemplative take of an elderly man’s final days, is at 80 percent.
Atom Egoyan‘s Adoration, a drama about the strange nature of interpersonal relations in our techie age, is at 76 percent.
Outrage, Kirby Dick‘s expose of closeted Congressmen, is at 75 percent.
Julia, starring Tilda Swinton as a lonely alcoholic who commits a desperate act of violence, is at 71 percent.
Rudo and Cursi, which reunites Y Tu Mama Tambien stars Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna in a dark road comedy about two would-be soccer players, is at 69 percent.
Objectified, a documentary about commercial design and its impact on consumers, is at 50 percent.
Love N’ Dancing, starring Amy Smart in a dramedy about an unlikely pair that makes a run toward a national swing dancing competition title, is at 17 percent.
Little Ashes, a biopic of Salvador Dali’s early days starring Robert Pattinson, is at 14 percent.