DVD OF THE WEEK

STAR TREK ****
Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban
Dir: JJ Abrams

With the original cast now older than God and films starring the Next Generation cast stuttering to a halt, Star Trek needed a serious reboot to stay out of the nostalgia bins.
And now it has it – director JJ Abrams, he of the zeitgeist-hitting shows Lost and Fringe, nails it, nails everything. This is Star Trek like you've never seen it before, and it rocks!
For old fans, the recasting of staples such as Kirk and Spock was a touchy matter, to say the least. But they get it right. Chris Pine is a great young Kirk, the perfect mixture of charm, cockiness and humour. Spock is equally good, while Kiwi Karl Urban completes the trifecta with a wonderfully gruff McCoy. Classy support also comes from John Cho, Simon (Hot Fuzz) Pegg, Bruce Greenwood and villain Eric Bana.
So this is an origin story but not just an origin story. The writers have seriously upped the ante by changing the entire (revered) Star Trek timeline. This is a new Kirk and Spock, now with new histories and backstories – all that has gone before is part of a lost universe. It's clever and allows the writers to create their own lore.
This also doesn't look like any Star Trek film you've seen before. Abrams has adopted a distinct visual style, allowing – no, encouraging – lense flare and other artefacts. From the opening shot of a spaceship through a dirty rain-splattered camera, this looks different from other sci-fi films, a grittiness reminiscent of the original Alien movie.
Add in frequent and spectacular action scenes and you have one of the best summer blockbusters in a long time. And, unusually, New Zealand is the first country to get this – in the UK and US it isn't released till 17 November.

Eric Bana, while not on villain duties in Star Trek, has made a documentary, Love The Beast (***), an enjoyable and surprisingly touching ode to the love of his life, a 1974 Ford GT Falcon Coupe that he got when he was 17. And while this will be a joy for petrolheads, with fellow car nuts Jeremy Clarkson, Jay Leno and Dr Phil interviewed (Jeremy's comment: 'All muscle cars are crap.”), and a good look at the Targa Tasmania rally which Bana first entered in 1996, what comes across most strongly is the lasting friendships and family ties wrapped up in the car's history.

In A Bunch of Amateurs (**) Burt Reynolds is an aging action star who mistakenly winds up doing amateur Shakespeare in rural England. He is mighty miffed. With that set-up, pampered Hollywood meets laid-back Brits, it is – as usual – all in how you tell it. In this case it's with low-key English charm and, though the script doesn't come close to its full potential and Burt has a botoxed woodenness, the splendid UK cast – Derek Jacobi, Imelda Staunton, Samantha Bond – help carry the slack.

I presume that starring in a mainstream US comedy was a good career move for Ricky Gervais. But, while Ghost Town (**) may make him a more recognisable face in America, it will disappoint Gervais fans with it's contrived and laboured premise and the lack of anything approaching edgy humour. Set-up: an operation goes wrong and Ricky can see dead people. One wants help to remove his wife's new boyfriend and while helping Ricky falls for her. Pathetic. Both the commentary track and the gag reel are funnier than the film.

Some films are made because of the star, some because of the director, and some because of the title. Guess which one Mega Shark Versus Giant Octopus (*) is? Sadly the title is the best - and possibly, only - thing going for it and, more disappointingly, the highlights gleaned from the cover pic (Shark leaps into air and bites 747! Shark eats Golden Gate bridge!) are 'blink and you miss them” moments, clearly accomplished with small rubber toys. Not bad enough to be So Bad It's Good, this is just… bad.