Analysis of Star Trek as an Adventure and Science Fiction Genre Film

This presentation analyzes Star Trek as an adventure and science fiction genre film, including its storyline, acting, soundtrack, lighting effects, editing, costumes and makeup, and comparison to other sci-fi films.

GENRE
ANALYSIS
STAR TREK

GENRE
•Genre is defined as the category or
kind of film like the western, horror,
comedy, adventure, action or the
science fiction that comprises its own
characters and conventions (Fischer,
2014). .
•Star Trek belongs mostly to the
adventure and science fiction genre.
Released in 2009, the film is based
on an outer space adventure
(Nishime, 2017).

STORYLINE
•The story is about James T. Kirk (played by
Chris Pine), trying to live up to the legacy of
his father, George Kirk (played by Chris
Helmsworth) (Imdb.com, 2018).
•Along with Spock (played by Zachary
Quinto), James Kirk goes on a mission to
save the Federation from the vengeful
Romulans.
Contd….

• George Kirk dies while saving his crew members while his wife gives birth to
his son, James Kirk. James then joins Starfleet and along with Spock, destroys
Narada and saves the planet thus living up to his father’s legacy.

STORYLINE
•It is evident from the mission, the name of the
union of planets, the enemies – all elements of the
story line – that the film belongs to the adventure
genre (Abrams, 2013).
•Further, the storyline also revolves around Spock,
who is half-human and half-Vulcan (Vulcan is the
name of a planet) thus showing that it belongs to
the sci-fi genre as well.

ACTING
•In terms of acting, although most of the
characters portrayed their roles
exceptionally, it could not be categorized as
science fiction genre.
•The lead characters were humans only and
their acting had nuances of human beings.
•Only Spock and the Romulans were able to
demonstrate sci-fi genre acting.
Contd…

ACTING
•The lead actors portrayed themes like
racism, friendship, love and care,
exceptionally well.
•Director J.J. Abrams did well to give a
human touch to this remarkably
adventurous sci-fi film.
•The acting made it look believable to the
viewers that the Federation, Vulcan,
Starfleet, the Narada existed for real, which
is a great achievement.

Eric Bana as Nero was
exceptional in the movie
The theme
of love in
a sci-fi
film
Zachary Quinto as Spock and Chris Pine as
James Kirk – both did well to mold into the
sci-fi genre

SOUNDTRACK
•Composed by Michael Giacchino, the
film’s music sits perfectly with its sci-fi
and adventure genre.
•The soundtrack of the film gives an
ecclesiastical feel to the audiences as
the actions unfold in this sci-fi thriller.
•The sounds of the space shuttles
colliding and stars crashing into planets
are brilliantly composed.

LIGHTING
EFFECTS•A sci-fi film relied heavily on lighting
trends to produce the required effect
(Womack, 2013).
•In Star Trek, lighting is the most crucial
element because it had suns, planets and
battles to show on the outer space.
•However, the lighting used in the movie
has some uniqueness in that the director
preferred using ‘lens flare’ more.

LIGHTING
EFFECTS
Lens Flare
•Observe the use of Lens Flares in
these scenes from the movie.
There are numerous such
instances where the director has
used lens flare as a lighting
technique.
•Daniel Mindel, the director of
photography has made use of the
anamorphic lens flare to produce
these effects.
•These lighting trends relatively
new and mostly used in sci-fi
genre films.

LIGHTING
EFFECTS
The explosion lighting
•Notice the lighting used for
the explosion scenes in the
film.
•With lens flare making it
presence felt in these scenes
too, other effects add to the
visual effects used in this sci-
fi movie.
•One can also observe the
built of the space ships
through the lighting.

EDITING
•Any sci-fi or adventure genre film
requires unconventional editing because it
moves away from the conventions of
normal cinema.
•In Star Trek, the editing team used high
tech editing software to give flawless
visual effects.
•From the mise-en-scene to montage, all
the elements were professionally used for
having an impact.

COSTUMES AND
MAKEUP
•In the early days when technology was
not advanced, the costumes and makeup
were the most crucial for sci-fi genre films
•Star Trek, with all the technology
available, did not neglect the importance of
costumes as well.
•The makeup of Nero) played by Eric
Bana) and Spock along with other extra-
terrestrial beings are perfectly matched to
the genre.

OTHER SCI-FI
FILMS
•Apart from Star Trek, numerous other sci-
fi films have drawn the audiences into the
movie theatre.
•In fact, Star Trek itself is a franchise
having a number of series.
•Star Wars is another sci-fi film also
directed by J.J. Abrams and is one of the
most popular sci-fi genre films of all time
Contd…

OTHER SCI-FI
FILMS•Avatar is another film that was released in
the same year as Star Trek, which
revolutionized the sci-fi genre.
•James Cameron, the director created a
world that caught the imagination of every
movie lover
•From the lighting to the makeup,
storyline, acting and editing – everything
was perfect for a sci-fi genre film.
Contd…

OTHER SCI-FI
FILMS•In the past, films like 2001: A Space
Odyssey (1968), Close Encounters (1977),
Alien (1979), ET the Extra Terrestrial
(1982), The Matrix (1999) and so on made
the sci-fi genre popular
•The Shape of Water (2018) is the latest
edition to this genre and probably the first
of its kind to win the Academy Award for
best film (Forbes.com, 2018)

References:
Abrams, J. J. (2013). Star Trek: Into Darkness. Paramount pictures [éd.].
Fischer, L. (2014). Cinematernity: Film, motherhood, genre (Vol. 339).
Princeton University Press.
Forbes.com. (2018). Oscars: 4 Reasons 'Shape Of Water' Is A Unique
Best Picture Winner. Retrieved from
https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2018/03/05/oscars-4-reasons-
shape-of-water-is-a-unique-best-picture-winner/#5c213929263e
Imdb.com, S. (2018). Star Trek (2009). Retrieved from https://
www.imdb.com/title/tt0796366/
Nishime, L. (2017). Whitewashing Yellow Futures in Ex Machina, Cloud
Atlas, and Advantageous: Gender, Labor, and Technology in Sci-fi Film.
Journal of Asian American Studies, 20(1), 29-49.
Womack, Y. (2013). Afrofuturism: The world of Black sci-fi and fantasy

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