Top 25 Films of the 2000s – #4

#4 -Star Trek (2009)

I’m sure some will scoff that I’ve placed Star Trek so high on this list, but here’s the deal. This isn’t a list of critically acclaimed movies, or award winners, or the deepest or most subtle movies of the decade. This is a list of my favorite movies, the ones I loved in the theater, the ones I pop in at home whenever I get the chance. Pure, flat-out enjoyment and replay value played huge roles in my rankings, and what can I say, I loved Star Trek.

Why did I love it? First and foremost, the characters. Recasting the crew of the Enterprise is a treacherous undertaking. It’s like recasting Star Wars. Yet this film…it pulled it off. It could have easily been a complete mess, yet somehow they created a Star Trek, and a crew, that appealed to fans and non-fans alike.

Second, I loved the new visual language the movie introduced. I loved the camera moves showing the ships hanging in space upside down, facing each other at bizarre angles, and in general taking advantage of the fully unrestricted three dimensional nature of space. I loved the idea that parts of this future are the clean shiny we’ve grown accustomed to with Star Trek, while other parts remain greasy, dirty, and industrial. Using a brewery as the main engineering set was actually a pretty cool decision…though yeah, I wished they’d managed to blend it a bit better.

Third, I loved that the movie managed to be a sequel, a prequel, and a reboot all at once. The alternate timeline was a ballsy move, but a brilliant one that frees any further adventures this crew has from the suffocating weight of Star Trek canon.

Fourth, Jamie dug this movie. Jamie, who typically scoffs at anything that even hints of sci-fi.

#5 – Wall-E

#6 – Kingdom of Heaven

#7 – Pan’s Labyrinth

#8 – Hellboy II: The Golden Army

#9 – Gladiator

#10 – The Incredibles

#11 – 300

#12 – Casino Royale

#13 – The Dark Knight

#14 – Snatch

#15 – Zombieland

#16 – Ratatouille

#17 – Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

#18 – Transformers

#19 – Iron Man

#20 – Monsters, Inc.

#21 – Inglourious Basterds

#22 – Hot Fuzz

#23 – Watchmen

#24 – Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl

#25 – District 9

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