Written by:
2009/05/21 10:04 AM 

My son and I went to go and see Star Trek amidst a whole bunch of conflicting reviews. Because I am a Star Trek and Sci-Fi fan, I thought that I would check it out myself. I was not disappointed. But then again I go to see the movies for enjoyment and escapism, and not to critique.

This Star Trek version is a prequel to the original Star Trek, the Enterprise and her crew. It is by far the better of the Sci-Fi prequels, out performing the Star Wars prequel with much better acting and depth.

The original "Star Trek" cast is gone, replaced by a new younger energetic perhaps a little naive cast. TOS fans will be right at home with the new cast. Pine has Kirk's good looks and beams with confidence, with a touch of cockiness and a pinch of Starfleet rebelliousness . Quinto (from NBC's "Heroes") is an uncanny Spock and holds his own even when confronted by the original in the form of Leonard Nimoy. Urban as Dr. McCoy, Uhura as Zoe Saldana,  John Cho as Sulu and Anton Yelchin as Chekov all get moments to do their thing, while, as the glamorous has fun in discovering an unlikely romantic partner. Simon Pegg shows up as engineer Scotty about 80 minutes into the picture but makes the most of his limited time.

The young cast are funny, witty, do justice to their roles, and are a pleasure to watch. We get to see the beginnings of James T. Kirk, his birth at the death of his father. His rebellious childhood and teenage years. His challenge to join Starfleet academy and do better than his farther. Even learn his middle name, “Tiberius”. We get to see glimpses of the young Spock and his path into adulthood as a Vulcan. His brief conflict with his humanity. We meet McCoy, see the friendship and bond develop between him and Kirk, as well as get to know why he is called “Bones”. All the other crew are easily identifiable as we see how and why they are in their particular positions. We see the crew bond together as they start out on their maiden voyage and tested in battle.

The Enterprise has never looked better. They have taken the original ship, combined it with some designs of the Enterprise-B, then mashed it up with Picard's Enterprise-E and then added a dash of '60s non-Trek Sci Fi. The set design, however, is almost all touch screen, but with a vastly updated UI. There's lots of glass and slick white finishes. You'll barely be able to recognise the bridge when compared to the original's, other than the fact that the players are all sitting in the right places.

We see space battles, planets sucked into black holes, chases, space aliens. Stupendous special effects and a magnificent score by Michael Giacchino make it a treat for the eyes and ears. The movie moves at a fast pace, and is a predictable yet pleasing tale of good versus evil, with Eric Bana as the villain filled with uncontrollable hatred and revenge against the Federation.

The special effects are great, with some awesome action sequences. Better space ships. Believable space sequences. Not too many overpowering aliens. All together, great visuals. There are enough huge fireballs, shattering explosions and exciting fights to please any action adventurer, and yet entice you to come back for more.

Here is a film that slaps your expectations around with surprise after surprise, leaving you shaking your head in disbelief that a Star Trek film could be this good. A genuinely entertaining thrill-a-minute sci-fi romp, whether you loved the series or not.

Is it perfect? No. It misses and bends some scientific laws. But then again its Sci-Fi, it can do anything. Some Hard Core Trekkies might disagree, but then you will always get those. Not everyone will agree with me on this one. But then again, I am not a trained movie critic. I just present as I see it, and what I enjoy.

Have you seen it yet? What are your thoughts? Why not leave use you unbiased review in the comments.

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