Star Trek

This movie was fun, more fun than any other Star Trek feature film I have seen. The effects and action were really fantastic and I even enjoyed the storyline. Way to go J.J. Abrams for breathing life back into a cult favorite.

Yes, if you are going to be reasonable about it and hate sci fi the premise that a villain has come from the future and changed the past so everything is new and open to new interpretation is a little silly but if you know Star Trek and do enjoy science fiction this premise keeps in line with the capabilities and previous story lines in Star Trek. The series is no stranger to time travel and alternate universes and if you are a true science fiction fan you are open to this sort of fantastic story line.

I love the fact that Spock is given the opportunity to be more open with his emotions. With Vulcan gone, Earth is his only home. Will this lead to a more human Spock with a family and a closer connection to his father, after he admits to loving Spock's mother? I want to find out.

Chris Pine did a great job as Captain James T. Kirk. I have to say (and all the Shatner die-hard fans will hate me for this) but I like Pine's Kirk much better. I bought him as the young rebellious ladies' man. In the original series I always felt that Leonard Nemoy and the Spock character overshadowed Kirk and that Spock was a more interesting figure. In this the characters and actors seem more equal. The characters are two sides of a coin. One lost his father, one his mother. They are both attracted to the same girl. Kirk beats Spock's unbeatable test by cheating but from Kirk's point of view Spock was cheating by creating an unbeatable test. One does not try to control his emotions the other is all about trying to control his emotions. One last thing to keep in mind is that this Kirk has a different childhood than that of the original so while their intelligence and nature may be the same the character has been opened up for a new interpretation just as Spock's has. He is not quite the same as the original. He might be a little more real and a little more vulnerable, a little less Alexander the Great and a little more Han Solo. Maybe I am too much a part of the Star Wars generation but I just found Pine's Kirk more likable and the relationship with Spock more interesting.

I loved Simon Pegg as Scotty. He was very funny as always.

Chekov and Sulu who I found a tad annoying in the original series were revamped and made really interesting in this movie. Even though they played small roles their characters just seemed to have more personality and came across stronger. I felt like the crew of the ship was written as a more equally balanced team. Equally brilliant in their various positions and also valuable for unexpected reasons.

Dr. McCoy was very true to the original and his back story made perfect sense. It just would not be Star Trek be without his sarcasm and the Spock name calling which is still ever present in the remaking of the character.

An unrecognizable Eric Bana played Nero the villain of the film who has set out on a misguided mission of revenge. I would not consider him the greatest villain ever but her certainly served his purpose and worked for the story line.

My least favorite thing about the movie was the opening theme music, but this was not a big deal. I enjoyed the rest of the music in the film. Especially Sabotage from the Beastie Boys. Nice touch for the scene it was in.