The first summer blockbuster of 2009 gives us a glimpse of the future. I want to start off by stating that I have never been a huge fan of Star Trek, I have always been more of a Star Wars guy.  However, I have watched a number of episodes of the original and Next Generation series, and while never truly becoming a fan, I could understand why people enjoy the universe so much.  So, going to see the new J.J. Abrams adaption, I was a bit reluctant and not sure if I was going to enjoy it…boy, was I wrong.  Before heading to the theater, I kept thinking that with a cast of younger characters, the filmmakers would try and make it appeal more to tweens…but it turned out to be something I think both fans and non-fans can enjoy.

In the movie, it does not continue the story of the series, instead it goes back in time (literally to the birth of Captain Kirk), and we see the crew of the Enterprise as young and vibrant as ever before.  With a series like Star Trek, you begin to think, “Okay…they have about 10 other films, and hundreds of episodes across a number of television series…how is this going to fit into the story?”  Well, the plot device that Abrams has used is absolutley brilliant.  The main plot in the film follows this race known as the Romulans, who after a source of events, wants to go back in time (using something known as “red matter”), which causes a black hole allowing passage through an alternate universe.  The captain of the Romulan ship (Nero) has lost his planet, and blames Spock (hence the reason he wants to take down the Enterprise)…I don’t want to get to into it, but it gets a bit out there.  Basically, fans can forget everything they know, because from the start of the movie pretty much, the crew has an entirely different fate.  This now gives Abrams a huge advantage as far as his creative role is concerned…he can do anything he wants with the series.

If there is one thing J.J. Abrams is good at…its action.  Star Trek does not dissapoint in this area.  Many action movies suffer from bad editing, and not pacing the action and drama well together.  With this film, you were getting some good drama, but at the same time (sometimes within the same scene) you were getting edge-of-your-seat action…that’s not an easy feat.  Watching the film, I knew they were not going to kill off heavy hitters like Kirk and Spock, but even in some intense scenes I was thinking to myself…”are they going to make it?”  With this mixture of both action and suspense, Star Trek really get your full 2 hours of entertainment.

Last, but definitley not least would have to be the stellar cast.  I think Chris Pine was great for the role of Kirk, because he really had this biting arrogance about him, yet at the same time you were always rooting for him.  Zachary Quinto (of Heroes fame), was perfect for Spock…he really captured that emotionless Vulcan personality, yet you could also see his human side.  Even characters like Sulu (John Cho from the Harold & Kumaar films) was made out to be quite the swordsman.   I have always had a soft spot for Simon Pegg ever since “Shaun of the Dead”, so seeing him play Scotty was good for comic relief.  Eric Bana plays the role of Nero, the captain of the Romulan ship, and I have to say that he did good with the role…he was pretty believable.  The film gets some props for having Leonard Nimoy play the role of Spock Prime.  He is the version of Spock that is from the alternate future, and it must of been great for Nimoy to be apart of the next evolution of the series.  Too bad for all of you Shatner fans, he was nowhere to be seen…looks like Abram “shat on the shatner.”  All-in-all, I really could not think of anybody better to play these parts…they are the crew of the Enterprise in my eyes.

I want to end out this review by saying that even though I am not the biggest Star Trek fan, this film actually makes me want to go back and check out a lot of the stuff I missed.  I was lucky enough to see the film with both fans and non-fans (I am more netural), and seeing thumbs-up from everybody really shows that this movie is not just some Summer blockbuster that everybody will forget about by 2010.  I really hope that this film get’s a sequel just to see where Abrams will take the characters.  If things go well, the revenue from this film will “live long and prosper.”    This is a fim for pretty much any type of moviegoer, wether you like action, drama, sci-fi, this movie has it all, and I highly recommend it.

Spock will choke you if you do not enjoy this film.

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