Review: STAR TREK

Gene Roddenberry's original Star Trek series is the gold standard when it comes to science fiction. So when J.J. Abrams decided to go back to Captain Kirk, Spock and the old crew of the Enterprise, it was a welcomed surprise. I have to admit, I was never a huge fan of the Next Generation crew, nothing against Picard, but he is no match to the charisma of Kirk. Star Trek has been in need of a reboot for a while. The atrocious Nemesis was the last nail in the coffin for the Next Generation Star Trek movies. The series has been running on steam for many years now and it was about time it reached out to the masses.

Star Trek was never as understood as say something like Star Wars. It simply was because, in my opinion, Star Trek was the more mature concept. Nevertheless, Star Wars was always more dramatically involved and more fun all around. However, J.J. Abrams has learned to reintroduce the more exhilarating side of Star Trek. Now it goes without saying that this film is no where near the excellence that is Wrath of Khan; nevertheless, it is just as fun and somewhat dramatically interesting.

Now I wont go into the plot, it involves time travel and a clever alternative reality spin on old trek mythology but no worries the plot is actually really easy to follow, considering the concepts involved. Basically, it is a run of the mill plot, you know the basics: bad guy tries to get revenge and attempts to destroy Earth; good guys have to go against all odds to prove themselves and save the day. Although, the plot is generic, that's not what makes this film good, instead what makes it so good is that it is an exhilarating theater going experience. There is a list of plot holes and small flaws that plague the film, but it is all easy to ignore because of the level of artistry that goes into creating great characters (aside from Nero, who was a really underwritten 2 dimensional villain) and a firm ground for more stories to come.

Although, I do have to throw this in there, I don't know what Abrams was thinking in terms of some casting choices, ie: Tyler Perry and Winona Ryder. They were really distracting in the scenes they were in. However, everyone else did an exceptional job at their roles. Abrams has given the Enterprise new blood in it's voyage to boldly go where only some film franchises have gone before.