Star Trek is perhaps one of the most successful entertainment franchises of all time.  After countless movies and tv series spinoffs, the franchise was in dire need of a reboot. Let me start off by saying that although I have seen ALL of the Star trek movies, I’m not much of a fan. To be honest, I’ll take Star Wars prequels over a Star Trek film any day.  However, once I saw the trailers for J.J. Abrams recreation of the Star Trek mythos, I was instantly hooked. I was lucky enough to catch a showing on opening night. We got there super late and I had to sit in the very front row. Despite the fact I’ll probably have to go see the chiropractor from looking up for so long, the experience was definitely worth it.

I won’t give anything away plot wise, but this is definitely NOT the Star Trek you remember. Perhaps my biggest problem with the older movies is the lack of action. Sure some of the films had interesting plots, but the culmination of the action amounted to not much more than a bunch of old men sitting in arm chairs pretending to be rocked by incoming torpedoes only to cut to some shot of an explosion taking place somewhere on the ship.  This remake is definitely the shot of adrenaline the franchise needed.  There is action, there is ass kicking, and above all there are the multi-layered complex character relationships the series is known for.

The movie starts off at a fairly medium pace as it has to set up the formality of giving back stories on the main characters. However, once all of that is out of the way, things really take off- no pun intended.  Although the characters are just being introduced in this film and their bonds are nowhere near as close as those seen with the original cast, you can’t help but expect big things from them.

James Tiberius Kirk is played excellently by Chris Pine. This isn’t the same price line negotiator Kirk that we’ve all known over the years. Pine’s Kirk is young, rebellious, and in many ways has more in common with Han Solo than with Shatner’s Captain. Despite these differences, Pine captures the immense likability of the character along with his natural leadership ability.  The new Kirk is far from perfect and doesn’t strive to be. This makes him seem all the more human and real than his predecessor.

Spock is played by Zachary Quinto who also does an excellent job. Where the original Spock (played by Leonard Nimoy)was constantly puzzled by the irrationality of human logic, the new Spock seems more accepting of it.  This is more fitting, seeing as Spock is half human and half vulcan. Quinto’s Spock is calm and calculating for the most part, yet far more human than Nimoy’s take. My only gripe with this is a few scenes where Spock is portrayed as a bit too human. I won’t give anything away but once you see his scenes with Lt. Uhura, you’ll know exactly what I mean.  Also, Quinto doesn’t have nearly as demanding a screen presence as Nimoy. This is evident towards the latter part of the film. Regardless, Quinto still gives an outstanding portrayal.

Karl Urban is also great as Dr. “Bones” Mccoy. He emulates the original Bones, while providing just enough of his own take to make it fresh.  Unfortunately, he is given relatively little screen time.  Eric Bana is perfect as the villainous Romulan Captain Nero. Like Bones, he is not given nearly enough screen time, which is a shame as he is such an interesting character with a great back story.  Still it is understandable as the focus is definitely on the Enterprise and her crew, as it rightfully should be.

The other cast members fill their original roles nicely. There wasn’t anyone who seemed to be out of place.  I was a bit concerned that some of the classic Star Trek lines would be painfully forced down our throats, yet they managed to work some of it in successfully without it seeming too contrived. ‘Set phazers to stun” “I’m giving her all she’s got Captain” being the two main culprits, however the way they were worked in was hardly noticeable and kept the cheese factor to a minimum.

If Wolverine didn’t fully kick off the summer blockbuster season last week, this movie definitely will. It’s got great action, special effects, and just enough humor to mix things up. I am not a trekkie or even close, but if this new movie is any indication of what the future of the franchise has in store, you can definitely consider me a fan. While it probably won’t be the best movie I’ll see this summer, I definitely wasn’t disappointed and will most likely check it out again.