An Updated but Never Disappointing Beginning of a Saga

Rating: 9/10 (5 November 2009)

When the Romulan mining ship Narada attacks the Federation starship US Kelvin, Captain George Kirk (Chris Hemsworth) substitutes his captain, who is going to meet the Romulan Captain Nero (Eric Bana) in his vessel to negotiate a cease fire, in the command of the US Kelvin. He orders the evacuation of the damaged starship, including his wife that is in labor; while she delivers their son James Tiberus Kirk in the hospital shuttle-craft, George Kirk crashes the US Kelvin against the Narada. The reckless and troublemaker Kirk grows up and when he meets Capt. Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood) in a bar fight, he is invited to join the Starfleet. Meanwhile in Vulcan, the outcast Spock grows-up discriminated by his half-human condition. They meet each other in the Starfleet Academy, where Spock (Zachary Quinto) accuses Kirk (Chris Pine) of lack of ethics, cheating a test of command. The trial is suspended with the information that Vulcan is under attack and the Federation starships head to Vulcan, including the recently commissioned USS Enterprise. Kirk, who is a stowaway, foresees an alien attack and advises Captain Spike; however, the Enterprise is damaged and when Captain Spike travels to meet Captain Nero, Spock assumes the bridge and has a serious friction with Kirk after the destruction of Vulcan. Kirk is accused of mutiny and stranded in the desert planet Delta Vega. Out of the blue, he is saved from an attack of an alien animal by an old Spock that explains to him that Captain Nero blames him and the Federation for the destruction of his home planet Romulus by a supernova. Spock explains that he had failed with the creation of a black hole with red matter to consume the supernova and Nero is seeking revenge. Now Kirk has to find a way to save Earth, the next destination of Narada.
As a fan of the original TV series since the 60's, I was reluctant to see this updated version expecting the worst. However, my daughter convinced me to watch the DVD and I found a never disappointing beginning of the saga of the cult-series. The pace and budget of this movie, with lots of action and special effects, are totally different from the almost theatrical TV shows. But J.J. Abrams succeeds in maybe the most important characteristic of the original series: the charisma of the characters. It is amazing how Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, the underrated Bruce Greenwood and the young cast keep the chemistry of the original characters with the viewer. Further, the story and the screenplay are excellent, with witty dialogs and funny situations. Maybe purists do not like this version, but in the end, I was delighted with this movie. My vote is nine.
Title (Brazil): "Star Trek"