Fresh and different

Rating: 8/10 (25 February 2015)

This review (at the current count) is the 1518th written by IMDb users, so I'm pretty sure everything was already said about this movie.
Personally, I think this film takes a different spin on the Trek universe. Having seen every ST movie and every TV series multiple times, the 2009 movie felt refreshing. A change of pace. Purists might nitpick and dissect it endlessly, saying it's not faithful/respectful to the previous incarnations.
Abrams' take is unique, as it modernizes the title. This time around, we're without Patrick Stewart or William Shatner, and that is actually good. You simply cannot take the same formula of extending an episode from the current Trek TV series into a feature length movie over and over again. For one thing, we currently lack said series.
In a way, Nemesis foreshadowed the change of tone to a more dark and unforgiving world, and even though it featured the TNG cast, it was already called the black sheep of the series.
This movie is distinct, carries the style of JJ Abrams (for better and for worse), while still paying homage on several levels to the old shows and feature films. It's fast paced, flashy and action packed. On the other hand, it lacks the careful buildup ST fans are used to.
Cinematography is also different, making use of modern (in my opinion, OK)CG techniques. The tones are high contrast, which is a mark of the digital age of movies. Both steadicam and shaky-cam shots are often used, you either like them, or you don't. To me, they felt alright.
Music is pretty good, atmospheric, and the main theme feels well suited to the film.
When I looked up reviews here, I got what I expected: either zeros, or tens. Movies like this are meant to split the crowd, and Trek has such a huge and devoted fan-base that this rift is totally justified.
If you're a skeptic/hater, give this movie a watch on it's 10th birthday, and see what you think of it then.