Completely entertaining; a great afternoon at the movies!

Rating: 9/10 (12 May 2009)

This is a perfect example of movie-making as a team effort. Everyone brought something special to the party, worked their behinds off, and went home exhausted from all the effort. JJ Abrams and the rest of the cast and crew can be proud of what they've accomplished here.
I remember watching Star Trek on NBC as a teenager during the show's original seasons. As I grew older, however, the Kirk/Spock/etc reruns and movies grew somewhat boring (except ST-IV, "Save the Whales").
The Next Generation show was wonderful as it finally decided to take itself a bit more seriously and had story lines that were more adult. However, with the exception of "First Contact", these "TNG" movies weren't very good.
But now along comes JJ Abrams and tries to do what was supposed to be impossible: Resurrect the Star Trek franchise.
You know what? He's done it. I brought my son along (who was born when TNG first aired on TV). We had a wonderful time. The actors who inhabit Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scotty, Uhura, Sulu, Chechov, etc. bring just enough of the old '60's Star Trek along for the ride yet are confident enough to put their own imprint on these cultural icons (and the director is confident enough to let them). The interaction among the characters was a hoot. This builds the characters anew yet, because of some deft direction and crisp writing, lets us older fans feel comfortable.
What about the plot? From beginning to end, it's pretty much a non-stop roller-coaster ride. Suspend your sense of disbelief (it's Sci-Fi, remember?) and simply go with the flow. You won't be disappointed.
Perhaps we'll have time in future Star Trek films to really flesh out the rest of the cast. I look forward to them.
I have -no- complaints about this re-boot of Star Trek. See it on the big screen and sit so the screen fills your entire field of vision. This is Hollywood at its best.