Nowhere Near the Old Star Trek... But It's Good.

Rating: 8/10 (10 May 2009)

I really thought this one would suck. I'm a fan of the Star Trek series, and when I heard it was a prequel, I thought it was a terrible idea. When I heard it was a reboot, I didn't like the idea of just eliminating the universe I liked. I also read some of the negative reviews by other Star Trek fans and wasn't encouraged. But, it really is good and I would be lying if I said I hated it. It was actually very well made.
No. It's not on the same plane as the other Star Treks. This one, is popcorn fun action sci-fi. The other series are concept and character driven thought-provoking morality plays and dramas (With some exceptions. There is a lot of God awful old Star Trek floating about too. {Season 3 of TOS, Star trek V, and Season 2 of Enterprise come to mind})
But if you accept this as entertainment, and you don't get stuck in the rigid dogma of Gene's assumed vision (Trekkies), or the preconceived notion that Star Trek is for nerds (jocks) you will find a very entertaining summer blockbuster.
STRENGTHS - The action is great. The effects are mostly incredible. The actors (with the exception of Chekov {But he's not that bad}) really nail the essence of the characters. The dialogue is good. The pacing is a little fast, but it's meant to be fast, and it keeps you engaged.
WEAKNESSES - 2 very obvious ad placements. Strongly emotional events are happening, but the story moves too fast to focus on them. Sulu becomes a little bit of a stereotype. There are some illogical plot elements. And actually (I love the original Star Trek timeline but...) I would've preferred more separation from the original universe. S
Also some of the Enterprise sets look more like a treatment plant than a starship.
However, overall, this is really good. It's not the same as the original Star Trek series', but that doesn't make it bad. I would've preferred that they stuck with the old timeline, but really, they didn't know what to do with it, and neither did anyone else, so they took the only logical course. A well-made reboot to appeal to a general audience.
This is a film that can be enjoyed by anyone (not just the hard-core fans), but anyone who wants to see a good action film.
8/10. Good action film. Some flaws, but not enough to make it a bad movie.