I am stunned, no pun intended.

Rating: 10/10 (19 May 2009)

When I heard about the making of this film I cringed, when it went into production and the cast was announced I winced, when it finally hit theaters I hid. I stayed hidden and held my breath in angst waiting to hear what others thought of the movie before I dared see it myself. Even my girlfriend saw the movie before I did. All of this was due to my die hard love of not only Star Trek as a whole, but the original series more then any other. To me the characters, story lines and ideals sit so high on a pedestal they can never be tarnished and god help anything or anyone that dares touch them.
So I finally worked up the nerve, after reading countless positive reviews and getting the all clear from my girlfriend and two others, to see this new incarnation of Star Trek. I simply smiled, from start to finish. I cannot come up with a single complaint about this movie, it's portrayal of the Star Trek universe or the characters there in. Pine is fantastic as Kirk. I read an interview with him in which he stated that he didn't study Shatner at all because he was afraid he would try to act like him and the performance wouldn't be honest. If that is indeed true, then the casting of Pine as Kirk was the greatest casting success in history. He looks, acts and talks like William Shatner did in his portrayal of the character. At one point during the film, as Kirk is walking down the steps of Starfleet Academy with Bones, Pine does a light jog with his arms slightly raised at his sides. In that moment I could have sworn I was watching a young William Shatner portray the character. There are many other moments in the movie where the same feeling takes over and it's a wonderful thing. In my eye's Chris Pine was and is the perfect choice to play James T. Kirk and I hope that he will continue to fill the role in any sequels to come. As for the character of Kirk in the movie, it is written perfectly. Kirk was always said to be impetuous in his youth. Brash and hard headed taking on every challenge with no doubt of winning and no fear of failure. As a Captain he always chose to put his life at stake whenever the lives of others hung in the balance. Kirk always put his ship and the lives of his crew before himself and he always chose to jump in feet first when danger arose. I don't know how the portrayal of Kirk in this film could have been any more accurate then it is.
The movie itself pays great attention to detail where the Star Trek saga is concerned, while setting the groundwork for a whole new era. There are plenty of moments which reference the original series and stick to the time line and events of Star Trek. The mention of Scotty and his loss of Archers prize Beagle, Kirks rigging of the Kobayashi Maru test, even Chekov's infamous inability to pronounce the letter V. It's all there plus a whole lot more and even better, it's there with a twist that allows the reshaping of Star Trek's future.
As for the other performances, Quinto is fantastic. I doubt anyone could have chosen a better Mr. Spock. Simon Pegg is so perfect as Scotty that all I can say is watch the movie and see for yourself. He portray's the wit, charm and intelligence of Mr. Scott to a T. James Doohan would have have been proud of Pegg's performance. Urban is an excellent Doctor McCoy, Cho a wonderful Sulu and Yelchin filled the role of Chekov quite well. Zol Saldana played Uhura magnificently and I loved the way her character was handled. A beautiful actress portrayed her with just the right amount of sophistication and emotion mixed with sex appeal. What more could you ask for?
The special effects are fantastic, the music is excellent, the wardrobe and weaponry are all perfect. The story is enthralling and contains just the right amount of humor, drama and action all rolled together into a movie that no one will soon forget. This looks and feels like Star Trek and In fact it screams Star Trek while opening up the Trek universe to a future that's never been brighter.
I would jump on board with the complaint of there being no role for William Shatner in this movie, but having seen it, I don't know where an old Kirk could have fit into the story. It would have made no sense to see an old Kirk given the events of Star Trek Generations and the time line presented in this movie. However, stick with me here, given the events of this film there is now room for an old Kirk to appear somewhere in a sequel.
To anyone who detracts from this movie I say your not being honest with yourself and, no pun intended here either, your letting your emotions cloud your judgment. Channel your inner Vulcan, or simply suck it up as the saying goes, and admit that this in one hell of a movie. To those who haven't yet seen it, go check it out because there is nothing here that a Star Trek fan or a SciFi fan in general wouldn't love. Star Trek has been done justice with this movie and more than that, both Gene Roddenberry's memory and his dream have been honored.