A Huge Let Down for Trekkies - If only...........

Rating: 8/10 (8 May 2009)

First let me say that I have been a lifelong Star Trek fan.That being said I was very disappointed with this movie. I had high expectations with JJ Abrams on board. I fully expected this movie to be true to the Star Trek universe instead of the Action/Sci-Fi movie concept. Star Trek has always been first and foremost a show about relationships and moral/social issues. Action is great but only when it is secondary to the characters we love so much and the story line. I know that I was expecting the movie to not only show how the main character met but how those relationships developed. Basically what we got was a quick introduction to the characters and an action movie with a confusing story line that left many unresolved issues that was not in line with the original series events. While Star Trek has always made use of the time travel concept it appeared it was only used in this movie as a way to work Leonard Nimoy into the movie. The "Nero" story was so weak and the movie was not really at all about the development of the characters we have all loved for so many years. As for the "Nero" story, just killing Nero would not have reversed the time line. We know in the original series that Amanda Grayson (Spock's mom) is alive and that the planet Vulcan was never destroyed completely with only a few Vulcans left to colonize another planet. In the original series, the reference was that Vulcans were a waring people who almost destroyed themselves before they gained control of their emotions. I am still trying to figure this confusing story line out. I suppose that some will say the movie was a success because it was action packed, exciting and appealed to a non-trekkie younger audience. However, I personally feel it was a failure. I admit that the casting was good. However, good casting cannot overcome a bad storyline. My advice, If you are a true Trekkie, wait for the DVD. If you just like action/sci-fi then you will love it. But there was nothing special about this movie. It left me very hollow and thinking about "what might have been" had they made a movie with the characters being central instead of the action/fight scenes. I believe this movie was written and marketed to be new, hip and appeal to teenagers. It is definitely not faithful to the Star Trek genre.