The greatest Trek film of the new era, and one that is sure to live long and prosper

Rating: 10/10 (15 May 2009)

I have rarely been able to go to the movie theater and say "wow, that was a great film. It was completely worth paying 15 dollars to see it in IMAX", since with a rough economy, I find it hard to justify taking out the time to watch films in the first place. Not only that, but many movies are essentially television episodes produced for the big screen, and don't take full advantage of the scope that a film can provide. Star Trek did that, and more, and topped it with icing and whipped cream while providing a relatively coherent narrative with an epic scope combined with special effects that truly blew me out of the water.
I had come to the film with high expectations, and was not disappointed. The strength of the film is apparent from the very beginning, when you witness the birth of Kirk and the death of his father thanks to direct meddling with the timeline by a crazed Romulan by the name of Nero, who's been thrown back in time inadvertently by a black hole. You later learn the black hole was created by collapsing a rampaging supernova that was consuming the galaxy, and before it could have been collapsed it destroyed Romulus, his home planet.
The film cuts to Spock and Kirk's childhoods, and their struggles growing up. Spock's Vulcan classmates refer to his mother as a "human whore" and he has trouble controlling his already massively turbulent emotions (which are because of his being half-Vulcan) due to his half-human nature. Despite being trained in the Vulcan art of emotional suppression, the Vulcan high council recognizes his abilities but always holds him on an inferior emotional level because of his dual species parentage, and he leaves them for Starfleet. Kirk, on the other hand, is being raised by his abusive stepfather, and despite being intelligent and intuitive, he's become a drunkard and a bruiser with no sense of direction to take in his life. That all changes when he meets Captain Pike, who tells him of his father's heroics, and he resolves to show his mettle by enlisting in Starfleet and earning his stripes as a starship captain.
In this sense, the film gives heavy precedence to the growth and story of Kirk and Spock, who embody the central presence in the film. They aren't friends at first sight, unlike the original series, and come to clashes when Kirk cheats on an infamous test (but if I told you what, I'd be giving too much fun things away!) that Spock designed. The interaction between the characters is far from awkward, and Quinto pulls off Spock's Vulcan stoicism with a passion. You can see his emotions beneath the surface, much like Nimoy, and he still possesses the casual sense of humor. This is perhaps the strongest part of the film, in that the cast members and everyone involved are not only good at their roles, but they bring to it a vitality that hasn't been seen in science fiction cinema for a long time. For all the insane criticism i've seen for them being young, that's *exactly* what we need - a younger, dynamic cast who can really bring energy to these roles. Even the minor roles, like Jennifer Morrison as Kirk's mother, were done so well I was convinced with their acting from the outset.
The space battles and SFX were, as I said, amazing, and it really gave dimension to the universe and to the scope of the Federation. My favorite scene is probably the orbital dive. The complete soundless space, no music, nothing except for the breathing in their masks, and then the boom of entering the atmosphere - this shows Star Trek at its best, able to use spectacle in an artistic form. The sound effects were cool and tuned to sound different, but at the same time quite faithful to the original (the beaming noise effect, the warp drives engaging, etc). I was particularly impressed with the soundtrack, which conveyed the urgency portrayed in the film and the fast paced action, while providing somber setpieces and a thematic tune for places like Vulcan.
I was most surprised by the vast emotional undercurrent in the film, particularly in choice scenes. The opening scene during Kirk's birth, where his mother is escaping in the shuttlecraft and his parents are trying to decide what to name him - all as his father, George Kirk, sets the Kelvin on a collision course and to his death - was one of the saddest, most poignant scenes in the entire film. I could actually see people crying in the theater. Another scene that stands out in my mind is where Spock meets his older self near the end of the film. The exchange shows the personal chemistry between Quinto and Nimoy, and it's quite believable that Quinto is playing the younger version of Nimoy's Spock.
I will warn the hardcore fans however that this movie does take considerable liberties with star trek canon. This didn't really bother me in the slightest, as it was (1) taking place in an alternate universe, and (2) has basically revived a dead franchise, but if you are easily bothered by things or take it too seriously, you're better off not watching the film. If you enjoy good cinema on the other hand, this is the movie to watch/rent when the time comes.
This movie is the must-see of the year, if anything else. It's made for the big screen, and you'll feel your money was well spent, at the very least. It's the beginning of a new adventure, and as I said, I hope this new franchise will live long and prosper.