The Star Trek Roller-coaster Ride

Rating: 9/10 (11 May 2009)

There is so much to like about this movie. And so many questions about future adventures. I'm one of those rare persons who liked all incarnations of Star Trek...but for various reasons. The original T.V. series had it's sense of complete newness. And a kind of urban legend as reports came in years later of people who had received some kind of physical healing or emotional realization after watching reruns of TOS. Next Generation, Voyager, Deep Space Nine each had greatness in various episodes that sometimes surpassed the original idea of creating the episode to begin with. Even Enterprise had moments of pure genius in it.
For me the movies were always like a class reunion. And even in some of the films that brought heavy negative comments, there were elements that came close to exploring aspects of space travel and the miracles of the human soul that were quite stirring if the budget or the writing could have been allowed a deeper look into the story lines presented.
I like the new Star Trek very much. It's fun. Visually stunning in parts. The "space jump" for example (though perhaps violated the laws of physics) was something that drew me in as though I was falling through the cosmos along with the three trek-o-nauts to their heroic deed. Another favorite was the jump to warp-speed. Finally I got the feeling of what it might be like to travel faster than light.
And the actors playing their parts were actually pretty good. But for all the wondrousness's of this film - the general sense was that of a roller-coaster ride (one you want to go on again for the thrill - which I'm sure was the film-makers'intent). And that is okay. It was interesting to see new faces play familiar characters.
But I think the real test of this "reboot" will be to see where it will go from here. The basics have been layed down for a truly out of this world experience with a storyline to match. The potential is there, that is for sure. My only complaint was that at times the camera could have stayed still for awhile to allow the viewer to take in the amazing visual quality of this movie.
My other question would be related to model building - which I do on occasion. I wonder how detailed the model kit that gets released for public purchase will be? (of course that's just the geek in me talking). Many will enjoy this movie for the sheer fun of it. And the visuals will probably make you a little dizzy. But so do rollercoasters.