Takes me back to Star Wars in 1977!

Rating: 9/10 (9 May 2009)

This really was a pleasure of a film. Abrahms has plotted a course that manages to get the balance of engrossing action and entertainment just right.
And entertainment is something that has been missing from the SciFi genre for a while. I'm just about old enough to have experienced Star Wars in the cinema in 1977. The feeling of seeing your imagination (as opposed to what some focus-group *think* people like) up there on-screen can't be beaten.
There is a scene on a snowy planet that is very reminiscent of Star Wars' Hoth - not in plot terms of course, but in the way it carries the viewer with the hero and the odds he faces. And another aboard the Romulan ship that conjures up the feelings of watching Mr. Skywalker battling for his life in "Revenge of the Jedi". This is just for comparison of course - the film is very confident in it's own universe, and Star Trek's fantastic range of characters and history is used to full (and respectful) effect here.
The design-work involved is top notch too. Influences from the original TV series are everywhere and the realism of 2001: A Space Oddysey is evoked also. The fight scenes are orchestrated so that they don't just feel like set-pieces, but real action moments.
The only slight gripe for me was Scotty. When I heard Simon Pegg was playing him I though it sounded like perfect casting. But I think his performance was hammed up too much for "comic effect" - and it didn't work. It was all the more apparent given the rest of the cast's believable performances as young versions of the classic cast. But we can forgive Mr. Pegg. As anyone who has seen the excellent series Spaced will know, his SciFi fan credentials are above reproach! All in all an excellent film that stays true to what makes Science Fiction on film one of the most compelling experiences.