Great Reboot - a job well done by all!

Rating: 8/10 (8 May 2009)

For me, Star Trek was always about Kirk, Spock and the rest. I used to watch episodes of the Original series at midnight when I was in High School. However, I never got into the other several series, and if I had to choose one other it would be The Next Generation.
Anyway, I am pleased that the writers and director decided to bring back the original characters and storyline for a new age and a new era of movie entertainment. This version of Star Trek has great characters, chemistry, and enough of a story to keep anyone watching engaged from start to finish. The plot works well to pay homage to the original series, and still gives the viewer a path to see the new universe and how the two intertwine. The special effects were fantastic, and it was the subtle changes that really impressed me, like the bursts of phaser fire instead of solid beams or the addition of swirls for the transporter instead of the static that was previously used. The acting here is superb. Pine as Kirk nails the role, giving that Kirk swagger just enough kick. Quinto shines as Spock, with a nuanced approach that both reminds the fans of Nimoy's Spock and also provides Quinto's vision as well. Saldana as Uhura has a strong role, having much more influence within the ship, than in the past. Urban's McCoy was great, Chekov was great, Scotty was great, Sulu, etc.. Honestly, the casting team for the film deserves a great deal of credit, for bringing the right mix of actors together. Bana especially brings a menacing, calculated angle to his role as Nero, and his use of accent and speech patterns were impressive.
Overall the movie succeeds well in introducing to a new and re-introducing to an old generation to the stories and characters, and ideas that have been intriguing people for over 40 years. I am very excited to see what they have in store for the 2nd and 3rd films with this cast, I think it will be enjoyable to watch them and their adventures for the next decade.