Style over substance, with lens flares

Rating: 2/10 (15 July 2015)

As a big fan of the original films and series I was already concerned when I learned this would be a 'reboot'. The phrase has always bothered me, as it is essentially a way to make more money without spending all that time and money creating a new ideas. Normally when I have low expectations I am pleasantly surprised, not the case with Star Trek 2009. Joke about the over use of lens flares aside, there were two major flaws with this re imagining.
1. The plot holes:
I should not be able to make a list this long of plot holes including multiple scientific errors revolving around the main plot and motivation for the antagonist.
A. Supernova wasn't detected in time to evacuate Romulus. B. Expanded far enough to destroy multiple star systems. C. The one person attempting to find a solution was solely to blame when he didn't arrive in time. D. A mining ship was equipped with a time travel device. E. Same ship also equipped with hi powered weaponry. F. Kirk is transported to a random location on a desolate planet but is a few hundred metres from old Spock and a base equipped with long range teleporters. G. Long range teleporters H. New recruit with no battle or command experience is promoted to captain. I. Everything to do with a liquid that can cause black holes. (too many to list) J. Black hole ceases to exist after destroying Vulcan.
2. Everything everyone else has done before this film is null and void.
One of Star Treks strengths for me, was its rich universe. It was populated with a myriad of creatures which numerous writers took great time and effort to flesh out. With one stroke all of that is gone. With such extreme changes to the time-line, none of what happens in Star Trek ToS, Next Gen, DS9, Voyager, or any of the films happens. The removal of the Vulcans from the Federation coupled with the drastic move towards a more militant Star Fleet changes everything, and occurs far enough in the past to have completely disrupted events that lead to almost everything covered in those shows and films. Some might feel this is a minor issue as we still have those shows and films, which is true, but that is not the point of contention I have with this film. Star Trek was one of the few science fiction shows that put science and diplomacy above action. A franchise that used clever writing and adherence to existing and imagined scientific knowledge and theory that shaped the universe in which it was created. The overall feel of the show was drastically changed to pander to the impatient three second attention span, drooling Michael Bay generation.
Abrams, if you can't remake something without destroying the fundamental aspects which set it aside from everything else in its genre and made it a pioneer of that genre, then you shouldn't remake it. Go ruin something no one cares about like Star Wars.