Take the good with the bad

Rating: 6/10 (12 May 2009)

As a Star Trek fan, every time a new Star Trek movie comes out, you're excited, only to be let down. The last 2 movies had poor plots, bad scripts, and cheesy acting. And after The Next Generation, the TV shows went down hill as well (with Voyager being the bottom of the barrel).
This new Star Trek lifts the bar in some areas, but falls down in others.
The plot for instance isn't a strong point. There are too many times when you're left thinking 'come off it' ... there are some really ridiculous plot points and poor clichÃ©s. This may be Science Fiction, but it has to make you believe, and from the whole 'graduates who go straight to captain' to the 'super nova that would destroy the galaxy' or the 'got marooned on some random planet, but luckily, by total coincidence, I landed near old Spock and Scotty' ... it just leaves you feeling like the story was written by some hacks.
On the more positive side, the acting was bearable - a definite plus over some of the previous films (though obviously some of them shined more than others). Nero/Eric Banner was somewhat painful to watch, but the new Kirk was OK, and I didn't even mind Chekhov and his accent.
Where I think the film really stood out though was its cinematography. The special effects were good - but more importantly, the movie itself looked great. It looked like it could be real.
All in all, this felt more like a whole new action/scifi series than a Star Trek. I am convinced we will never get another Star Trek movie that Star Trek fans deserve (action AND intelligence in the plot - something that Wrath of Khan and The Undiscovered Country had, and First Contact almost had). Never the less, at least this isn't both stupid and lame (like Insurrection and Nemesis) ... and if you look at it from the perspective of it being the birth of a totally new scifi series, that just happens to be called 'Star Trek' and have the names of the characters you knew and loved, it really isn't all that bad.