The innovators' of science fiction would gasp in delight and astonishment.

Rating: 7/10 (22 May 2009)

Star Trek is a thoroughly enjoyable science fiction flick brought to us by J.J. Abrams and crew, who is once more firmly in the directors' chair to revaluate and to reboot this classic television epic. It's first television airing, its Pilot, called The Cage, was Gene Roddenberry's (1921 - 1991) baby way back in the 1960s, repeats / reruns has cemented it to sci-fi cult status ever since.
Here, we are shown what is the re-introduction of the young U. S. S. Enterprise crew and how their paths conjoin and interact for the first time, to become what they are and who they are. What this instalment has going for itself is longevity, longevity to continue as the new phase, the new and bold frontier to perpetuate its myth and vitality. Star Trek has truly arrived in the 21st Century. And what an entrance.
While at the fork in the road, the point being, here, you do not have to be a follower of the Star Trek franchise to enjoy this feature film, taking it as the next step in its evolution or taking it independently as a splendid sci-fi movie, or in fact, both, is the appeal of this fresh and epic journey. As a "Star Trek" film its green-shoots, in time, will, no doubt, develop into what we have become accustomed to, or shall it? Does it need to? Shall we see the old characteristics coming to maturity? Or, shall we see a completely new direction to these space adventurers'? Time and space will be the better judge to these begging questions, but travelling down the second road, of a film of the science fiction genre, it is riveting stuff, and it is exactly what the Big Screen was created for.
Visually, it is extremely captivating and exciting movie watching. The tone is both friendly, humorous, fun and intriguing, a curiosity in which direction the roads shall take, but, deep down, we all know the outcome, as it is quick with pace as it is a stunning work of visual delight and excellence. Maximum science fiction eye candy that transcends both franchise and audience to greater expectations without a fault in its delivery or character analyses. This is action over philosophical thought, grunt over intellect, this is 21st century action hero space travel.
We, or more to the point, film and cinema, have come a long way since the old exploration days of Georges Méliès's Le voyage dans la lune (A Trip to the Moon - 1902) and René Clair's Paris qui dort (At 3:25 - 1925). We are grateful to these innovators' of both film and science fiction, and too, to the great 1956 epic Forbidden Planet, all who have helped mould and create the shape of things that have come and what shall be. As too, it is J.J. Abrams's step into the unknown that is the 21st century Star Trek that too takes a bow and for this bold attempt and right step forward to continue at the helm of, possibly, the most famous spacecraft in science fiction history.