It's All About The Characters

Rating: 8/10 (31 May 2009)

This movie surprised me. I didn't think I would like it. But I did. I saw it a second time and, then I understood what they were doing. They were trying to draw in an audience that had been hostile to Star Trek, by making it more like Star Wars. Silly but fun. Stupid characters, with stupid lines, an implausible plot, and flashy special effects. And it worked beautifully.
This film restarts Star Trek. It is intended to draw you in. Once you get the point, you start to understand the idea behind Star Trek. You trust the characters portrayed on the screen. The movie tells you who to like, and who to dislike. Ultimately, you end up understanding everybody.
The relationship between Kirk and Spock is the heart and soul of the film. Both actors to a terrific job here, with Kirk's impulsiveness tempered by Spock's forced rationalism. Chris Pine is far more effective than Shatner ever was as an extremely bright and charismatically reckless commander. Zachary Quinto owns the young Spock, although his encounter with Leonard Nemoy's Spock sets up the possibility that we may see a different character emerge as this new series progresses. The other characters work well; funny, likable, but never overshadowing the primary focus of Kirk/Spock.
The thing that impressed me most was the CGI and the sound; this movie is watchable purely for those two elements alone. This is easily the most impressive spectacle I have ever seen in theaters. I would not advise you miss seeing this film in theaters for any reason.
Michael