A fitting and exciting prequel. Well worth the price of admission

Rating: 9/10 (17 May 2009)

At my age I can attest to having watched the first series, Shatner/Kirk and Nimoy/Spock, etc. I loved the first series and I grew up watching all the rest. Looking back at the original series now, seen in the current context of powerful computer CGI and mock-up modeling at a high level, the first series is almost painfully amateur to watch. Having said all that, it was the first and it dealt with its story, its special effects as a made for television show that the networks killed off just as it was capturing an audience. Now, in mid 2009 we see a terrific depiction as a prequel to the first series.
There are several really big problems for this film and I'll give them now. The first series had the most minimal computer graphics that the cameras showed. This prequel shows off computer chops that look to be about 100 years more advanced than they should. That was a choice the director took and although it makes no sense to those of us who knew what the original looked like, I suppose the alternative of showing an even more crude and undeveloped technology in this film would have looked, well, boring to the eyes of a current audience who use computers much more complicated than the original show; if you follow me....
Second, the twists in the plot (I won't spoil it) are so ridiculous and utterly impossible, that all one can do is say, well, this is a movie and it's all made up and fictional, so why not just throw rational thought out the window? The saving grace to this film is the depiction of the original cast as younger men and woman, who now all appear like gleaming, young, revved up hot rods, ready to kick some serious ass as they boldly go. You get the picture. The script is not the winner here nor are the predictable badder than bad bad guys. The real kick that this film has in spades is a relentless plot that does not rest for more than a minute or two at best. The blistering pace this film achieves just moves you along, never letting you think too long about what people just said or how preposterous the plot just got. It is just more go, go, go, and then more. That is what an action picture fantasy like this demands and the cast and director deliver. Don't bother trying to make sense of the plot; not even Spock's vaunted logic could deal with that. A really fun time at the movies and a very plausible, if over horse-powered, prequel crew. Terrific fun and a keeper once the DVD comes out. What a hoot.