Send this movie to sick-bay!

Rating: 1/10 (4 June 2009)

I was VERY disappointed with this movie and I am completely baffled by all the positive reviews. It's just the same tiresome formula of aimless hyper-action, with minimal character development and an idiotic story-line. Several scenes were blatant rip-offs from Star Wars and Lord of the Rings and with the exception of the new Spock, the acting seemed more like a Saturday Night Live spoof than a serious film.
In fairness, there are some nice exterior shots of the Enterprise - I particularly liked the scenes of the shuttle bay. But for the most part, it's in your face action all the time. It's moderately interesting for the first twenty minutes or so, but the lack of drama and an implausible story makes the action meaningless and boring. Like so many of the over the top CGI-heavy films, the producers keep the explosions coming in the hope that you won't notice the lack of story. After an hour, I just wanted the movie to end.
The movie basically gives the finger to any serious fan of the old series, but it is sure to irritate any thinking person who has served in an organization that requires training and discipline. The film asks you to believe that a group of twenty something cadets would be put in charge of the flagship of the fleet. It compounds the insult by asking you to believe that the most vulgar and boorish cadet would be made captain! Imagine today an obnoxious nitwit twenty something cadet being made captain of an American aircraft carrier - preposterous, even in wartime. The old series never insulted the viewers intelligence in these kinds of ways.
I could go on but suffice to say that the film is full of absurdities like this. I had high hopes for this prequel but in future I will just stick to the old episodes on DVD.