Not bad, but not what I expected either

Rating: 7/10 (25 June 2009)

Like most fans of the genre, I went to watch this movie with an open mind and purposely waited for it to be out for at least a month so the theater would not be crowded and my opinion would not be swayed by audience reactions. With that being said, here is my opinion of this movie. Take it for what you will. Character synopsis first:
1. I liked the portrayal of Bones, Scotty, Sulu and young Spock. Not too much of them and they were used just right.
2. Checkov was silly. But then again, he was silly in the series, so I suppose that's par for the course.
3. Uhura was used badly. I mean, honestly, sure she was sexy but she never had the hots for Spock. I guess the writers got her mixed up with Nurse Chapel. I hope they stray from this in the next movie (and there will be one, guaranteed) because it was becoming annoying as the movie played on. I'm just glad they didn't have her sing "Beyond Antares."
4. Kirk - not sure. Jury still out on him. Although, I must say, I loved his performance when he beat the Kobayashi Maru test.
5. Pike - great. Always wished they would've used him more in the original series (even though Jeff Hunter wasn't available, or dead, not sure when he died, but I digress).
6. Sarek - wooden.
7. Amanda - glad she's dead. Never did like Wynonna Rider anyway.
8. Starfleet Commander - did they HAVE to use Madea / Tyler Perry? I would have rather seen Ice-T.
9. Nero - Eric Bana was great. But he usually is, so that should be no surprise.
Now for the plot:
Hmm. Interesting. They used the time-travel paradox to create their own alternative universe so the next movie or two can do whatever they want based off the reality they created with this first movie. So, is this kind of like the part in "Back to the Future, Part II" where we would follow the timelime where Biff has the almanac, is rich and powerful, has Doc Brown committed, kills George McFly, etc. etc.?
Does this mean Spock has to grow a goatee? Always did like that episode.
Well, I'll give it to you because this movie was intended to be a "reboot" and "re-imagining" of Trek, so to do that you would have to cut from the original "fabric" and weave your own tapestry. So I get it. But since when is a Romulan mining vessel armed to the teeth, gigantic in size and power, and able to dispatch six or seven starfleet vessels without so much as losing shield power? And if it's from the future - the future of the Original Series, the TV shows and all the movies prior - don't you think that this kind of a vessel and the power contained within would've been mentioned SOMEWHERE in there?
But other than that, it wasn't bad. Wasn't very deep, but it wasn't bad. Good popcorn movie.
Just do me one favor - lose the Ewok/Gremlin tagging along with Scotty? Please?
Marty