Not for the Star Trek purists, but it's still enjoyable.

Rating: 8/10 (13 June 2009)

I have seen all the Star Trek shows and movies, so I am well aware of how all the shows fit together. However, this new Star Trek movie really doesn't concern itself with fitting as much as capturing the interest of a new generation of film goers. Because of that, while the show has many similarities to the old, it actually ends up re-writing the series because, based on this movie, everything to come is actually re-written. In the Star Trek of the original series, The Next Generation, the movies, etc. there will no longer be a planet Vulcan and the Romulans will also cease to exist--as Vulcan was destroyed mid-way through this film and the coming destruction of Romulus is shown as well. For the Trekkies out there, this is heresy. They will say "Spock's mom CAN'T die in this film--I saw her in "Journey To Babel" episode in the original series AND this series is supposed to come AFTER this Star Trek movie. All this is very true, but most newer fans will care less. Plus, some of the older fans may accept the notion of Romulans from the future going back in time to destroy Vulcan--thus undoing much of what we saw over the years.
I could go on and describe the plot but frankly, with a bazillion reviews already for the film, what's the point?! Let's talk about the technical and story aspects of the film. Despite being told that the film was character-driven, I still think the film relied too much on special effects. They were gorgeous and it's obvious they spent a fortune to make the film. The problem, though, is that since all the crew members are brand new to the ship and don't know each other, there is no chemistry between them as of yet. This is something they'll have to create in future films--and hopefully they won't forget to do this. Now, there are just germs of what these characters will eventually be. It's nice to see that they remembered characters like Christopher Pike and the rest, too. What I don't understand, though, and it just didn't seem to fit was this odd romantic pairing of Uhura and Spock. Where did this come from anyway?! There was no hint of this on the show and having the emotionally controlled Spock in the clinches with her made no sense. Now, having the galactic horn-dog Kirk try, on the other hand, was believable--very believable! From a 40-something guy who loved the shows, I only mildly liked the movie. It's not for the die-hard purists but is entertaining and fun...and probably more for younger and more forgiving audiences.