Not the Trek we knew

Rating: 5/10 (10 May 2009)

As a fan of this show from the beginning, I must say J.J. Abrams brought a "look and feel" to this movie that it would have been nice to have in 1966. Of course, back then the technology was quite primitive compared to the standards of today. The new movie brings tremendous action & adventure to the screen. The actors portraying the original crew were believable and did as well as anyone could expect considering they are attempting to create characters we have known for over 40 years.
As a story, the plot is okay at best. The use of time travel to tell this story (and from what it appears any future stories) "differently from the history we know" is disappointing. But the plot gets the writers out of being locked in to tell the original history as all die-hard Trek fans already know (I cannot say more without a spoiler here). Essentially, if you have ever followed Star Trek in the past, you have throw out ANY story lines you already know because this universe of Star Trek is NOT the same reality. If you can do that, then it is just another action packed sci-fi movie to be enjoyed totally on its own.
The writers did attempt to include Trek fans with many familiar elements such as Bones "I'm a Doctor, not a ...", Scotty "givin the engines all I can Captain," Chekov with his thick Russian accent (you are just waiting to hear him say "Nuclear Wessels"), and Kirk taking the Kobayashi Maru test.
Anyone that loves science fiction will likely find this movie fun to watch. But I think the reviews in the TOS camp will be divided. They will either love it or hate it. Young people today will definitely enjoy this movie and from this point on they hold the reigns of how they want the story to be told. "The Great Bird of the Galaxy" is gone but he will always be remembered for creating this wonderful "Wagon Train to the Stars." And even though Majel Barrett as the "voice of the Enterprise" has now also passed on, she will always be remembered for keeping her husband's story alive.
******** Spoiler ********** Personally, I would hope for the next movie to restore the time line and not continue in this alternate universe, but I doubt what I think is relevant when it comes to producing a blockbuster movie that will bring in millions of dollars.