It's all about the characters

Rating: 9/10 (16 October 2009)

I didn't have high expectations for this film. It seemed like an insurmountable challenge to me: producing a fulfilling prequel to the original Star Trek series. I doubted that a new cast could provide the chemistry of combative characters that made the 1960's series so enjoyable. Any doubts I had have now been cast adrift into the void of space. The first meeting between Kirk and Bones was magic. Karl Urban nails McCoy from the word go. Kudos to this actor for breathing life into one of my favorite ST characters. I didn't feel that the chemistry was quite as strong between the science office and Kirk. Hopefully we will see more of Spock's human side as this movie franchise develops. He did show a rebellious side to his personality when confronted by Vulcan elders. Bodes well for the future. It was great to see all the old favorites return in young guises such as Scotty, Chekov and Sulu. There was even an unexpected budding romance involving Uhuru.
The plot of this film was nothing special and the bad guy was pretty one dimensional. But for me it wasn't about the plot. It was about the interaction of Kirk and his crew. It was about a maverick star ship officer forming relationships with his crew and friends as they prepare to embark on adventures throughout the universe. At the end of this flick I was left yearning for more. It felt kinda sad seeing the original cast man The Enterprise as they qualified for their old age pensions. Near the end they really were flogging a dead horse. Now Star Trek has been reinvigorated with talented fresh faces who I suspect will win over a whole new generation of devotees. J J Abrams you've made my day. Can't believe all the negative reviews here. Think the 8+ overall score for this film is more indicative of its strength. Not surprised that a sequel has been green lighted. As I said, I can't wait to see the next installment.