First half was fantastic...but then it crashed and burned.

Rating: 7/10 (16 May 2013)

I have to say this movie was the one I was most excited for. I have been a Star Trek fan for a long time. I've never been quite as big a fan as others, which is why I don't consider myself a "Trekkie" but I enjoyed all the series to some degree,and for the most part I enjoyed the movies. So, was my excitement validated? In one word: meh.
Honestly this movie had a lot of good points. The first Star Trek movie did a fantastic job of creating a believable world for the main cast to operate in. As a fan of the series, it was nice to see the plywood sets be transformed into this massive realistic world. This new film builds on that and expands the universe the first movie created. If you love action there is plenty of it. The first 2/3 of the movie are very well paced, and filled with great action scenes. Benedict Cumberbatch does an outstanding job as the villain. He is a very threatening villain who you BELIEVE could take out the entire Enterprise crew and all of Starfleet. In fact for the first 2/3 of the movie everyone's acting was great. They were funny, emotional, and believable. It's a fun ride...and if you enjoyed the first movie you will probably enjoy this one.
You probably noticed me mentioning the first 2/3 of the movie. That's because there is a turning point in this movie. And from that point on the movie crashed faster than the ship in the trailer, and left no survivors. The rest of the movie is confusing, cheap, and lazy. They didn't create any new characters, and relied on poorly recreating scenes from the original movie, because they were too lazy to write new and interesting ones. Say what you will about Nemesis, but at least the plot was original (stupid as it may be). Is it worth seeing? Yes...even though it's not as good as I expected, and there are some MAJOR flaws, it is fun, energetic, and will keep your attention. I give this movie a C (honestly though I'd give the first half of the movie an A+ and the second half a D.)
Bottom Line: The movie is decent and the effects are enjoyable...but does not deserve all the praise. The first half is fantastic and worth seeing, but by the end the story becomes lazy and pointless.