A convincing revamp with outstanding actors

Rating: 7/10 (18 May 2013)

To set things straight, I'm definitely not a die hard Star Trek fan and I didn't enjoy some of the later movies made in the early nineties as some of these movies were overlong and soulless. I was though rather positively surprised by the reboot and beginning of the new trilogy that came out in 2009. This sequel which is overall already the twelfth Star Trek movie is just as good as its direct predecessor or even slightly better.
Let's start with a couple of negative things first. The special and visual effects were decent but not as good as those in other current science-fiction flicks like "John Carter" or "Oblivion". The soundtrack was decent as well but not outstanding. The story was intriguing enough from the beginning to end and kept my attention high. It will surely please to old and new fans of the series but in my opinion the story was too predictable at some points for many experts of the series. You simply know that the good ones will survive and that the evil guy is truly evil and that's why some parts of the movie lack of suspense.
What I really liked about the movie was something else: the acting! I really appreciate the original cast and many nostalgic and closed-minded fans might claim that no actors can equal the originals. In my opinion, this is not true. Chris Pine's version of Kirk is much more diversified, down-to-earth and human than what I recall from the originals. Zachary Quinto's way to take the role of Spock is simply incredible and his acting is simply outstanding throughout the entire movie. Add to this a brilliant over-the-top incarnation of Scotty by Simon Pegg and an obscure and unpredictable main villain like Khan who is very well portrayed by Benedict Cumberbutch. Even the secondary roles were very well cast and I couldn't find any faceless actor or actress in this movie. They all did a very good job which hasn't always been the case in the past of the series.
Thanks to this amazing acting and the gripping and very typical story line that makes you rediscover many characters of the original movies, any fan of the series and anyone who is ready to give the fresh revamp trilogy a chance should go to the cinemas and enjoy this movie. It's not groundbreaking and remains somewhat nostalgic of course and I'm normally not a big fan of endless sequels and remakes but this new episode in the Star Trek universe is quite entertaining and addicting. I wouldn't buy the DVD but I will surely watch the third part in the cinemas when the time is right.