JJ Abrams remake of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

Rating: 5/10 (2 June 2015)

REVIEW
This has to be one of the most spectacular, non-stop, adrenaline-fuelled sci-fi movies... ever!
However, it is could also be classed as a remake of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
JJ Abrams had a lot to live up to after his 2009 reboot and I think that he kept the pace up but just lacked an original story. There is nothing in this film to keep the purists happy and there is no need to have seen any of the series or previous films to understand this movie, for the new audience, as he has changed things so much that it could just be an ordinary sci-fi film, rather than Star Trek. Chris Pine made Kirk his own in the first movie, but seems to have lost his way, here. Zachary Quinto has become Spock and appears to understand his role in the franchise. Karl Urban, who was brilliant in the 2009 movie, is sadly just cast to rehash the original McCoy and is woefully underused. Simon Pegg, as Scotty, appears to be there just to bring humour to the crew. On the plus side, the effects are top-notch and the 3D actually works for this film. There's enough dialogue quoted from the original films and series to keep fans happy, but this does not a good movie make.
My main issue with this film is the complete disregard for continuity. John Harrison has developed a transporter that came beam him anywhere, including to other planets. This, therefore, negates the need for Starships. But Kirk still needs his ship to get to Qo'nos. On the approach to Qo'nos there is a semi-destroyed moon, presumably Praxis (The Klingon moon that exploded in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country), which should still be in one piece, at this time. The Klingons, obviously, make their first appearance in the series (having been cut from the 2009 film) and are different from what we have come to know. They are almost hybrids of every type of screen Klingon, ever seen. Plus, the Klingons are overwhelmed and beaten far too easily, by Kirk and company. The revelation that John Harrison, woodenly played by Benedict Cumberbatch, is in fact none other than Khan Noonien Singh, is nonsensical as Khan has suddenly been changed from an Indian to an Englishman. Some scenes were directly lifted from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, but were given a JJ Abrams twist. And, to make matters worse, Spock contacts Spock Prime to find out how to beat Khan, rather than finding the answer himself. This, to me, seemed like a bit of a cop-out, as now he can just contact Spock Prime at the first sign of trouble.