Live Long and Prosper J.J.

Rating: 9/10 (17 May 2013)

J. J. Abrams must go to a lot of Star Trek conventions; either that or he has a library full of the original series and films. He really hit it out of the park (or out of this world) with this installation of the franchise. I see a lot more of this series in his future and the possibilities are endless. I like this film because it has a lot of action and the story is told very well; but more than that I also like the fact that this film was also about the relationships between the crew. Also, after the first film I was asking myself where the heck are the Klingons? Well, lo and behold they finally make an appearance in this film. There has always been that tension between the Federation and the Klingons so I am glad that they got that storyline started. Chris Pines (James Kirk) is evolving more and more into the William Shatner Kirk of the 60s. He is even starting to look like him a little (although Shatner was not as emotional as this upgraded version). Zachary Quinto (Spock) is as logical as ever, but in this film he even manages to rationalize how he processes his emotion (which I found quite interesting and profound). Zoe Saldana (Uhura) gets to display a more sensitive side and reacts to situations the way that most of us (women) would with our significant other. Once again (as in the 1st film) my favorite portrayal was done by Simon Pegg (Scotty). He was most definitely the comic relief that kept this film balanced. As for Benedict Cumberbatch (Khan), you really didn't know if he was a good guy or bad guy until Spock Prime shows up and gives the crew the down low. Of course being a Trekkie, I knew he was bad, but new comers will not know. The addition of Alice Eve (Carol) to the crew will no doubt create some interesting story lines going forward. I saw this film in 3D and there were a few things that jumped out at you, but all in all I think you should save the extra dollars. I think that you will be just as impressed without the 3D effects. This film was pretty long, but I did not notice because it was so well paced. This film is definitely one that you have to see on the big screen. Live long and prosper!!! I give this film a glaring green light.