To put this review into context: I’ve never been a fan of the original Star Trek, and though I’ve seen maybe two of the films, I know next to nothing about the series. That being said, I’ll say this: this movie was terrific.

J.J. Abrams manages to not only revive and revitalize the Star Trek franchise, but he does it in a way that’s very appealing to non-fans. There’s enough visual and vocal backstory to help build the setting and help you figure out what’s what in the Star Trek universe, and enough action and special effects to keep those who don’t care about the story watching for the full time. The casting, at least in my opinion, is very well done; it was fun seeing Leonard Nemoy playing his original character.

Frankly, the narrative is what I liked most about the film. Despite the suggestion that this film is a reboot of the franchise, one could easily argue that it fits within the continuity of the series. I don’t want to spoil anything, but to those that have seen the film: think about it. I chuckled to myself in the theater when I first realized this.

I can’t think of many shortcomings of the film from my end, though it does feel a bit less epic than I originally envisioned. Heck, the film didn’t even feel as long as IMDB says it is, which may or may not be a bad thing. At any rate, it’s a popcorn flick really, but one that at least has more substance to it than, say, 300. Expect a sequel probably sometime in the near future.

You know I loved and enjoyed (more or less) all ST movies. The J.J. Abrams ST left me somewhat sceptically. Although I highly enjoy ‘Lost’ I wasn’t sure about how the film would turn out.
Luckily the film wasn’t bad at all, Abrams and his crew managed to make a good movie and rebooted somehow the franchise.
In my opinion Eric Bana could have more screentime as his character came in too short.
Just so you know: It’s completely different than the previous parts (not 100% but most of it), you’ll motice that. Give it a try.

I loved it.
I hope they make more.

I am not a Star Trek fan, although I know the general story line of the original series. This was an interesting way to recreate the series, both start fresh and keep the same basic structure and characters.

I loved the performances from the actors who played Bones and Scotty. They really made the movie for me.

Uhura, not so much. And what was up with that “romance?” And didn’t she change the pronunciation of her name?

great popcorn movie. i only enjoy the original series and enjoyed this homage.

As a long-time Trek fan (15+ years), I really didn’t go into this expecting much. What I got was a wonderful film with beautiful special effects, an exciting (and suspenseful) story, and faithful homages to the characters I dearly love. All of the actors were excellent, and I don’t think I could have asked for more from Pine (Kirk) and Quinto (Spock), who wound up having incredible chemistry (although as a K/S shipper, not the kind I hoped ;) ).

While I’m sad that my favorite series is getting a reboot and not continuing from the storyline I’ve absorbed over the years, I look forward to the sequels and what else Abrams would like to reinterpret. In the meantime, I am going to go see this again and again until I can get it on DVD. :D

HUGE amounts of fun! Really enjoyed this, although I’m more a casual fan and quite frankly can’t stand the original series from the 60s. This, however, ‘reboots’ everything and does so with a surprising logic. There were plenty of nods to the TV version that even I spotted, and had the whole audience giggling.

Cast-wise, Chris Pine surprised me by being pretty okay. It was hard to get Sylar out of my head, particularly as the young Spock is pretty weird, too. Wasn’t entirely sure about Eric Bana – liked the tattoos, but he swung between manic and moody rather oddly: “Hi Chris, I’m Nero”, and all the running around. The rest of the cast seemed to be doing semi-impressions of the characters they were replacing: Chekov, Sulu, Bones. Oh – Karl Urban’s impression of DeForest Kelly was side-splitting: real comic relief. Likewise, Simon Pegg’s exuberant Scotty was a real smile generator.

So why only 4 stars? Well, like I say: it kind of feels like a pastiche at points. Not always, and there’s so much action ‘round about it that it remains fun rather than spoof-like. I was also a tad disappointed with the sets and effects. The sets – particularly the Enterprise’s bridge – was sort of Ikea-does-sci-fi, all white plastic and fluorescent lighting, which didn’t entirely sit well for me. Plus, on more than one occassion I was jarred by how… duff, quite frankly, the shots of starships in space were. They looked like plastic ships in front of hi-tech screens. Unless they were meant to, and I’m missing a joke?

All that said, I’ll very happily go watch it again! :)

● [House alert!] Dr Chase is giving birth. Give this one to six degrees fans, see how quickly they trace it back to KB.
● Karl Urban has can American accent? You had me at “Bones”, and I’m not even a Shatner-Nimoy era Trek fan.
● Romulans look all punk with face tats, but… tabi?
● Speaking of, Leonard Nimoy plays Leonard Nimoy ok.

and elsewhere:
http://rickoshea.wordpress.com/2009/04/20/the-trekkiecivillian-star-trek-movie-review/

I enjoyed the humor, characters, and action. The “reboot” aspect of the story left me a little sad, however.

My review at Epinions.

I went into this movie with high hopes, yet reserved expectations. I left the theater feeling like a kid again. I knew going into this that it was going to be somewhat of a reimagining of the Star Trek I grew up with, but I really wasn’t prepared for the excellent job that the creators did in making a relevant modern blockbuster while still remaining true to the original where it counted. Also unprepared for how funny it was at times. Excellent visuals, good story, great casting, and a feeling of new life for an old favorite. Awesome.