The Anticipation

If you have the money to see Star Trek – whether you're a fan or not – you really should go and see this movie. JJ Abrams did what I didn't think could be done: He turned me into a fan of the original series. Granted, I've seen every ep of the original series, but I couldn't take it very seriously because I saw TNG and Voyager first. To me, Voyager in particular, is the Star Trek universe to me. However, after seeing his reboot of the franchise, I am absolutely blown away by what he's turned Kirk and company into and where they could go from here.

I had very high expectations for Star Trek and what Abrams was bringing to the table since I saw the teaser trailer during Cloverfield. Abrams has quickly become one of my favorite directors/producers/writers thanks to Lost and Cloverfield, so I had very high expectations and not only did Star Trek live up to the hype for me, it surpassed it. It surpassed it so much, I don't even know how to explain how excited this movie has made me for more.

My roommate is not a Star Trek fan. She's never even seen an episode of ANY of the branches that comproise the universe. She's now a HUGE fan because of what Abrams did with the reboot. That tells you something about a film. If someone who's never had anything to do with it can walk in and be that excited about it, how can the film not be good?

The Cast

The cast was simply amazing. I was a little worried about Zachary Quinto as Spock, mostly because how he play Sylar only lets me see him as Sylar when I see him outside Heroes. He did a decent job as Spock, and I need to see the movies a few more times to feel solid about saying that. I think the facy that Leonard Nimoy also played Spock took away for me a little bit. I think growing up and seeing Nimoy play Spock cemented in my mind exactly how he was supposed to be regardless of who was playing him. So, I think I'm giving Quinto a bit of the shaft because of that. He was good, but I think he would've been better in my mind if Nimoy hadn't been in the film at all.

Chris Pine as Kirk is absolutely, without a doubt, the best casting choice for the film. He is the epitome of Kirk throughout the film and I think even Shatner would agree. I didn't feel for even a second that he wasn't Kirk and that was very important to the overall lead for the reboot. Simon Pegg, Karl Urban and Anton Yelchin were perfect as Scotty, McCoy and Chekov. The introductions to all three of their characters did more than justice. I still don't know how I feel about Zoe Saldana as Uhura, especially with the Uhura/Spock relationship showcased throughout the film. Nichelle Nichols had something about her that just is hard for me to see anybody else in the role either. So, she's another one I have to wait to see how much more she does.

I was really surprised to see Jennifer Morrison pop up as Kirk's mom; somehow, I completely missed that detail until Cameron showed up on screen while the Kelvin was under attack giving birth. I was like: HOLY CAMERON! Where's House when you need him in a medical emergency? Then, all movie, I couldn't figure out who was playing Spock's mom. At first I thought it was Stana Katic, lo and behold it's Winona Ryder!

When I first heard Nimoy was reprising his role as Spock, I thought it'd be some sort of cameo and that was it, but Spock Prime (as he's known in the film) is a big part of the plot and how things play out throughout the film. One of the most amazing scenes of the whole fime takes place at the end, when Quinto's Spock comes face-to-face with Nimoy's Spock and the latter tells Quinto to follow his heart. It was very touching, and I was very impressed by Quinto in particular during the scene.

The Rest of the Film

The chemistry between Qunito and Pine in the Kirk/Spock dynamic was very intense and real from start to finish. Teara wants to start writing those two, and I told her the Star Trek universe has already been there, done that. That chemistry has been famous for decades!

The special effects, cinematography and sound was just amazing. I was very impressed by the battles, the attention to detail on both the Enterprise and the Romulan ship. Overall, the film just looked like Star Trek to me.

As far as the plot goes, I thought it was solid from start to finish. Even if you knew nothing about the Star Trek universe, you could easily follow along and questions you had at the beginning were answered throughout so you weren't left hanging in the end. The idea of rebooting the original series by the use of an alternate timeline thanks to Spock trying to save Romulus was genius of Abrams, it was very, very well-done and totally makes sense in the end as to why things are the way they are when the film is done. It also definitely paves the way for more in this timeline… And I can't wait!

Seriously, go and see it! You won't regret it!