4/5
This was a good movie, it was fun, action packed, kept my attention. You haven't seen a Star Trek movie like this before.
Now the few problems I have with this are mostly due to things not really making sense, but since the film is that enjoyable it doesn't even matter.
Casting, they really did a great job. I was skeptical at first with some choices, but they all turned out to be really good.
Zachary Quinto really was the best choice for Spock. He really became the character. He brought his own thing to the character, while still staying true to what Leonard Nimoy has done with the character. Chris Pine I really wasn't sure about, but this man has got it! He was charismatic, he brought something new to Kirk, while again staying true to the character. He didn't try to emulate Shatner or anything, he played it as the actual character.
I liked Bruce Greenwood as Christopher Pike, he was great in the role. Eric Bana was well suited to Nero, in my opinion. The character was not well written and the whole plot with the character could have been better, but Bana pulled it off quite well. Leonard Nimoy is his small role was great, the man has played the character since the 60's. It was nice to have him there.
Zoe Saldana was really good as Uhura, times have changed nice Nichelle Nicholes played her in the 60's tv show. She had the look, and I am sure she did Nichelle proud. Karl Urban was McCoy, he was channelling DeForest Kelley throughout his performance. He brought his own thing to it, and stayed true to the character. He put on such a great performance, I am glad he was cast.
John Cho made a good Sulu, the character was not fleshed out much, but they gave us some nods, like the fencing. I love Anton Yelchin was adorable, the accent was thick but I liked it. They always played up the accent in the tv series and movies with Chekov and he did a great job. I wish we had more of him. Simon Pegg was meant to play Scotty, he was great. He brought his own charm and wit to it, he worked so well. I wish we had more of him as well. A small mention to Winnona Ryder, in her small role she did well.
The effects in this are spectacular, they are amazing. It made for such an exciting film. The only downside is the script needed more work, but I think the writers strike affected that. J.J. Abrams knows how to direct an action film, and he knows how to pace it well. It really all just worked quite well.
This is a reboot for the series, everything that has come before it is there. But this is new, and it has set itself up for more new and exciting adventures. The time travel storyline in this case was there for this reason, and it did work for the most part.
Highly recommended for fans and non fans.
