Star Trek will rule the box office universe

Zoe Saldana recreates Uhura in JJ Abrams' Star Trek

Paramount Pictures

 

The fate of the galaxy, perhaps even the whole universe, rests in the hands of the untried cadet crew that mans the maiden voyage of the most powerful, most advanced starship ever created by the United Federation of Planets, the U.S.S. Enterprise!

 

When The Enterprise’s captain, Christopher Pike, is taken prisoner by an unknown enemy, a fiery young juvenile delinquent named James Tiberius Kirk and a stoic, yet love-sick, half-breed Vulcan named Spock must overcome their animosity and work together, or all is lost.

 

Trust me - this ain’t your daddy’s Star Trek. Come to think of it, I’m probably one of those guys who would be considered ‘daddy’ since I grew up watching the original TV series when it originally aired. Oh well, doesn’t matter, this one is my Star Trek now.

 

Director JJ Abrams, who is best known as the creator of the hit TV series, Lost, re-imagines the Star Trek franchise by taking it back to before the beginning and introducing us to Kirk, Spock, Bones McCoy, Scottie, Sulu, Checkov, and Uhura during their formative years, and then throws in the twist of a time traveling villain who just might change every thing you think you know about Star Trek.

 

The movie starts off with a bang, carries you through a roller coaster of emotions (it brought my wife to genuine tears in the first ten minutes), and never slows down ‘til the final credits roll. The special effects are big, boisterous, and loud; the characters are sharply defined; the villains are conflicted and perhaps even a bit sympathetic which makes them really great villains; and the story, remarkably, has no holes worth mentioning. And yes, there are some classic Star Trek quips that faithful Trekkies will catch (“Damn it, Jim, I’m a doctor, not a physicist!”).

 

This is definitely the best Star Trek movie since “The Wrath of Khan,” and it might be the best Star Trek movie ever. It definitely takes you where no Star Trek movie has gone before.

 

Yeah, I liked it. Having said that, Star Trek is appropriately rated PG-13. There is a lot, I mean A LOT of things blowing up, lots of sci-fi action violence, a smattering of course language, and some adult themes that parents may want to check out before sending their younger kids.

 

Bottom line: This is a great kick-start to a new Star Trek franchise. May it live long, and prosper.