Star Trek

I have much love for the Star Trek series. My parents watched it all the time. We owned all the movies. I even watched The Next Generation and a tiny bit of Deep Space Nine. But eventually I lost interest and the nostalgia subsided, or so I thought. I don't think any director besides JJ Abrams could have gotten me interested in seeing this new crack at Star Trek. Because I already love virtually everything he touches I was able to set my skepticism at a revival of Star Trek aside and went into this with an open mind. It was a joy. Sheer delight. I was thoroughly entertained by the character back stories of all the Star Trek fixtures so many of us know and remember so vividly - particularly that of Spock. This film owes a lot to phenomenal casting, terrific writing, and of course Abrams himself, without whom, this movie wouldn't be nearly as engaging. He's a terrific storyteller and a lover of classic filmic conventions. He develops his characters and also gives into the viewer's lust for action with an exciting flare (literally, there were PILES of flares in this movie and the lighting was very reminiscent of films such as "The Wrath of Khan" and "The Search for Spock"). The extras are fun on the DVD and you get the sense that everyone involved really enjoyed themselves. You also learn that Abrams had many of the creatives involved who worked on the series/movies play roles in this production. Wise move, and it paid off. Finally, it is certainly of note that Abrams and his writers made a brilliant decision to include time travel as part of the storyline. Not only is it very common in earlier Trek stories but also by starting with the story at Kirk's birth and altering time, all our prior knowledge of the earlier stories becomes nullified thereby giving Abrams and his team a clean slate with a cast full of vibrant characters to play with indefinitely. Even if you aren't a Trekkie, there is still room for you in this sci-fi romp. Watch the film & live long and prosper.