Written by Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman Directed by J.J. Abrams Running Time: 2:06 Rated PG-13 for sci-fi action and violence, and brief sexual content. A-

Star Trek lives up to the hype and delivers a great sci-fi action-adventure flick with a lot of promise for the future.

The movie jumps right into the action with a battle sequence that was dark, but impressive. It is also the jumping off point for James T. Kirk. Kirk's father is thrust into the Captain's chair during the battle and sacrifices himself so that his wife, newborn son and hundreds of others can live. Meanwhile, in another part of the Universe, a young half-Vulcan, half-Human named Spock is growing up and learning to deal with the fact that he is different from others on his planet. Kirk and Spock are as far apart as two beings can be, but eventually meet at Starfleet Academy. Spock is now an officer while Kirk is a brash young kid who thinks he knows better than anyone else. The two butt heads constantly with Spock's logic always coming out on top of Kirk's head strong emotional responses. When a distress call comes from Spock's planet, the U.S.S. Enterprise, along with other ships, head to Vulcan. But Kirk believes it is a trap - an old and yet future enemy come back to haunt them. Can the two men put their differences aside and do what's best? Or will their infighting bring down not only Planet Vulcan, but the future?

I am far from being a fan of the old shows/movies but I really enjoyed Star Trek circa 2009. It started off with a bang and never let up. It had a lot of action, a surprisingly large amount of comedy and actors that were pitch perfect for the roles. I have some knowledge of the series and so I knew who everyone was, but there was a ton more excitement in this film than in any other version I've seen. And from what I understand, if you were a fan of the old show, you'll like the movie even more because of all the inside moments. Anyway, here's my take... The only real downside to the movie, if you can call it a downside, is the part of the story that involves the Romulans. The good guys vs. bad guys storyline is sort of the driving force behind the movie but at the same time, it's not really that important. The movie is really about the history of Kirk and Spock and how they, and the rest of the team, come together. We are introduced, one by one, to the characters that we've all come to know and love. Kirk and Spock are the big two, but we meet Uhura and Bones at the Academy as they're just starting out. We see Scotty in an outpost in the middle of nowhere. Sulu and Chekov are new to the Enterprise as it goes on its maiden voyage. Each of them have very distinct personalities and each of them fit nicely with each other. They all get together to fight Nero (an almost unrecognizable Eric Bana) because Nero has a grudge against Spock from a distant future event. But in reality, the reason could have been anything - that wasn't the point. The point was to show how the crew of the Starship Enterprise came together and lead into other movies.

While I wasn't a fan of the series, I certainly knew who everyone was and I was amazed at the casting job. Zachary Quinto was spot on as Spock. He had the quiet mannerisms down, but this was early Spock where his emotions were still half human. There was a vulnerability to Spock that you don't see very often and that played an important role in his growth during the film. Chris Pine had the right mix of arrogance and cockiness where he was a pain in everyone's butt, but they also knew he was right most of the time. Karl Urban was a great Bones and Simon Pegg was a hilarious Scotty. Speaking of hilarious, for a sci-fi/action film, there was a lot of humor throughout the movie. While the movie never ventured into the realm of cheesiness, it was still able to be lighthearted enough to not drag the film down into 'serious' mode. There were aspects of the story that could have easily spiraled the film down to being sappy and sad, but the laughs kept it on an even level.

The special effects were pretty impressive as well. Everything had a very cool look about it, from the spruced up Enterprise to the various other spaceships and planets we get to visit. J.J. Abrams did a really good job with the direction, keeping the pace going while still telling a story. Like I said, the good vs. evil plotline wasn't as important as introducing these characters to a new generation and making them likeable. That's a very important thing. You could have cast it correctly but the characters could have been annoying if not played correctly. But every single person on the ship was someone I related to and liked and so I want to see more of them in the future. And speaking of future, the story does deal with some time traveling which can make your head spin a little. It forces you to believe in alternate realities and if you think too hard some of the story can fall apart. On the other hand it made just enough sense to be plausible, especially since we don't jump into the future where part of the story originated. And oh yes, the time traveling aspect did allow us to see the original Spock, Leonard Nimoy, make a lengthy cameo.

So overall, I really liked Star Trek. It's the kind of movie I'd enjoy sitting through a second and third time just because I really liked the characters. Here's hoping the sequel comes out sooner rather than later.

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