I am not a “trekkie” by any means and if you ask, I prefer the ‘Wars’ to the ‘Treks’, Jar Jar and all. However, the feature length Star Trek films have always been interesting, sometimes even very enjoyable. I tried, as hard as I might, to lose myself in the series, but something about the embarrassing uniforms and generally wooden acting cause the remote to magically change channels.

A bigger budget has always allowed the big screen adaptations to showcase their strengths, those in my eyes being sci-fi immersion and the villains. The latest iteration, helmed by the ever improving JJ Abrams, was by far my most anticipated film of the year. No expense was spared and it’s immediately apparent, from the slick camera shots to the seamless CG. Surprisingly, the cast was relatively low-key, especially for such a huge blockbuster, which I always like.

With Chris Pine’s real first feature role, he pulled off Kirk with aplomb, making the character his own, while still maintaining some of Shatner’s earlier charm and physique. Harold & Kumar’s John Cho and Simon Pegg were my only real two concerns, only because I feared they would not mesh with the rest of the cast. Those worries were soon put to rest, however Pegg’s Scotty was only in the film for what seemed like the last 15 minutes. I’m sure he’ll be back in the inevitable sequels.

Eric Bana continues to provide solid roles, delivering exactly what’s expected. His role as Nero was not what I would career-defining, but it was very convincing as the time traveling Romulan. Every time I looked at Nero’s right hand man, Ayel (played by Clifton Collins Jr.) however, all I could see was his role from Crank 2 and I’ll admit it took me out of the movie every once in a while because his role in Crank 2 was so over the top.

As far as prequels go, I wish more time was spent in the early years of other characters, defining who they were growing up and why they’ve chosen what they have.  Movies such as Spiderman and Batman Begins really help define the characters (albeit they are individuals), where Star Trek spends 10-15 minutes on character development then throws you into the fray.

SYNOPSIS : I loved nearly every minute of Star Trek, but I think I will be looking forward to the sequels even more.  Developing the crew of the Enterprise will be something everyone will want to see, and I can’t wait.