The young characters make the action suspenseful. Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, John Cho, Ben Cross, Bruce Greenwood do a brilliant job of not only imitating the original cast, but of portraying their younger, livelier versions. The premise is modern yet timeless. James Tiberius Kirk’s father is immediately swept away in a head on collision that is so dramatic the audience saw fit to weep a mere ten minutes into the picture. It is rare a director can achieve an outpouring of emotions so quickly. The young Kirk is an aimless and stubborn rebel at odds with his fate and his sadness over the heroic death of his father. Captain Kirk Sr. saved the entire planet Earth from a Romulan mining vessel which time warped into the past with superior technology and massive size. The inimical nature of a mere mining ship capable of ruining star fleets, planets, home worlds, races, the universe, is both stunning and dramatic. Watching the first star ships in action, their clumsiness, the sheer novelty of it all is a treat for fans. J.J. Abrams possesses a sense of nostalgia and with the best of intentions manufactured a film to please not only the old guard but to attract a new generation of fans to become trekkies. He has done more to revitalize the image of the Star Trek franchise than anyone in ten years.

       I am a skeptic. I always enter the theater in the hope of finding a smoldering ruin of a film. Without flaws how can I criticize? Praise too much and I would cease to be a critic. My analytical reasoning skills would fall overboard. For instance, I watched an episode of The Next Generation three days ago. I noticed the Enterprise commanded the Romulan warbird that it would escort the enemy to the neutral zone. Then bizarrely, at the end, before having escorted the ship, they traveled in different directions? Obviously this was a directorial blunder. The movie has none of these on first viewing. It is a true gem with enough cliché lines from Bones (Karl Urban) to generate laughter from the harshest of critics. Overall I recommend this film with two very enthusiastic thumbs up. Moreover, if you have an extra $7-$10 please watch this built for the IMAX movie at an IMAX theater, it is worth every penny.