I had the privilege of watching an early screening of JJ Abrams’ STAR TREK this week. (Courtesy of the fine folks at www.golivemiami.com, thanks Richard & Jeile!)

JJ Abrams

I’ve been of fan of “some” of JJ Abrams work in the past. (Loved Alias, thought Cloverfield was a great monster movie; haven’t caught on the LOST train. *long story*).

I’m just going to say that STAR TREK is in my top 3 favorite Sci-Fi movies of all time. It’s an amazing revival of the series, (whose last good movie for me was First Contact) and a fantastic treat for moviegoers this summer.

The crew of the USS Enterprise.

In short, the movie has a near-perfect mix of character development, plot, cinematography, writing, and performances. The ensemble cast that Abrams’ team put together, (almost) perfectly re-introduces the series to the new generation. Headstrong Chris Pine as James Kirk captures the gusto and bravado of the persona established by Shatner in the 60’s. Karl Urban is the PERFECT McCoy, and is easily for me the most entertaining character in the movie. Anton Yelchin has a small but entertaining role as Pavel Chekov, and John Cho from Harold & Kumar plays a minor role as Sulu. Zachary Quinto, known to many as the evil Sylar from NBC’s Heroes, is assuming the role of Spock in the re-imagining, and is the hardest actor for me to accept into the new cast. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m so used to seeing him as Sylar, or the fact that he plays a colder, more detached (if possible for a Vulcan) version of Spock. For some reason, even though the the species is supposed to be dictated by logic, I remember a profound warmness to Leonard Nimoy’s interpretation of Spock, (which I believe is very noticeable in his minor role in the new movie). Zoe Saldaña gives Uhura a modern sexiness and intelligence as the communications officer aboard the Enterprise, and is very likable. Finally, British comic star, Simon Pegg plays the always lovable Montgomery Scott in what are definitely some of the more hilarious scenes in the film.

I’m going to skip details of the story, since it’s pretty broad and is bound to satisfy fans of the series/movies. I will suggest, however, reading the excellent prequel comic book, STAR TREK: COUNTDOWN, since it explains the back story regarding the movie’s villain, Captain Nero (played by Eric Bana).

The movie has some excellent sequences, both visually and thematically, that will leave you very satisfied and in my opinion, showcase the ability of an able-minded team to breathe life back into series of old. The last sci-fi movie that gave me this amount of satisfaction when coming out of a theater was Joss Whedon’s masterpiece, Serenity. When wondering what to watch this weekend on your trip to the local cineplex, let yourself beam aboard with the crew of the Enterpise. They’ll boldly take you where where no movie experience has taken you before.

FINAL VERDICT:

5 out of 5 Vulcan Ears

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