Trekkin where no film has gone before!

Star Trek starts with a bang and never lets up for one second of its 2 hour running time. This is easily the best Trek Film, and I’d say right now is far superior to any of the star Wars prequels and is equal to Empire Strikes Back. J.J. Abrams is the new Steven Spielberg, and he makes it clear with this movie, a perfect fit for his sensibilities, that he knows how to make a big, fun summer film.
The first thing you’ll notice is the special effects. It’s astonishing really, how many times have we seen a spaceship moving through space? I’d bet a TON. They always look very cool in their own way, but also very CGI. The opening shot of this film will have you squinting, trying to take every detail in. The action scene that acts as the curtain raiser is also amazing for how well it incorporates really emotional dramatic stuff in with the action. So instead of a James bond style action scene where the plot and characters stop to fight on a rooftop while things blow up, here we have an action scene that propels the plot forward, and at the same time makes us care about the people we’re watching.
The fact that this movie is only two hours long and still managed to introduce at least 5 main characters and have two storylines going on simultaneously is a tribute to the writers, who all came with J.J. Abrams from ALIAS. That is actually also one of the few, and MINOR qualms I had with the film. There is no wasted scene. No unneeded line of dialogue. Every second of those two hours is crammed with information, and at times the very thick plot can get kind of jumbled. There are a few dialogue expositional scenes that fly by so fast you kind of have to give up and go with it. That being said, it also lends a breathless pace to the proceedings. You will NEVER be bored or looking at your watch.
The cast is simply put, perfect. Chris Pine is such an egomaniac jock ass that you somehow still like him, and he’s supported by such lovable characters infused with humor and endearing quirks. That’s another thing; the humor took me by surprise. I’d say I laughed just as hard in this movie as I did in any Jud Apatow movie. The jokes however, were never distracting, and the threat of the villain (an unrecognizable Eric Bana) was never diminished by it.
Also, if your not a trekkie, no fear. There are undoubtedly TONS of references and inside jokes for the die hard fans, but every character and plot and history lesson you need to know is all laid out and explained within this one film, making it REALLY easy to follow along if you’ve never seen a Star Trek Film.

A final note must be made of the cinematography, which is stunning. Everything from the reveal of the starship enterprise, to the planet Vulcan, the shots are put together like a painting. Abrams uses lens flares as a part of his visual storytelling, with blue and green or orange and red streaks streaming across the screen almost constantly throughout the whole film. Talking with people afterward, I found some people thought it was distracting, so take that for what it’s worth, but I thought it was magnificent to look at.
So this was basically a home run. An engaging and complex plot, lovable characters, and easily some of the best visuals ever put to film (Blade Runner is the only thing right now that seems a worthy adversary in the visual department) make this THE summer movie to see. Wolverine was an Epic Fail, and Terminator looks promising, but this is the movie that had the most to prove. J.J. Abrams somehow made a stellar summer blockbuster film that fans will eat up, and non fans will fall in love with. I can’t wait for their next voyage!!!