Star Trek to me was the ultimate badge of geekdom. I have my Star Wars and LOTR moments, but Star Trek was a higher level of nerdhood that I was not prepared to go.
I do not follow the show. Though, I am aware of the story and the characters - I mean who could miss Spock while channel flipping. I did try watching it one time, but I found it too "talky" and I couldn't understand what the heck they were talking about 'cuz I never started the series.
Anyway, some of my friends told me that it was one movie that I should check out. They even advised me to watch it on IMAX. After much prodding, I finally dragged a willing victim of my tyranny to the nearest cinema.
In an interview director J.J. Abrams (also known for Mission Impossible), said that this Star Trek movie promises to be entertaining not only to Trekkies but to non-Trekkies as well. The cast includes Chris Pine as Capt. James T. Kirk, Zachary Quinto (of TV show "Heroes") as Spock, Zoe Aldana as Nyota Uhura, Karl Urban (of LOTR) as Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy, John Cho (of Harold and Kumar) as Hikaru Sulu, and Eric Bana as the Romulin nemesis, Nero. There is also the appearance of the original Spock, Leonard Nimoy.
The movie storyline is basically a prequel to the Star Trek that we know. It focused on the roots of important USS Enterprise members, specially Kirk and Spock.
The newly built USS Enterprise is called into action when the planet Vulcan sends a distress call to the Federation. Through Dr. Bones McCoy, troublemaker James T. Kirk gets dragged into the fray while under academic suspension. Meanwhile, Spock comes to terms of his biracial genealogy as his past and the series of events unfold before him. The inexperienced USS Enterprise crew engages into battle with Nero, who blames Spock and the Federation for the destruction of his planet, Romulus. The Romulins were defeated in the end with James T. Kirk earning his rank as captain of the USS Enterprise.
The movie is action-packed from start to finish. There is no dull moment which I find very surprising - and refreshing. It's like riding a high-tech roller coaster ride and enjoying every minute of it. Funny moments were provided, mostly by Bones McCoy and James Kirk. Chris Pine's character really took a beating in this flick from start to finish compared to the Zachary Quinto's Spock. Eric Bana was unrecognizable as the vengeful Nero. The story is interesting - an alternate reality with the entry of Spock Prime (Nimoy) providing the explanations. The CGI, effects, and yes, even the costumes were thankfully upgraded to a more tasteful change. The movie looks way better than the old one of course, and it was fun looking at the gadget upgrades. There's also the inclusion of memorable lines ... specially Scotty's, which generated snickers here and there. If you listen carefully (try not to be overwhelmed by the visuals), the film score is also very well-orchestrated. Overall, J.J. Abrams did a good job.
I thoroughly enjoyed this so much I had to watch it twice. The second I watched on IMAX - which is better.
This is one movie even a non-Trekkie should not miss.
