Star Trek: The Next Really Good Movie

Star Trek movie review

Score: 9/10

I was asked the other day whether I am a Trekkie. It's not an easy answer. I don't go to conventions. I don't speak Klingon. My children are not named after characters or actors. And no phasers were involved in my wedding.

But I have watched most episodes of the original Stark Trek and all the subsequent movies. I was a big fan of Star Trek: The Next Generation (to my wife's chagrin I sometimes still stop on an old episode), and also watched Deep Space Nine. After that they lost me.

But after I saw the previews for this movie, I was really excited. And I wasn't disappointed. I hate to compare it directly with Wolverine, but it was a much better film. The effects were better, the story was better, and the acting was better. Hence the superior score to my Wolverine review.

What worked: Nearly everything. The casting was awesome. Each of the new characters captured the spirit of the old characters, without being a slave to a late 1960s TV show (and 80s movies). The story was very good, and the villain Nero (played superbly by Eric Bana) made for compelling entertainment. Most of all, it was just pure fun. I haven't enjoyed a movie this much since Iron Man.

What didn't work: I'm splitting hairs here, but introducing all the old characters did get a little clumsy toward the end. Glad they did it, but it was a difficult task, and the last 30 minutes were a little clunky because of it.

Who would want to see it: Star Trek fans, action movie fans, and anyone who likes a good 120 minute story. Who wouldn't: Maybe diehard Trekkies (they do take some interesting liberties, which I thought were really good), and also anyone who's annoyed by cheese. There is plenty of cheese in this film, but it was just my flavor. (Yes, I can also lay on the cheese.)

Closing credits: I can't wait to see this movie again. Awesome. This exceeded all my expectations, and Terminator and Transformers are unlikely to knock it off it's 2009 Summer throne.