Spoiler Free!
I was extremely skeptical going in to the new Star Trek film. I loved a lot of the original films and simply didn't think a) a reboot was necessary and b) that JJ Abrams was the right person at the helm. The old films still stand up, and I felt that any new incarnation would only tarnish the series (I'm looking at you Star Wars). And I've never liked anything J.J. Abrams has done (in fact, I despise most of it). Lost and Alias both seemed silly to me, MI3 was the absolute worst of the Mission Impossible series (and had the lamest villain death I can think of from any film), and Cloverfield was one of the most shallow, mindless, and flat-out boring films I saw last year. My reluctance continued after seeing the new film's trailers, which made the film out to be a mindless CGI-fest set to betray everything I love about the franchise.
But I am happy to report that absolutely loved Star Trek. Right from the very beginning it took me back to when I was little and would endlessly rewatch my dad's VHS box set of the first six films. I never onced questioned Pine and Quinto as Kirk and Spock, and the time travel storyline was the perfect way to restart the franchise without abandoning everything the previous films and television had setup. I had assumed that having Leonard Nimoy in the film was simply a desperate attempt to please fanboys, but (while it still may have been that), he was worked in perfectly.
That's not to say the entire film was perfect. The action sequences were lame, a bit too over-the-top, over-long, and far too reliant on computer effects (but that's just as much a complaint about modern action films as it is about this specific movie). The cast also didn't entirely work, I never fully bought Saldana and Urban as Uhura and Bones, and was constantly comparing them to the originals. Eric Bana was also a bit underused and under developed, and never once felt like a real threat. But these minor quibbles did little to prevent my enjoyment of the overall picture.
I went into the theater tonight expecting to hate the film, but came out completely loving it. I would be shocked if any other big summer blockbuster bests it.
8/10
