Star Trek

I've never been a huge fan of the Star Trek movies. Sure, Wrath of Kahn is decent, but all the others were pretty mediocre, even when compared to the significantly older and lower budget original series. The TNG movies weren't much better. So when this J.J. Abrams reboot was announced, I couldn't muster an ounce of enthusiasm. But as the release date got closer and closer, I fell victim to the buzz and began to show some interest. After all, it was the first big event movie of the Summer. So I went and saw it on the opening weekend before I could be swayed by what I felt would be mostly negative reviews. To my surprise and delight, this is the best Star Trek movie yet. The pace, tone, and casting are near perfect. Chris Pine really blew me away as the new Kirk. But everyone else is great too, in particular Simon Pegg as the new Scotty. There were moments when I thought the movie tried too hard to appeal to the original's fans. As a result, there were moments where the sense of homage edged dangerously close to parody. Really, how many "Damn it Jim, I'm a doctor..." lines do we need out of Bones? But overall, it's a great piece of entertainment whether you're a hardcore fan or not. And I hear everyone has signed on for at least two more films so I can't wait to see where this new crew goes next.