Let me just start by saying: I am not a trekkie!  With that said, I was absolutely hanging to see this movie and I wasn’t disappointed.

It’s hard to escape the legend that has become Captain James T. Kirk, and in turn William Shatner.  However, this film has managed to crawl out from underneath the mountain of Star Trek folk lore to deliver something contemporary and in a class of it’s own.  It didn’t hurt that J.J. Abrams directed either.

The plot is strong and addresses the obvious timeline issues, as well as setting the franchise up for even more installments.  You have to admire the smart business that has been employed with the release of this film.  It’s made a franchise that has been classically the domain of the “nerd” more mainstream and therefore increased revenue.  It would have been easy for the Studio to phone this in – let the brand suck people in, take their money and give them two hours of over the top production and crap script a la Star Wars.  So it’s refreshing to get a film that is determined in it’s vision and doesn’t insult the viewer.

The cast is strong, and while they give a nod to their predecessors they manage to make their roles their own.  As Captain Kirk, Chris Pine has a lot resting on his shoulders.  He manages to step away from William Shatner‘s portrayal and stamp his own flavour on the womanising space cowboy.  It doesn’t hurt that he’s easy on the eyes as well!

The other character that people will be watching to see how true to the original it is, is Spock.  The pressure falls on the shoulders of Zachary Quinto.  Not only does he have to live up to the original, but he has to shake his cast typing as Sylar.  It’s a big ask, especially when the original Spock will be your co-star.   I think he manages rather well.  He seems to bring a level of emotion to the role that may have been lacking in the original Star Trek, which is ironic given that the character is supposed to be emotionless due to his race.

The ensemble cast is strong, with stand out performances from Karl Urban as Bones and Simon Pegg as Scotty.  Which is lucky, as this film really rests on the relationships between the crew and their captain.  As this is the first in what one can easily assume will be a line of films, the film gives a good amount of time to establishing the relationships.  It doesn’t make the mistake of assuming that all viewers will be die hard fans of the franchise, which is brilliant.

The only criticism I have about the script is the treatment of Nero, who is played by the wonderful Eric Bana.  In an attempt to build the premise of the movie it tends to suffer from a quick telling.  You’re not given a chance to really invest in the evil that Nero represents.  He just becomes an androgynous bad guy, despite Eric Bana being one bad looking mofo.

Eric Bana isn’t the only Australian connection in this film.  George Kirk, the father of Captain James T. Kirk, is played by Chris Hemsworth.  Australian’s will know him from Home and Away.  The resemblance to Chris Pine is remarkable, and one of the better casting choices when it comes to demonstrating genealogical links.  Another interesting casting choice was the use of Jennifer Morrison, Dr Allison Cameron from House M.D, as Winona Kirk. Along with Jennifer Morrison the appearance of Winona Ryder also provided some frenzied whispering in the theatre.  It’s always nice to play “guess the actor/actress” during a movie.

Unlike other movies that have relied heavily on the use of special effects, the cast and writing has not been overshadowed by the production qualities.  The effects, set and costuming complement the story and stand true to the original movies and television series.  Which in itself is a minor feat of brilliance given the decades of technological development that span this franchise.

In a time when Studio’s are insulting the movie going public left and right with crap that they sell as brilliance, it’s a nice surprise to be excited by a movie and not be disappointed.  If you’re going to take out a mortgage to go to the movies, make sure you see this film!