He's Given It All He's Got, Captain

Like Casino Royale did to James Bond, the new Star Trek movie reboots the franchise, doing away with the history that so many fans have grown up knowing and living by, and making the story accessible to folks like me who aren't even fans of the genre to begin with. My Star Trek knowledge is limited, but I know I should be embarrassed to admit that the only film of the first 10 that I saw was number four, The Voyage Home (aka: the one with the whales). I love the classic SNL skit where William Shatner tells the fans to get a life. Point is, the fact that I really liked this film only goes to show what a great job director J.J. Abrams has done.

How do we know this is a J.J. Abrams movie? Well, if you're like me and a fan of the TV show Lost, you'll recognize certain trademarks immediately: daddy issues, a story line involving a ripple in the space-time continuum, and a cameo by BFF Greg Grunberg. Oh, and also? The movie looks and feels damned cool. From the gleaming white deck of the Enterprise to the adrenaline-fueled pacing, this is a movie that's definitely been directed by someone with a brain. And screenwriters Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman have done Abrams a solid by writing a script that neither panders to fans or ignores them, and makes those of us who know little about the character histories feel included. It's a great idea to have all the action take place in an alternate universe where nothing from the original series or movies has even happened yet. It's a device that gives these guys total creative license to make everything up as they go along.

Casting-wise, Abrams got lucky to have found Chris Pine (Kirk) and Zachary Quinto (Spock). Pine plays Kirk as a confident jerk, and with his close-cropped hair, he looks like he's Matt Damon's younger brother. Quinto is equally impressive; I'd never have suspected he'd have so much screen presence, but then again, I don't watch Heroes either. The other cast members are fun, especially Simon Pegg, who brings the comic relief as Scotty. Now that the crew is a team, it'll be great to see how they all interact in future films.

And on that note, I suppose there's no greater compliment to pay a film than to say you wish it was longer. Star Trek builds and builds in excitement, and when the lights went up, I was ready to blast off and go on another adventure right away. There's nothing I'd have cut out of this movie. It's just a solid piece of entertainment from start to finish. Abrams has clearly improved as a director since Mission Impossible III and Cloverfield, and this non-geek is excited to see where the crew of the Enterprise will boldly go next. I'm giving Star Trek an A–.