Here's a round up for what goes on for you. Captain Kirk leads the crew of the Enterprise into a secret (and completely against Starfleet regulations) mission to save a dying planet, a mission which temporarily costs him the command of his ship. Luck smiles on Kirk, however, as he is offered a chance at redemption by his old Captain, Rear Admiral Pike, who takes him under his wing. Kirk is given the assignment of tracking down and executing on-the-run terrorist John Harrison, a mysterious former Starfleet officer who has taken out a series of devastating attacks on Starfleet headquarters. The film focuses on the relationships between Kirk and his crew, particularly Spock, as well as a desperation in understanding this new, enigmatic foe.
The crew are played by the same actors as last time, and once more they just get it very right. Chris Pine perfects the reckless acts of heroism, tinged heavily with tongue-in-cheek, macho humour that embodies Captain Kirk; Zachary Quinto has become so very much like Spock that I'm beginning to wonder if he is in fact related to Leonard Nimoy; Karl Urban embraces and delivers the hokey metaphors and melodramatic speeches of Dr. McCoy; Zoe Saldana brings the Amazonian quality to the lead female role with ease. Slightly disappointing is the more backseat roles of John Cho and Anton Yelchin, who play Sulu and Chekov, respectively, although both are given brief moments to shine with a piece of comedic panache. My favourite (somewhat unsurprisingly) of the main crewe, is of course Simon Pegg as Lt. Commander Scott, who really soaks up the spirit of the franchise, guilty-cheesy humour comes hand in hand with a seriously impressive array of scientific-sounding words, what more can you want from a science fiction classic? The man who almost steals the show from the lot of them, however, is Benedict Cumberbatch, as the villain John Harrison. He manages to be consistently unnerving, even more so when it appears his character is attempting to be trustworthy, and there is always something otherworldly about him. I'll not beat around the bush here, there's something about the Harrison character that I did not see coming, which I perhaps should have at first, but it's a very pleasing revelation when it arrives, and only adds to the sinister atmosphere surrounding him. Also, the Starfleet Admiral, Alexander Marcus is only played by Peter "GOD DAMN ROBOCOP" Weller. So there's that.
Visually speaking, it's two things. First, it's a science fiction film in arguably the biggest science fiction franchise of all time, being remade in a time where special effects have become largely perfected for the genre. Second, it's directed by J.J. Abrams. So yes, it's quite the spectacle in terms of everything you see on screen; particularly pleasing are the depictions of a 23rd century London, as well as the interior of the Enterprise itself. Only minor issues I have with this aspect of the film is that Abrams once again puts it dangerously close to being called "STAR TREK: INTO LENS FLARE...and a bit of darkness", though he has thankfully toned it down slightly since Super 8. Second, and very much minuscule picking I had was the appearance of the Klingons, who look somehow much less realistic than they ever did in the Next Generation series. But, hey, I'm fairly sure we can live with that.
The story is entertaining, it's gripping and tense in places, and it's just plain enjoyable. Yes, it's nonsensical in places, and there are a good few plot holes, but we have to remember, this is a science fiction movie; sci-fi relies on pieces of luck and farfetchedness more than most genres. Watching this film made you feel like you were watching Star Trek in its pomp, and that is largely due to the fact that the roles of Kirk and Spock are exploring and almost turned upside-down throughout the course of the movie, really grabbing you and dragging you into the story. The more emotional side of Scotty being explored, albeit briefly does nothing more than multiply this effect, as it's not something you'd expect from a character who is largely used for comedic value.
5/5 - For me, this is a perfect science fiction film. It has suspense, it has laughs, it has tonnes of nods to the old series and all the cultural references that it gave us. Oddly, it's not a flawless film, and it's not the most complete one you're likely to see, but at no point did I find myself not being entertained by it. Contrary to what it may seem from my superlatives above, I was never much of a Trekkie, and yet I loved every minute of this film, and felt like I'd been a fan of the whole franchise for decades. It's just that good at pulling you in. Definite go see.
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