After being let down by the recent over-hyped Wolverine movie, I tried not to let my hopes get up too much for this new Star Trek movie. I figured it couldn't be any worse than the last three Star Wars movies, nor could it be any worse than half of the original Star Trek movies - you know - the odd-numbered ones. As it would turn out, this movie is nothing less than great, and I'm really looking forward to a whole new series.

This movie opens with a Romulan attack on a starship that is commanded by James T. Kirk's father. The Romulan ship appeared on the other side of a black hole, and in the ensuing combat we witness the birth of Kirk and the death of his father. If you keep up with such things, you'll know that Kirk's father didn't die like that in the original series. What happened is the Romulans ended up going back in time when they entered the black hole, and they've been zipping back and forth in time ever since. They do this because they are looking for Spock, but not the young one. Yes, they are chasing after old Spock. Both Spocks are in this movie.

There are no Klingons in this movie, and the main villains are Romulans commanded by a barely recognizable Eric Bana. The story centers around the newly commissioned Enterprise crew going into a big round of combat with the same Romulans that killed Kirk's father. Because of the time travel, everything that takes place in this movie is an alternate reality to what happened in old Spock's world. In other words, you can forget everything that happened on the TV show and in the original movies.

What I've been telling friends about this movie is that its whole purpose is pretty much to restart all things Star Trek. By taking the alternate reality route, the people behind this movie were able to reset the timeline for the Enterprise and its crew. This was a genius move on their part, because it frees them from having to adhere to anything previously set forth in the original movies and/or television show. By going back in time and starting over, the slate is wiped clean and the future is uncertain. I think that is a much better way of doing things than trying to remake and rehash a bunch of old ideas. Bravo to director J.J. Abrams and crew!

My favorite scene in the whole movie is sort of a joke that was explained in the parody Galaxy Quest. Have you ever noticed in Star Trek movies and episodes there is always some random ensign who goes along with Away Missions and never comes back? There's one in this movie and he's all hyper about the mission and eager to kick some Romulan tail, then he gets killed immediately upon arrival and nobody mentions him again after that.

The cast of this movie is perfect for their roles. Chris Pine brings a youthful edge to the Kirk character and he's gathering rave reviews for his performance. Zachary Quinto is great as young Spock, and Karl Urban's turn as Bones is one of the best and funniest roles in the movie. You might recognize some of the cast members from previous roles, such as Simon Pegg from Shaun of the Dead or John Cho of Harold and Kumar. I thought the actors all inhabited these roles with a bit of their own style, so everything is fresh.

If you like Star Trek, then you will like this movie. I have friends who are so die-hard Star Trek fans that they don't even like Star Wars, and they liked this movie. I went to see this with my parents and they even liked it. My wife, who wanted to see the latest Matthew McConaughey romantic comedy instead, admitted that it was well done. One thing is for sure - the Enterprise has just started what should be another long journey.

Recommended: Yes

Movie Mood: Action Movie