Okay, so I went a little crazy today on my blog in anticipation of the new Star Trek movie but you’ve got to cut me some slack because I’ve been waiting on this movie for a long time.  Not only has it been a while since any Star Trek movie was at the theaters but the wait on this movie has been even more exaggerated because it was originally slated for a Christmas release last year.  In fact, I first heard about the the film in July of 2008 and waited patiently until Paramount decided that they movie was very strong and worthy of summer 2009 release.

I said all that to say that the movie was worth the wait.  It did not disappoint.  JJ Abrams and his crew did an outstanding job on this project.  The cast was amazing too.  Chris Pine is James T. Kirk.  And, even though I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to get past the Sylar thing, Zachary Quinto definitely is Spock.  The truth is that I loved all the characters.  Simon Pegg almost steals the show as Scotty and Karl Urban is a perfect Dr. McCoy.  Greenwood was also very good as Captain Pike.  The truth is that all these actors (with the help of some great writing) have done an amazing job of capturing the essence of these timeless characters and bringing them to life again.  Every actor was so good that they kept stealing the scenes from one another.  You find yourself wanting to see more of each of them which is the way it should be.  Of course, for a long-time fan like me, it was also truly gratifying to see Leonard Nimoy as the elder Spock on the screen again.

Beyond the characters, I think that everyone associated with the project got the essence of Star Trek right.  The film was optimistic which is rare when looking at sci-fi.  Most sci-fi today has a sort of Madmax-Terminator-Blade Runner view of the future which is all apocolytpic, dark and dirty.  Star Trek has always been optimistic about the future while also being “realistic” at the same time.  It’s not polyanna but it is certainly positive and hopeful.  It’s one of the things that I most appreciate about the franchise. Also, Star Trek has always had a good element of humor in it.  Star Trek at it’s best has humor coming from the characters themselves and their personas.  This is certainly true in this film.  I really enjoyed the characters, their interaction and the humor that came out of their development.

I think the film strikes a good balance between what the old fans would want to see and what new folks need to see in order the enter the Star Trek universe for the first time.  The movie isn’t perfect, however, and I’m sure some hardcore fans are going to have some problems with it.  I know that the alternate reality thing is a little hard to swallow as a long-term fan but I’ll gladly overlook all that if they’ll continue to produce great Star Trek movies like this.

In short, Trek is back, baby!!! I predict that it’s going to be a huge hit.  Go see it and you’ll have a great time!