When Ed asked me if I was going to the screening last night, I was on the fence whether to go or not. I wasn’t particularly hyped to go see it, plus Zeno Clash/the latest Left 4 Dead update beckons my attention. But the last screening I opted out was Slumdog Millionare and I always regretted that. So I went, and I’m glad I did.

It’s a good movie, and as a reboot it does its job well, having a story that nicely bridges the old series with the new. But it didn’t exactly leave me wanting more. Maybe it’s a byproduct of feeling like a multi-million dollar tv pilot.

A few spoilery comments:

Outside of the opening sequence, (I am a sucker for self-sacrifice) the only memorable scenes were with the original Spock. It was fantastic to see him reprise the role. Just hearing him say, “I have been and shall always be your friend.” again makes my Trekkie-self squeal with delight. Although I hate how he’s now officially “stuck in Dharmaville” in this alternate dimension. Can’t he just hijack a bird of prey and slingshot around the sun? Although that would take him into the future of this alternate dimension. Wait, if the timeline deviates at this specific point, that means Star Trek IV, VIII, and Enterprise are still canonical. Can’t wait to see people start generating fan fiction to extend the original continuity. Oh, what is the fate of the Tal Shiar? I wonder if there’s an alternate Mirror Universe? Okay, I’m just rambling now.

They did a good job casting the original crew, with Karl Urban clearly standing out, doing an outstanding job as Dr. McCoy. Chris Pine worked surprisingly well as Kirk. Simon Pegg was great as Scotty, although I hope he isn’t saddled with a sidekick going forward. The new look of the Federation is great, with the exception of ship engineering. I can understand trying to make it look different/fresh, but it makes no sense that it would look like a chemical factory. It’s not really an economical use of space for a starship and it felt really out of place.

Will it resurrect the Star Trek franchise? Paramount is very eager to get it back on track. I was asked that very question by someone in Marketing and in a separate post-screening survey. I think this is a step in the right direction. This will definitely put Star Trek back in the spotlight. I’d say if the next movie is equally well received, the franchise will be back on its feet. In J.J. Abrams we trust?