Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on August 2013

I saw it, and I enjoyed it. But little really stuck. Leonard Nimoy’s cameo (and Zachary Quinto’s nailing of the character he created), Benedict Cumberbach’s powerful performance as a complex villain, the zowie special effects, its warp-speed pacing. Wisely not ignoring the past, it includes a plethora of little in-joke surprises for long-term fans of the now nearly 50-year-old series/franchise (now, what are they called?). So it hits all its marks and successfully walks the cusp between too much reverence for the ST canon and not enough. A fun and satisfying blockbuster, but no The Wrath of Khan.