Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on August 2009

©2008 Paramount Pictures. Star Trek and Related Marks and Logos are Trademarks of CBS Studios, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Director J.J. Abrams’ mission is to boldly reboot a sagging franchise by starting at square one, and he manages the phenomenal cinematic feat of keeping Trekkies happy while being moderately entertaining to actual humans. Each of the core characters gets the genesis treatment, with, wisely, only a little reshaping. Did you know Spock and Uhura (Zoe Saldana) were an item? The usual whiz-bang special effects are there, but judiciously used. I especially liked the monstrous iron-jellyfish Romulan spaceship. It’s brilliantly cast. Zachary Quinto aces the young Spock, and Leonard Nimoy has a sizeable role as, well, Spock (time travel; don’t ask). Chris Pine has the hardest job, that of emulating William Shatner. And… he… does as well… as… anyonecould. There are plenty of holes—black, plot and otherwise—but it doesn’t really matter. Never has. It’s just a lot of fun and imparts a satisfying sense of discovery. And it’s clearly a setup for a whole new set of adventures. If the Final Frontier is your destination, you could do worst than this stylish, high-energy ride. Maybe next time they’ll try to boldly do something. Best line: “Are you out of your Vulcan mind?!”