“Star Trek” is the 11th feature film in the series…and it comes 43 years after the show debuted on TV.
This new edition, in case you weren’t aware, is a prequel. We get to see James Kirk as a baby…a school kid…and learn how he eventually becomes Captain of the starship Enterprise. We also see Spock as a young boy and discover how he and Kirk and the rest of the famous crew come together.
The story of “Star Trek” follows the U.S.S. Enterprise on it’s first mission, with the young crew battling an evil villain named Nero, who is destroying planets as revenge for seeing his own planet blown-up. Nero has also captured Captain Pike, the first captain of the Enterprise. Captain Pike was actually in the first few episodes of the TV show back in 1966…so the movie stays true to the original story.
“Star Trek” is entertaining from start to finish. I’ve never seen any episodes of the show or any of the other movies, but I was still able to follow the story.
The special effects are solid and the acting is sold, especially from Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto, who play Kirk and Spock. And Leonard Nemoy has a major role as the older Spock. Paramount tried to get William Shatner to join the cast but he refused.
Fans of the series will enjoy all the famous quotes and references to the original show. There were several times during the movie when the Trekkies in the audience laughed and the rest of us didn’t because we didn’t get the inside jokes. But that didn’t take away from the overall enjoyment of the film.
“Star Trek” is rated PG-13 for action violence. But there’s really nothing in the movie that parents should be worried about. In fact, it very easily could have been rated PG.
On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, “Star Trek” gets a B+. It’s one of the best films of the year and don’t be surprised if it gets some serious consideration for a Best Picture nomination. By the way,the Blu-ray edition has plenty for Trekkies and non-Trekkies alike to enjoy.
And you know, because of the major success of this film this summer, there’s going to be a sequel, meaning the “Star Trek” saga will continue to “live long and prosper”.