I am going to preface this by saying that I am a colossal geek. Then again, I think you probably knew that by giving this blog even a cursory glance. I have a deep rooted love for sci-fi and I have long complained that we don't often get too many good sci-fi films in theaters nowadays. I think a lot of that has to do with public opinion on the genre being based off of the direct-to-tv "movies" they run on the Sci-Fi channel, which, despite allowing me to catch up on some great Outer Limits and Twilight Zone reruns and the greatness of Battlestar Galactica, has done more damage to the niche than good. Honestly, I think the last good mainstream sci-fi film I saw in theaters was probably Serenity. That came out in, what, 2005? That's four years ago, man! We've elected a black dude into the white house since then, some people claimed THAT was science fiction, why so long?

Well, no matter the reason for keeping me waiting for a decent big-screen sci-fi film, Star Trek has come along and satiated me for the time being. And while I have been and shall always be a dedicated Trek fan, I think that this movie works to show the general public at large what true sci-fi is all about. This is a film that revels in it's genre. This is very much a quintessential Trek film. But at the same time J.J. Abrams and his writing team have put together a film that is fun, witty, action-packed, and everything in between. This is not a movie like Wolverine. That film could have used what made this film so good. Trek pays tribute to the core fanbase while showing the uninitiated why we love the franchise so damn much. Wolverine is seemingly an attempt by the studio to make the general public think that all comic books are poorly written trash with lots of scene dressing.

Abrams has created a movie that feels genuinely epic. He populates it with a cast characters that everybody in the theater will love from the moment they pop up on screen. Karl Urban's Dr. McCoy is particularly good while Simon Pegg's Mr. Scott is simply fantastic. That's to say nothing of Chris Pine's Kirk who gives us the same charm that Shatner brought to the character with none of the ham. Zachary Quinto also excels as Mr. Spock, and putting him next to Nimoy in the film allows everyone to realize how similar and yet how distinct he is from his original counterpart.

This film defines what I believe a good summer action movie should be. As well as a large scale sci-fi picture. Do not miss this one in theaters, it is an impressive sight to see.

Rating: 8/10