"STAR TREK" My Review

"I know engineers" the great Dr. Leonard McCoy once said "they LOVE to change things." After seeing J.J. Abram's much anticipated take on Gene Roddenberry's wonderful creation I must agree. Abram's "re-engineered" version has certainly made some changes. He has also made "Trek" more accessible to the general movie going public, which is a good thing for the franchise. Let me get this out of the way right now....I enjoyed it...I liked a LOT of it...some of it I really LOVED....and some things as Peter Griffin says "really grinds my gears" Chris Pine's "James T. Kirk" is very good... The "Sulu" and "Chekov" characters have their moments...I really like Zoe Saldana's "Uhura" EXCEPT for the almost incestuous relationship with a "pointy eared" character that really left a bad taste in my mouth. Bruce Greenwood's "Captain Pike" is a welcome addition and very well done, Simon Pegg's "Scotty" is great casting but sadly underused and comes across as just a lucky buffoon for the most part. Quinto's "Spock" will have to grow on me...I know he has large ears to fill and he may do it yet with a few more "Treks" under his belt. The REAL standout performance in the film is Karl Urban's "Dr. McCoy". He is pitch perfect in every way and provides some of the most entertaining segments of the film. Its "time travel" storyline cleverly allows this alternate "Trek" to exist without too much damage to the Star Trek Canon. The presence of Leonard Nimoy as "Spock Prime" helps bridge the gaps well enough. My ONLY real nitpick with the film is the set designs and bridge redo...it really DOES look like an "Apple" store instead of a starship bridge. Engineering fairs worst of all. I understand that portions were filmed in a "beer factory" to simulate engineering....and thats what it LOOKS like...a beer factory. Kudo's to the costume designers for presenting a believable version of the classic original uniforms though. Overall I really liked it. I wanted to LOVE it though. But you got me J.J. I'll be in line for the NEXT one. ****