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I am a Star Trek boy and oh boy did this film tick every box.

I know it has caused some controversy between fans of the franchise pre-Star Trek XI and fans of the franchise post-Pine/Quinto but I don't understand why. For me this film was made for Star Trek fans. It has plenty of shots that were whiplash inducing 'head-shake wink wink' moments for fans as well as new material, new approaches and new ideas for those just joining the Star Trek express (next stop Romulus).

From the get up it was filled with action and excitement, excellent CGI and fantastic rapport. The original films boast so much chemistry between Kirk, Spock and Bones that I had reservations such a relationship could ever be portrayed again in this new format. I was wrong.

Completely and utterly wrong.

Now for those of you who haven't seen it yet (go see it) then stop reading as I'm about to reveal some possible spoilers. For those who have seen it...

I did not expect Benedict to be so good. Especially reprising a role that was so famously portrayed by Ricardo Montalban in both the Original TV series and the 1982 film The Wrath of Khan. He was great, he was cold, he was kick ass and he emitted an aura of a young Khan rather than an old, bitter and vengeful one.

The Kirk/Spock relationship blossomed into a very familiar entity and of course cemented itself by role reversing such an iconic screen moment as '...live long and prosper', hand on glass-tear in eye as well as 'the needs of the few...' which I constantly quote to myself from time to time for no apparent reason.

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I very much enjoyed the addition of Dr Carol Marcus and I hope she remains a permanent feature of the crew for at least the next few films. The Original cast has always been sausage heavy and it's nice to see at least another female bridge officer in our not so distant futuristic and diverse paradise.

On a side note - I cannot believe that JJ Abrams has been slated for posing her in her underwear! Do these people realise they are watching Star Trek? If a woman isn't in a mini-skirt or a man hasn't got his shirt off in a fight to the death... it's not a good story!

As I sat amazed by what was unfolding I thought to myself this cannot get any better and then to my complete an utter surprise, enter The Klingons! A slightly more Roman Centurion/Spartan version which I loved and a kind of return to a more 'Undiscovered Country' look about them. They were a great dose of action and a great teaser for possible future installments. Not too much; not too little.

This film has to be one of the best releases in awhile for the Sci-Fi scene and in particular I found myself unsure as to how it would turn out for any of the characters at moments of possible (or indeed certain) death. I like that. I rarely get that from a film as writing loop holes tend to be on show to make it plausible for solving the situation. In this film I was on tenterhooks. Also, what the hell are tenterhooks? It's okay, just looked it up, it's to do with fences.



    My Rating:


Anyway... overall this was an outstanding film and I recommend it to old fans, new fans and anyone who will let me recommend it to them. It helps to have seen The Wrath of Khan to get all the juicy extras but it is not essential. A great film and I look forward to the next.

- Thom





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