Star Trek, the 11th film in the
iconic science-fiction franchise: this is stellar entertainment that
revitalises the long-running series.

The story is set up to appeal to both diehard Trekkers and newcomers,
revealing how the heroic Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) and the coolly
logical Vulcan Spock (Zachary Quinto) form a friendship aboard the USS
Enterprise.

But this isn't the heroic Kirk who fans know. In "Star Trek" he's a
very different character, thanks to a disgruntled alien, Nero (Eric
Bana), who's travelled back in time and drastically altered the course
of history. In this new timeline, Kirk is a talented but arrogant young
lout who clashes with Spock when they first meet at the Starfleet
Academy.

Though the set-up is different, all the familiar "Star Trek" characters
are here, including Uhura (Zoe Saldana), Bones (Karl Urban), Sulu (John
Cho) and Scotty (the always delightful Simon Pegg). The original Spock
Leonard Nimoy also reprises his classic role.

The plot cleverly allows screenwriters Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman
to have their cake and eat it too: they have the opportunity to reboot
the entire "Star Trek" continuity while at the same time preserving the
storylines long-admired by fans of the franchise.

The dense story has an impressive scope, though it may baffle (and
bore) those who aren't familiar with the conventions of the sci-fi
genre. It's also surprisingly funny, evoking the cardboard-set
goofiness of the original series.

If there's a fault with the film is that the characterisations, with
the exception of Kirk and Spock, are wafer thin. No one else is fleshed
out much - perhaps that's being saved for the inevitable sequel.

But the sheer adventure and fun of it all definitely makes "Star Trek" a film you must boldly go to see.

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