Sometimes, Hollywood attempts to take something previously delegated to nerd-dom and give it a sexy makeover. Usually, the result is an arrogant and horrible film. but J.J. Abrams, of Lost fame, has successfully revamped the original 1960s Star Trek series. The USS Enterprise is now hip, slick and sassy, and fresh-faced talents step into roles that made actors into legends. James T. Kirk (Chris Pine), a cocky genius no-hoper, enlists as a cadet in Starfleet, where he meets a variety of familiar characters. Naturally, when you’re boldly going places where no man has gone before, dangerous adventure ensues – life-threatening missions, wild space-jumping, black holes, sexual tension...all at warp speed. Star Trek generally pleases avid fans that usually scoff at Hollywood’s efforts to sell nerdiness to the masses, but also appeals to and entertains those who don’t know Star Trek from Star Wars. Why? Well, the young, attractive cast helps. Snappy dialogue, true-to-the-original set and zippy special effects also assist in propelling this USS Enterprise along the path to cinema awesomeness. Star Trek manages to be neither a haphazard fan vid of high brow in-jokes, nor a dumbed-down, over-sexed bastardisation of the much-loved Star Trek ‘verse.There are many clever moments and the premise sets the scene nicely for an entirely new set of future storylines, separate from the series. Basically, Star Trek is fabulously entertaining, wonderfully clever and terribly fun. See it. Twice.
