Star Trek

Although I grew up watching (and enjoying) re-runs of the orinal Star Trek, I've never been a full-blown, Klingon-spouting fangirl. I easily avoided all the spin-offs, while the films have been decidedly hit and miss. The re-boot thankfully fall sinto the former category despite the diehards manically compiling lists of canon violations. In fact, it's probably not even necessary to be familiar with the original in order to enjoy the film, but anyone who is will be rewarded with some nice injokes and references: Captain Pike; the disposable member of an expedition; Chekhov's heavy accent causing problems with a password; Bones endlessly exasperated; Scotty being banished for transporting Archer's beloved beagle *somewhere* ...
Fortunately the film isn't hamstrung by reverence. There's an energy fizzing through proceedings, beginning with the entry into the world of James Tiberius Kirk himself during the attack on the SS Kelvin by the vengeful Nero. Brat-era Kirk has thankfully brief screen time, while the equivalent Spock scenes establish the human-Vulcan conflict within him, which has an emotional payoff with the fate of his human mother. Noone acts completely out of accepted character although the purists will splutter over one VERY unexpected romance. Sulu's apparently a martial arts expert but also has trouble getting the new Enterprise started in a nice comic touch, while Chekhov gets a lovely moment of youthful exuberence as he solves a transporter problem. The whole time travel plot might provoke some head scratching - although it does reveal a neat touch of deviousness on Spock's part - and Nero's motives are never really as compelling as they should be, but on the whole it's a terrifically enteratining movie.