*Warning: Movie spoilers ahead; do NOT read (especially the last para) if you haven't seen Star Trek yet and desperately plan to*

I usually don't blog much about movies, or review them as such, but in this case, I just HAD to!

Star Trek (2009) is...well...superb! I'm a moderate Trekkie (meaning I don't go to conventions, I don't have tattoos from the series on my body and I haven't legally changed my name to Sarek, but I adore the series for what it is), and have watched all 3 seasons when they were reruns on TV (duh, my Mom was a toddler when the series came out!!!), and watched almost all the 10 movies that came after. I couldn't bear to watch all because some were so terribly cheesy.

But this...THIS version resurrects the dying movie franchise. J.J. Abrams, brilliant work. And kudos to the casting director. Did you see how Chris Pine sat on the captain's chair? That slightly bent right shoulder...UUUFFFF...William Shatner sat that way. Did you see how Zachary Quinto raised one eyebrow and said "Interesting"? WAH! Leonard Nimoy sprung to mind. Did you hear Simon Pegg go, "I'm givin' her all she's got Cap'n"? Our very own Doohan's brogue was like that. Karl Urban as the space-hating doctor McCoy? I honestly had doubts about this one but he was amazing! The story was pretty good, the effects did not overpower the movie, the casting was brilliant, the background score was superb, the acting was quite good. None of the actors stepping into such big shoes completely imitate the original actors, yet stayed true to what the characters were supposed to be. Simon Pegg and Zachary Quinto were, without a doubt, the best casting ever, with Chris Pine a close second. Apart from the main cast, pretty much every supporting cast member was equally up to the task they were given. Question though...Winona Ryder? Really??? I mean, it wasn't like she was bad or anything, she was just wasted.

I must admit I shed a few tears though. Yes, I know what you're thinking: who releases tears of any kind during a Star Trek movie (unless you're crying at the sheer absurdity of some of the old ST movies)? Well, I did. I'm just emotional or something.
Tear shedding incident #1: When baby James Tiberius Kirk was born and his daddy Kirk died
Tear shedding incident #2: When original Spock (ie Leonard Nimoy) did the Vulcan salute, and said, "Live long and prosper"

I do have just ONE gripe with the movie. Just one. And a half. The whole gripe is...well... I had a "wtf" moment. When? When Uhuru effing kissed Spock. And he reciprocated!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HELLO PEOPLE!!! Yes, the supposedly first (it wasn't actually, more like the second) interracial kiss on television WAS between Kirk (William Shatner) and Uhura (Nichelle Nichols) in 1967 (?...or 68?)... even though I think many TV stations refused to broadcast that episode for many years, because of that. Anyway, THOSE two always had the undercurrent between them. No matter how many alien chicas Kirk always romanced, it was Uhura he cared for. ANY Trekkie will tell ya that! ANY! SPOCK AND UHURA??? Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!
And my 'half' gripe is not really a complaint against the movie or anything; it's my own personal problem. For about half an hour after Zachary Quinto appeared as Spock, I couldn't stop hearing Sylar instead of Spock. After that, I settled down into forgetting Quinto as TV's current evil honcho, and properly accepted him as Spock.

Am buying the DVD as soon as it gets out. No doubt about it!