Who's kidding who--you've already decided whether to see this film; all I can do at this point is tell you why I enjoyed it so much...

Old-fashioned in the best sense of the word and new-fashioned in the best sense of that word, Star Trek brings in its wake a gigantic sigh of relief. Those old enough to remember might recall all of the expectation and hype that surrounded the release of Star Trek: The Motion Picture back in 1979. Fans had been waiting so long to share what they loved with the wider world, to have their moment in the glow of the warm box office sun following the success of Star Wars and Superman... only to generate a collective (though not universal) groan of disappointment at the finished product.

Well, not so this time.

From the rousing strains of its 1950s, Alfred Newman-like score to its effortless dramatization of timeless "American" values (e.g., heroic insubordination), Star Trek is an actioner of the type that Harrison Ford made for so many years: comforting and adrenaline-pumping at the same time.

Indeed, the effectiveness of the action scenes (especially an eye-popping one in which Sulu and Kirk team up for hand-to-hand combat) took me by complete surprise. Of course there are other elements of surprise, too, some of which fans may not be too happy with as they entail reconfiguring relationships between central characters. I had no problems with such departures from canonical continuity for two reasons. First, as you may have read, a fairly basic sci-fi conceptual maneuver allows for the film's narrative to mesh, and yet not mesh, with existing storylines, and it's done with sufficient elegance to work. Second, as you may have also already read, the script not only remains true to the spirit of the original series, but showcases its thematic virtues spectacularly. Logic vs. Emotion, Individualism vs. Teamwork -- all the inner and outer battles that you probably thought were played out long ago (in this, or any other franchise) show up in ways that are refreshing if not vital.

That's not to say Star Trek is flawless, either emotionally or narratively. Sometimes Michael Giacchino's music puts too fine a point on things, and the tone veers toward self-importance. And occasionally J.J. Abrams's TV-informed approach results in too many close-ups, a practice which lends a heavy feel even to scenes where the dialogue zips and zings. He also allows/encourages some actors--such as the basically entertaining Karl Urban--to engage in schtick well past the point where it grows tiresome.


The new Trek: Kirk as wunderkind, Bones as buff. (Image courtesy Paramount Pictures, All Rights Reserved.)

Still, from a broader perspective, what Abrams accomplishes is consistently remarkable. He's somehow crafted an ensemble piece in which individual characters are developed in a way that feeds the forward momentum of the plot at every turn. Zoe Saldana comes across as an intensely real female genre character much like those in Battlestar Galactica but perhaps under greater pressure since she's otherwise functioning in the all-male environment. Oh, sure, Winona Ryder is on hand, but her primary duty consists of looking old (remind yourself that it's only been in twenty years since Heathers, not fifty). Simon Pegg also has less screen-time than I expected, but he works wonders with what he's given, injecting some energy into the film just when it starts to lag.

As for the two leads, Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto, they take what's in some ways a thankless (or at least daunting) assignment and really rise to the occasion. Their self-assurance, coupled with Abrams's at the helm, results in one of the most satisfying all-around popcorn flicks in recent memory. Groundbreaking SF? Hardly. But the overall intelligence on display suggests that that may be on its way in the future installments... installments that I'll be queuing up for, that's for sure.