CHICAGO – It will be a stunning surprise if the summer of 2009 produces another slice of movie entertainment as satisfying and well-made as J.J. Abrams [1] rollicking “Star Trek [2]” reboot, a film that not only delivers on high expectations but shatters them by clicking on every single level.

Rating: 5.0/5.0

“Star Trek” features a character travelling through time (not a major spoiler…don’t write hate mail) and that’s exactly what writers Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman and director J.J. Abrams have done with their film, returning to the start but also injecting their own life into a dead franchise.

Read Brian Tallerico’s full review of “Star Trek” in our reviews section. [3]

The film opens with an attack on a Federation ship that happens to have among its crew members the man who would be the father of the king of the Trekker world - Kirk. His son James Tiberius is born on an escape pod as his dad crashes into a gigantic Romulan vessel. Years later, a rebellious young Kirk (Chris Pine [4]) is recruited for Starfleet Academy by Captain Pike (Bruce Greenwood [5]), a man who knew his father and sees the same leadership skills in the new cadet.

In the blink of an eye, Kirk is aboard the Enterprise and dealing with a universal crisis that could mean the end of Earth. I wouldn’t dare ruin the surprises of this clever script, but Kirk is, naturally, joined by Spock (Zachary Quinto [6]), Uhura (Zoe Saldana [7]), Sulu (John Cho [8]), Chekhov (Anton Yelchin [9]), Bones (Karl Urban [10]) and Scotty (Simon Pegg [11]).

Continuing reading for Brian Tallerico’s full “Star Trek” review. [12]

Chekov (Anton Yelchin), James T. Kirk (Chris Pine), Scotty (Simon Pegg), Bones (Karl Urban), Sulu (John Cho), and Uhura (Zoë Saldana) in "Star Trek."
Photo credit: Paramount