Engage!

It's been four years since the last new Star Trek beamed our way. And frankly, since I regarded Enterprise as only slightly less obnoxious than Star Trek Voyager, it's been a decade in my mind (since the 1999 finale of Deep Space Nine). But now it has returned with director J.J. Abrams' new movie, Star Trek. And it has returned in a wonderful fashion.

I think the best way to sum up my feelings of the movie is to say that the moment it was over, I wanted more. Not just the next Star Trek movie, sure to arrive in two or three years -- I want a whole new series, entrusted to these writers, featuring these actors. I would love to see this team telling stories on a weekly basis.

The film does a remarkable job of giving every character his or her moment to shine. In this regard, it's better than any of the ten films preceding it. We really get to see who everyone is, discovering the characters all over again. The plot is engaging, but it's really less important than the characters and their relationships. And this is something that Star Trek hasn't really seemed to understand for a decade.

The seven actors taking over these classic characters are, every one of them, fantastic. It starts in the captain's chair with Chris Pine as James T. Kirk. I went to the movie with Kathy, who as the credits rolled said it more succinctly than I ever could: he's a better Kirk than William Shatner ever was. Some will probably say that's sacrilege. I say it's simply the truth. He's the perfect mix of confidence, humor, and leadership -- he is the captain.

Zachary Quinto as Spock is equally impressive. His triumph in the role is perhaps more impressive for the fact that the original Spock, Leonard Nimoy, is in the same movie with him.

Karl Urban is some kind of ghost whisperer. He's nailed McCoy so perfectly, it's like DeForest Kelley never left.

Simon Pegg's take on Scotty is arguably where a character departs furthest from the original conception. Where James Doohan's Scotty was jovial, Pegg's is slightly lunatic. It's different, but comes off believably and entertaining.

Zoe Saldana as Uhura has the benefit of good material written for her. I think you could argue Uhura's treatment in this movie is better than anything that was written in her window-dressing role of three TV seasons. In any case, she doesn't waste it.

John Cho as Sulu probably has the least showcase time of any of the seven, but still has some good moments thrown his way.

Anton Yelchin plays a likeable Chekov. Where Walter Koenig's came off a bit cocky and green at times, this Chekov is just as young, but enthusiastic. He's fun.

So... this is where the movie trips just a little bit. Having drawn these seven characters so well, you expect a great villain to showdown against them. Nero, however, is a lackluster presence, and Eric Bana brings nothing more than what's on the page. On an intellectual level, we understand what his motivations are in the story, and why it's personal for him. But we're basically just told these things. By contrast, we've been shown just what's what with our seven heroes. They are characters. The villain is simply a caricature. So when the movie focuses more on him, as it inevitably must to reach its climax, the quality sags a bit.

Ultimately, though, it's a fairly small blemish on an otherwise wonderful piece. The visual effects are incredible, the action tense, the music engaging, the pacing great. Other actors in the cast are strong, particularly Bruce Greenwood and Winona Ryder -- the latter delivering a performance good enough to overcome being awkwardly cast to wear makeup to age 20 years. (You'd ask why not just cast an older actress, except that she does the job perfectly.) It's great direction from J.J. Abrams, of a script from two of his former Alias writers who clearly love the sandbox they got to play in.

If the villain had been worthy of the rest of the film, it would have undeniably been the best Star Trek film ever. But even as it is, Wrath of Khan and First Contact fans are going to have to work harder than ever now to defend their choice. I give this new Star Trek an A-.