Adapted from a longstanding TV and film series that has truly made a mark on Sci-Fi history, Star Trek is a prequel of sorts that delves into the origin stories of the series’ most beloved characters. After his father is killed in an unexpected starship attack, the young James T. Kirk grows up a rebel with a delinquent background who inadvertently stumbles into the same profession as his dad. After joining the USS Enterprise alongside a Vulcan named Spock, he is thrown onto a dangerous voyage which sees a space crew facing up against a villainous time traveller.

In less than a decade filmmaker J.J. Abrams has managed to make his mark on the two most significant science fiction universes of all time. Although his most recent endeavours place him in the Star Wars camp, his roots were laid in the world of Star Trek and, unlike the former, this movie is his most accessible film to date. Despite being both a blockbuster and an adaptation, Star Trek feels pleasantly refreshing and palatable for newer viewers. With some of the finest character development seen in a high level action movie, the film sucks in audiences young and old without taking any liberties over the course of its running time.

Despite opening in an unforgivably sappy manner, Star Trek makes sure to leave all of its rushed backstories at the door and the rest in plain sailing in an action-adventure to remember. All of the Star Trek films in the reboot universe are spectacular in the cinema and if viewed at home they work wonders with surround sound. This expansive genre piece may be nerdy at times but it’s always engrossing with numerous action sequences that were clearly perfected before they even got past the conceptualisation stage.

In a rare twist, Star Trek features a villain with a purpose that extends beyond simply being pure evil. Nero is the product of tragedy and this is something that both Kirk and Spock also face over the course of the movie. The similarities between the two sides are striking as the characters wrestle with their inner demons while pining for a sense of meaning and justice. Even Spock and Kirk represent the two sides of one coin both complimenting and hindering one another as intelligence and instinct face off alongside a generic fight between good and evil. It’s battle with many different focal points but one that consistently delivers on the big screen.

We think this movie deserves to fly high at a 7 out of 10 score.

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