STAR TREK

(PG-13)

Buckle up for a prequel to Gene Rodenberry's iconic TV series and sometimes successful films. This movie is actually a bright, new look at the early lives of Kirk, Spock and the rest of the Enterprise crew. Captain Kirk begins the feisty, randy rebel early in life as we meet him as a young man (Chris Pine.) No William Shatner here, but Leonard Nimoy appears in a time warp. The young Spock (Zachary Quinto) is perfectly realized as a troubled young Vulcan, bullied and otrmented as the son of a mixed marriage that includes messy human emotions. Spock and Kirk meet at Starfleet Academy, and th rest of the characters we know show up as part of a plot to attack and destroy a psychopathic Romulan leader (Eric Bana). Director J.J. Abrams brings out the special effects (especially a scary flower monster that may scare some of the smaller or more sensitive children)..but the characters keep the story intact and compelling. Karl Urban steals every scene he's in as the perminantly frustrated Dr. "Bones" McCoy. The film does not mock the story or characters, is not full of the smarmy humor or, just as deadly, treat it like sacred text. The real fun here is where it belongs: Kirk and Spcok the heated passion and the coldly clinical..engaging in a fundamental battle while surrounded by colorful characters. Roberto Orsi and Alex Kurtzman's screenplay is smart without pandering. There are storylines and characters that should have been followed, dropped so more action could fit into the film. But three hats means it;s not a rip-off and worthy of your time and money on the big screen. Even non-Trekkies can enjoy this escape.