"Growing up on the Star Trek fandom, I have a strong devotion to all of the characters and a sense of responsibility in their defense against those who just don't get the amazingness of it all. That being said, I feared for the return of the characters from Star Trek: the Original Series (from this point on known as "TOS") in the latest movie installment in the franchise: Star Trek. However, I really shouldn't have stressed it.

In J.J. Abrams adaptation, we are introduced to James Tiberius Kirk and Spock as children. When Kirk is convinced to join Starfleet, the world's space-traveling military/science squad, the audience is quickly drawn into a coming of age story for all of the recurring characters from TOS. A natural disaster occurs on the planet Vulcan, and all of the characters end up on Enterprise, the flagship of the new fleet. Eventually, they are all placed in the positions they are known to hold in the series, and then they save the day, led by Kirk, because that's how it works in TOS.

The movie opens with an action scene with spectacular visual effects, and continues to introduce an interesting plot. I know that I'm being vague as I write about the plot of the movie, but I really don't want to spoil anything for the potential viewer considering the storyline is not nearly as predictable as fans might have guessed.

The actors did an excellent job of portraying beloved characters in a new and refreshing light, even if I feel the writers took a bit more creative license with the characters than they should have. I have a list of nitpicks for this movie, but they are all about points that only true fans would really care about, and therefore, I won't bore any of you with them (though if you would like to discuss them, just comment and I'll totally talk shop). And really, none of those nitpicks kept me from watching Star Trek multiple times in the theater, which I almost never do.

And don't worry, if you aren't a fan of TOS or don't know anything about Star Trek (though I don't imagine either is possible), do not fear. This movie is still an action-packed space adventure with clear heroes and villains, all of which is awesome for summer film enjoyment. If you like scifi or updated westerns, you'll love Star Trek.

The violence is mostly handled in the classic scifi tradition of large explosions and laser weapons, though there are some scenes a bit more visceral. Sex also plays a role in the film, which is to be expected from a modernized version of a show that was essentially about a captain known for his taste in women. But as always in Star Trek, most everything is done in good taste, so I think that the PG-13 rating given by the MPAA is deserved, but mature children may be able to handle the situations implied and shown.

Buttercup's rating: where F is a fail so epic, Barbarella looks like documentary produced by National Geographic, and A is so amazing that Gene himself wrote it, I give it an A-. It is truly the best I could have hoped for (excluding my geeky nitpicks)."