Full disclosure: I’ve hated STAR TREK since the beginning.

Well, perhaps “hate” is too strong of a word. But I certainly am not a fan of the long running series. STAR TREK has been around for forty years in various incarnations, and they have all sucked. Every single episode of the show or movie consists of noble-minded mannequins standing around on bridges staring at viewscreens and firing phasers. They live in a hermetically-sealed, vacuum-formed universe where everybody gets along. In other words, it’s dramatically inert.

When J.J, Abrams announced a reboot of the series with a “young Kirk and Spock” storyline, I groaned. No franchise in history has crawled up its own ass like STAR TREK has with tis own mythology. For a show that supposed to boldly go forward, it’s done an awful lot of navel gazing.

Fortunately Abrams has pulled off the impossible, infusing the series with something it’s never had before: LIFE.

Chris Pine stars as the future Captain James T. Kirk, although when we first meet him he’s just another Iowa farmboy/rebel. An inspirational speech by Bruce Greenwood as Captain Pike arouses the competitive fire and adventurous spirit of the boy, and he enlists in Starfleet. Soon, Kirk’s cocky bravado and innovative thinking earn him merits and demerits, especially with the Vulcan commander Spock (Zachary Quinto). All of this is put to the test when Spock’s homeworld comes under attack by a rogue Romulan named Nero (Eric Bana), who is drilling into the core of the planet in order to create a black hole. Little does anyone know that this entire plan involves a visitor from an alternate future.

The ridiculous story serves Abrams well, managing to become a prequel and a sequel to the other films in the series. It deftly creates a new timeline, but one that still recognizes the former feats of the Enterprise crew. This should satiate the Trekkies, while simultaneously allow outsiders to join in the fun.

The cast is excellent. Pine is perfect as Kirk. He’s model pretty, but a brain whirrs beneath the pleasant face. Pine gives Kirk a healthy swagger and a boatload of confidence, and Pine earns the role hands-down. Matching Pine note for note is Quinto as Spock. Not only does Quinto resemble Leonard Nimoy, but he also imbues his Spock with the same alien qualities as well. Pine and Quinto also share terrific chemistry. Most of the cast does a great job of carving out what they can of their characters, although the script is clearly leaning on the Kirk/Spock dynamic. Greenwood is excellent as Pike, lending a lot of gravitas in the mentor vein of an Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Abrams keeps the movie moving swiftly, and the humor is well played throughout. Abrams overdoes it a little on the lens flares that constantly interrupt the visuals, but it does lend a certain stylistic nuance that announces a fresh start to things.

The film has a few weak spots, of course. Far too much of what happens here occurs due to coincidence; Kirk happens to land on an ice planet just a few yards away from where Old Spock is hiding in a cave, for instance. If you’re going to make a movie about a young man becoming a hero, then what happens had better be due to his talents and efforts, not the whims of chance.

The other big problem is the lack of a proper villain. Bana’s Nero disappears for long stretches in this film. He also lacks believable motivation for the amount of destruction he wreaks on helpless planets. Nero’s plight seems trumped up by the screenplay, and I found it distracting. However, STAR TREK has rarely ever had a decent villain, so Nero falls in line with the rest of the tradition.

Overall, this is a very promising start to a new outlook on TREK. I found myself thinking about what adventures I’d love to see with this cast (hopefully not time travel next time), which is a good sign. It should be interesting to see how this film performs at the box office. I think this film is perfect for TREK fans, but I think the fate of the series depends on whether or not the film can, for the first time, break through to a wider audience.

One thing is certain: Abrams has made a terrific attempt to go boldly where this franchise has never dared to go before.