Let's All Go to the Lobby!

Every May, the summer movie season kicks off and it seems that every year since the beginning of the 21st Century the first weekend of May has had a comic book property start the summer early.  This year was no exception as the horrible "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" stunk up theatres to the tune of $85 million in its first weekend.  This was easily the worst of the X-Men franchise, which amazes me because I hated "X-Men: The Last Stand."  Wolverine was two turds smothering me to death.

Thankfully, retribution can be found in the form of "Star Trek," the franchise resurrection helmed by JJ Abrams.  It wasn't until I saw the third "Star Trek" trailer that I became excited about seeing the film.  I was a fan of "The Next Generation" and have seen several of the films, but was ambivalent until I saw the latest trailer.  There's a lot of intense action and emotional weight packed into the trailer and, surprisingly, the film is the same way.  

With a running time over two hours, "Star Trek" is wall-to-wall excitement from beginning to end.  There are allusions to the original series, both subtle and overt.  More than just a prequel, the universe that Abrams creates is more of a revisionist beginning for the crew of the USS Enterprise.  Initially, I was skeptical of some of the casting choices, but every actor delivers.  Most surprisingly, I was actually impressed with the performance of Chris Pine, of "Blind Dating" and "Just My Luck" fame.  

I was very tickled with the design of the Star Fleet uniforms.  They are reminiscent of the original series, but with a style and design more fitting than the polyester one-tone shirts of the original.  Great action, great special effects, good comedy, and a great cast come together well in what's sure to be one of the biggest films of the summer.  I think it will come down to "Star Trek" and next Transformers film as the titans of the season, though Star Trek will prove to have more depth and a much more passionate following, perfectly setting up the next phase of the long running franchise.  See it, multiple times!