For Father's day, Dad, Mom, and I all went out to see the new Star Trek, at Dad's request. I've been staying away from sci-fi and action flicks for quite a while now actually; after a while it gets so that the explosions and special effects are more important than the plot and script to these guys. Truth be told, no amount of silver screen trickery can outdo great drama in my eyes. Don't get me wrong, I love amazing visuals and action sequences; just not without some substance to accompany them. With Star Trek, I wasn't really expecting much besides the next big thing in CGI.

How pleasantly surprised I was to be met with a great (and very funny) script, and a slew of good actors. The comedy of the character relationships were really what made this movie for me. The rivalry between Quinto's young Spock and Chris Pine's James T. Kirk brought great levity to a heavy plotline that was almost oversaturated with action sequences. Quinto was convincing as the young half-Vulcan; I enjoyed the conflict between his human instincts and Vulcan culture. Pine did a good job playing your typical womanizing, recalcitrant, rough-and-ready protagonist, which was very fun to watch. My favorite characters, however, were a couple of supporting actors: Antonin Yelchin as 17 year old prodigy Chekov (his heavy accent and earnesty were charming) and Simon Pegg lending his trademark personality as a very colorful and entertaining Scotty.

The movie's central theme about doing what's in your heart as opposed to what society tells you isn't terribly deep. However, it is executed satisfactorily enough to give the movie a framework in something a little more substantial than action and special effects. Though the film had its fair share of cheese and heinously power ranger-esque sequences, I left with a feeling of great satisfaction. This was due to the sheer fun factor of the script, and some very entertaining work from the actors. I also don't want to downplay the fact that Zoe Saldana is really hot. As one of the more entertaining releases of the year, I give Star Trek a thumbs up with 3.5/5.