by Karen Frazier, Managing Editor
Paranormal Underground e-Magazine

JJ Abrams knows how to entertain. Whether he is terrorizing Gotham with a giant monster in Cloverfield, making people’s heads explode on Lost or Fringe, or boldly going where Gene Roddenberry has gone before in this year’s blockbuster, Star Trek, Abrams seems to have his finger on the pulse of moviegoers and television viewers.

Big and bold, with a ton of cool special effects and a story that covers new ground while still remaining true to the Roddenberry vision, Star Trek pays just enough homage to the original that Trekkie purists won’t walk away feeling like they’ve been ripped off.

Familiar to anyone with a history with Star Trek are Karl Urban’s dead on portrayal of Bones McCoy, Chris Pine’s Shattneresque sprawl in the captain’s chair and the fate of the guy in the red shirt. Zachary Qunito (Syler on Heroes) seems born to play the role of young Spock, and Leonard Nimoy as Ambassador Spock adds to the comforting familiarity of the Star Trek franchise.

And yet, this isn’t your father’s Star Trek. The enterprise is beefed up. The Romulan mining ship captained by the angry Nemo (a virtually unrecognizable Eric Bana) is super cool. This according to my 12 year old son. I’ll admit – it’s pretty cool. Special effects have come a long way since the original Star Trek series – and they are on full display in the movie. I can see why they filmed it in IMAX – although I didn’t see it in that format.

The story is entertaining enough to keep you interested for two hours and ten minutes that the show runs, with plot lines involving the paradox of time travel and alternate time lines.

The true fun in the movie, however, is in seeing the fresh elements that the young cast brings to well-known characters. Especially enjoyable is Simon Pegg’s portrayal of Scotty and John Cho (Harold and Kumar go to White Castle) as a young Sulu.

The entertainment value of the movie – which is hands down the best of the Star Trek movies – is well worth the price of admission of seeing it on the big screen. If there were plot holes, Abrams kept it entertaining enough that it kept me from noticing. Go see it. Take the kids. You’ll have fun.