Star Trek (2009 reboot) - A great Trek (begrudgingly)

I have to confess to being one of those people who never thought they should `reboot' the original Star Trek franchise. William Shatner and co were so engrained in their respective roles that I didn't think anyone could fill their exact shoes (even if they were supposed to be their younger selves).

I was wrong.

Star Trek (XI) is undoubtedly the best of the franchise since The Wrath of Khan. If follows the early years of the most famous crew in sci-fi history. Yes, every actor nails his or her character (possibly with the minor exception of Simon Pegg as Scotty, but that's a minor gripe). Also, this isn't just `Star Trek The Early Years' - the story cleverly weaves in the old mythology - I won't say too much on that in case you're not aware of how it all plays out.

I will say that (if you can forgive JJ Abrams slightly overused `lens flare effects') it is the most exciting of all the Trek movies. There's plenty of action and decent special effects. It doesn't quite rival Star Wars - it seems to be able to maintain its `alternativeness' to the other great sci-fi franchise. It doesn't just breathe new life into the franchise (Star Trek X was a little disappointing), it makes `Trek' accessible to the masses. If you don't know your Tribbles from your Borg, it really doesn't matter - this starts everything again and you don't need to know the backstory - you only need to be in for a good, popcorn-munching, sci-fi ride.

May this franchise live long and prosper.

9/10 almost as perfect as The Godfather