If anyone asked me, I would probably have to admit that I’m a Star Trek fangirl. I’ve never been to a convention, and I don’t speak Klingon, but I love the shows and the movies. I grew up watching The Next Generation (mostly from behind the couch as my parents watched it, as I was supposed to be in bed asleep), I became a teenager watching Voyager (my best friend in Junior High and I would have sleepovers at each other’s houses just so we could watch it together), and in college I learned to appreciate the original series. I also really love the movies. I generally agree with John Nolte’s assessment of all 10 Star Trek movies ranked in order from worst to best, except I have to claim First Contact as my #1 favorite, simply because I have more of a connection with the TNG cast than the original.

Ok, enough fangirl droolage. It’s time to get to the matter at hand. The challenge of J.J. Abram’s reboot of the Star Trek franchise is in appealing to Trekkies and non-Trekkies alike. Most Star Trek movies over the years have only appealed to the former, with the latter either rolling their eyes in apathy or giggling with condescension. But if you ever saw one of the trailers for Abram’s new baby, you understand why anyone and everyone would want to see this movie, Trekkie or not.

Abram’s advantage and disadvantage are one in the same: starting at the very beginning of a well-known story with well-known characters. The disadvantage is that fanboys/girls really know the material, and would likely not be very forgiving with any liberties that might be taken. The advantage is that he’s starting at the very beginning, at a time before the original show started, so he can tell an original story with characters who may not have come into their own just yet.

So what was the result of Abram’s attempt: pure brilliance. The new Star Trek is a thrilling action-adventure-sci-fi flick, full of adrenaline and explosions and time travel. But it keeps you in the Star Trek universe, maintaining the integrity of the franchise and the characters that inhabit it. My biggest fear going into it was that we wouldn’t buy these new, young, mostly unknown actors in roles that have been exclusively played by the original cast. However, I have to admit that they performed brilliantly. They inhabited the spirit of the characters instead of just lamely trying to mimic their mannerisms. There were a lot of nods, like Bones shouting “I’m a doctor, not a physicist!” and Scotty coming up with brilliant ways to make the Enterprise do things it just wasn’t designed to do, but the nods to Trek‘s history meshed seamlessly with the new story instead of distracting from it. The only caveat I have to add is that this new addition was a little too much action. Maybe it’s just the girl in me talking, but one of the things I always loved about the other movies were the moments of quiet character dialogue that inevitably made their way into the nooks and crannies of the films. Those were the moments where the characters’ relationships and personalities were truly understood, and I really missed that in this film.

As for family friendliness, it’s a relatively clean film (as most of the Trek movies are), but it definitely earns its PG-13 rating. The trailers show one sexual scene, but the trailer just about shows it all — it never gets beyond that. There are also a few curse words (including a couple of gd’s), but most of them are difficult to make out. There is a lot of violence, as well. If you want details on all that the movie contains, you can check out IMDb’s Parents Guide for the film (spoilers optional).

Overall, I give this movie an A-. It’s a great action film, an ok sci-fi film, and a welcome addition to the Star Trek franchise — even if I am just a fangirl.