Yes I know, considering my excitement for this film, and also the premiere just a few hours ago, it’s difficult to believe. But the great thing about this film is that you don’t have to be a Trekkie. Not at all, nada. In fact I’d go as far as to say that this film should be wholly accessible to most, without (hopefully) alienating too many loyal fans along the way.

Star Trek – The Future Begins takes place during the youthful days of the original crew of the USS Enterprise. James T Kirk is just a rookie, Spock is all too Vulcan and Uhura is a sexy, ambitious trainee.

Nero, a renegade Romulan has travelled back in time to exact the ultimate revenge on his sworn enemy, the young half-Vulcan, half-Human – Spock. A young James Tiberius Kirk, haunted by the untimely death of his father, finds himself no more than a drunken brawler, until Captain Pike drags him out of the gutter, and into Starfleet. What follows is a seemingly random chain of events that bring together Starfleet’s finest onto the bridge of the USS Enterprise, and make no mistake – the future will never be the same again.

The film introduces a fresh young cast in the place of the now famous faces that we recognise as the crew of USS Enterprise NCC-1701. The cast have clearly given the roles everything they ccan and it certainly shows on screen. While in some brief moments you do feel that they’re trying to emulate the actors rather than the characters, overall I came out of that movie absolutely believing that they WERE the Star Trek crew, almost forgetting the originals in the process.

Chris Pine is absolutely brilliant in the role of Captain James T Kirk, if you look hard enough you can definitely see a young William Shatner there, if nowhere else then look in the eyes, it’s all about the sparkle. Zachary Quinto is completely believable as a young and arrogant Spock. But my favourite turn has to have come from Karl Urban as “Bones” McCoy and Simon Pegg as “Scotty,” both fall into their character roles as though they were made for them. Initially I had my reservations about Urban taking on such a dry and comedic character as Dr McCoy, but the moment he stepped on screen all of my worries were gone.

And of course, helping the movie in it’s mission to reboot the franchise was Leonard Nimoy as Spock “senior.” While it was very touching to see Nimoy reprise his role as an older version of Spock in the film, I did feel that his presence was a little unnecessary in the film, particularly as he appears so late into it.

I think Nimoy’s appearance was more about the novelty factor, and the fact that his presence may serve to soften the blow to hardened fans. I only experience one wince-inducing moment during this film and unfortunately it happened when Nimoy attemtped to deliver a classic line from “The Wrath of Khan.” I appreciate what the writers were trying to achieve when they included it but I felt the line was said far too flippantly and without the sheer gravity it should have carried with it, given the franchise history.

I knew that JJ Abrams’ Star Trek would be a reboot of the series, a retelling of the mythology, but I don’t think I was fully prepared for just how much the beloved canon would change. Some would say that change is a bad thing, but in this case I believe it only serves to introduce a whole new generation into the world lovingly created by Gene Roddenberry so many years before. Certain phrases and events (particularly the earlier ones) serve to pay a warm homage to the source material, without allowing it to smother the overall progress of the picture, but make no mistake this is a NEW film and I don’t see the series ever revisiting the events of past pictures again.

To take one example, the audience were treated to the famous Kobayashi Maru test, taken by the young Kirk three times at the academy. The test originally made its first appearance in “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” and is supposedly unbeatable. But, Kirk being Kirk, changes the rules. After all, Kirk “doesn’t believe in no-win situations.”

The film itself is a treat from beginning to end, the action is pulse-pounding, the special effects are flawless and the story behind it serves to set the scene for many more Star Trek films to come, and for once I welcome them entirely without fear that the series is becoming tired and worn.

The score for the movie is inspirational, again the crew have taken the brave step to move away from the traditional Star Trek tunes, and have replaced them with a rich, stimulating and varied selection which only serve to draw you further into the new world.

Another blogger who also attended tonight’s premiere used the phrase “Star Trek 90210,” and in some ways he’s right. This is a film about youth, none of the crew has the benefit of the experiences they’ve had in previous outings. They’re raw, they’re green, and as an audience member you know that they have a great future ahead of them.

It must be damn near impossible to watch this movie without thinking of the old cast and movies past, but please, when you remember the past, spare a thought for the future. This film could very well bring with it a whole new generation of fans and “Trekkies,” and as a result there’s no reason that this much loved story cannot last forever.

So, is Star Trek worth seeing? In a word, YES. This is a film that appeals to both fans and the uninitiated of the series, and rather than leave you behind in favour of bold CGI and action shots, this movie opts for both, taking you along for the ride with it.

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