Wow. Three words come to mind that I would not have thought possible regarding this film. Three magical words that was a shock to both myself and my boyfriend (who begged me to go for several weeks before I finally relented.) Three words. What were they, you ask?

I liked it.

That’s right. After moaning and groaning about the possibility of sitting through another techno-babble-oriented story with my boyfriend about some strange beings from another planet (or planets), I actually found myself enjoying Star Trek, Paramount Picture’s gamble to reboot Gene Roddenberry’s dying franchise. This is shocking because I for one have never been a “Trekker.”

And even though my grandmother had a thing for William Shatner when the original television show aired back in the sixties I never really took to the franchise. In short, the word “Star Trek,” was not in my vocabulary. Or if it was there was a stigma about it — a negative connotation to it, if you will — and I was one gal who seriously never gave much consideration to men with pointy ears. At least not until now.

You see the new movie, Star Trek, is (I am biting my lips and they are bleeding, can’t you tell?) actually really, really fun. From the first few minutes after the lights dimmed until the closing credits I was hooked. And to tell you the truth there is no small feat let me tell you. The story was engaging. I have to admit Shatner was a bit of a looker back in the original show but this Christopher Pine does a pretty good job on his own. And all of the characters in the story were wonderful. Karl Urban who really made a splash in The Lord of The Rings, does an amazing job as Doctor Leonard McCoy. He just about steals the scene every chance he gets. Zoe Saldana who plays Uhura does a very believable job as the communications officer and Zachary Quinto (who inherits the role of Spock from Leonard Nimoy) makes a compelling argument why franchises can indeed be rebooted with much success.

Eric Bana does a great job as the menacing bad guy, Nero. He has tattoos all over which means he must be evil, right? Well, if that is not enough of an indication his violent tendencies through the film are a dead giveaway. The film was directed by J.J. Abrams of television fame for the hit shows, Alias, Lost, and Fringe, and he does an amazing job giving us a movie that is engaging, enjoyable and exciting. The characters basically keep you in stitches half the time which only makes you want more.

By the end of the film it is easy to feel sad. After all the “friends” you made for the last two hours — all those Roddenberry characters resurrected through the new cast — are now gone. At least for now. Four magic words come to mind as I close this review: go see this film. It is fantastic. It is one of the more satisfying films I have seen in quite some time. Sure, it may not be high art, but it is a good time nonetheless. See this film in the theaters or wait until it comes out on DVD or BLU-RAY. You will not be disappointed.