Rating: 5 Pulses

Rated PG-13

Fans and non-fans alike have agreed on one thing: the Star Trek brand has become stagnant over the last decade, and some would argue even before that. The last film, 2002’s Star Trek: Nemesis, sunk the franchise to a new box office low, followed by 2005’s cancellation of the much-maligned television prequel series “Enterprise.” The glory days of creator Gene Roddenberry’s optimistic view of the future seemed long gone.

Enter J.J. Abrams. Charged with the task of reinvigorating a franchise on life-support, Abrams (Cloverfield, “Lost,” “Alias”) sought to explore a new potential for “Star Trek”: mainstream appeal.

While its 43 years of history have built the largest cult following of any franchise, Trek has rarely been able to step outside of its niche audience. Few have thought it possible to marry the expectations of Trek fandom with the mainstream entertainment world, but he’s done it exquisitely.

With Star Trek, Abrams traces the origins of the Enterprise crew, a story that’s never been fully realized. James T. Kirk (Pine) is a thrill-seeking farm boy from Iowa and the Vulcan Spock (Quinto) is a high-achieving student who has struggled to reconcile his heritage of two completely different cultures. As their destinies collide, the Enterprise takes its maiden voyage and the crew is tested by an unimaginable threat in the form of the mysterious Romulan called Nero (Bana).

Abrams approaches Star Trek having never been a fan of the series, but with the intention to honor its spirit while reaching out to new audiences and delivering a thrilling ride?he has succeeded on both fronts. Through a clever (and emotional at times) script, the team delivers a film that doesn’t require one to have ever seen an episode of “Star Trek” to be able to enjoy it. The characters are dimensional, loveable, laughable and fully-realized while the visuals are stunning. The opening and closing scenes alone are among the richest and most visually arresting action sequences brought to the screen in the last decade.

The creative team behind Star Trek took a page from Batman Begins and Casino Royale by starting from scratch. Not only that, characters limited to a background presence in the series are fleshed out. The whole ensemble has been perfectly cast, the chemistry is unbelievably natural. Simon Pegg is pitch-perfect as Scotty while there isn’t one scene that Karl Urban doesn’t steal as the humorously abrasive Dr. McCoy.

Abrams has given Star Trek a new life. If you feel the only true Captain Kirk will always be William Shatner or you have reservations just because it has the words Star Trek in it, keep an open mind and give the best film of the year a chance.