Star Trek

There is no doubt that J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek reboot delivers—the action is wall-to-wall; the casting is often spot-on (especially Zachary Quinto as Spock); and the ships, uniforms, phasers, and classic characters gleam with refurbishment and a renewed sense of purpose. The problem is that what the film delivers is hollow and pointless, except to serve as a glorified pilot episode for future sequels. For all of it’s crash-explosion-bang-boom excitement, Abrams and Co. make the usual blockbuster mistakes: kowtowing to every demographic, confusing extreme sports with action, casting too young (the new Kirk could be valedictorian of the Mark-Paul Gosselaar School of Acting), and settling for a weak villain while weighing down functional supporting characters with dead-end story arcs.