I was going to do this as a Passing Thoughts entry, but then I would have had to modify the code there to provide spoiler filtering. That wouldn't have been too hard a task itself, but I was having trouble coming up with a satisfactory way to let people view the entry spoiler-free and then with spoilers, without counting as two views internally. (I think I'd have to switch the entire site to a full-blown session cookie system, which would allow other improvements, but is more work than I want to do today.) And then I realized that either way, the thing would still pop up on my home page from time to time, long after it's relevant, so instead I present this page as a one-off.
This is the version of the page with spoilers. [Spoiler-Free Version]
So anyway, on to the review. I don't consider myself an “online film reviewer”, so when I say “review” I really just mean a brief opinion that's too long to fit in a tweet. I liked the film. It's a pretty solid story, including some plot elements that were speculated by fans but disavowed publicly by the creators. Of course, there are some problems with physics. But I only have three real complaints, and only one is plot-related.
They totally blew it on the Klingon makeup. They don't look like the TOS smooth Klingons. They don't look like the TMP/everything-else bumpy Klingons. Yes, the first change in makeup was a production/creative choice, but then they stayed consistent with that look. And then they suggested that it was an in-universe change. And then they outright explained the change with in-universe events that take place before the Nero timeline split. This production crew under JJ Abrams had no in-universe excuse to switch to a third makeup style.
In a sequence towards the end of the film, there were obvious and overcooked parallels with Wrath of Khan. This culminated in a moment that made me laugh at an ostensibly inappropriate time. Khaaaaaaaaaaan! Did I spell that right? How many a's go in Khan when the name is screamed in anguish? On the other hand, I think it was done in a way that's reversible. If someone saw this first before seeing the other film, it would work well; and then, upon seeing the other film, the parallels would become clear, but it could just as plausibly be a reference to Star Trek Into Darkness instead of the other way around. Well, almost.
When the Enterprise was crippled and plunging into the Earth's atmosphere, why didn't they ask another starship for assistance? A tractor beam would have been rather useful. At the very least, the other ship could have beamed everyone off the doomed Enterprise. Heck, even if the Enterprise is the only ship in the vicinity of Earth (which seems to happen more often than it logically should), surely a ground station could transport the crew to safety! I won't go for “it didn't occur to them” — Spock was in command of the ship at the time, and he wouldn't overlook such a useful course of action.
One scene had subtitles. I'm not sure, but I think the subtitles were subject to the lighting in the scene. Weird…
So, yeah, as I said before, solid story, only a few complaints. Go see it if you haven't already. I'm definitely looking forward to acquiring the Blu Ray. Although I'm not sure if I'd go for the 3D Blu Ray. The film was not shot in 3D but converted in post-production, so I saved a few bucks and saw it in 2D in the theater. (Almost nobody wants to watch It's A Wonderful Life in color; I don't want to watch a live-action movie in 3D unless it was actually shot that way.) On the other hand, even if I buy the 3D Blu Ray, I can always turn the 3D function off. For that matter, I probably won't even own a 3D TV for a while yet…