Grade: C+

DVD » Director J.J. Abrams goes where no Trekkie has gone before by "re-imagining" the classic 1960s series "Star Trek" as a bombastic, action-packed, "Star Wars"-esque -- and ultimately dumbed-down -- movie that is anything but true "Trek." The original crew of the Enterprise is re-cast with "Melrose Place"-like young hunks and hotties, and the action is ramped up for new audiences. What it lacks is the flavor, spirit, intelligence and character bonding of the original series. Newcomers will appreciate the glossy style, but diehard original series fans will cringe at the deliberate breakaway from the classic canon to create the movie's own set of rules (through a time-travel storyline that obliterates the original series' timeline). Beam me up Scotty, there's no intelligent life here.

-- Vince Horiuchi