JJ Abrams’ Star Trek wows critics at UK premiere

Director JJ Abrams' decision to boldly take the new Star Trek movie where none of the previous 10 films and five TV series have gone before has been deemed a hit by British critics after its UK premiere in London's Leicester Square on Monday night.

While diehard fans of the sci-fi franchise in America and Australia have complained that there was too much comedy and Hollywood glamour in the $150m film, UK reviewers have hailed the performances of the new cast, the impressive hi-tech look and a dramatic script.
 
The new generation of cast members, including Heroes star Zachary Quinto who reprises a younger version of Leonard Nimoy's Spock and Chris Pine's turn as Kirk (originally played by William Shatner), have received particular praise.
 
"Chris Pine's young Kirk... has William Shatner's smug swagger and virile vanity down to a T, while Zachary Quinto oozes intellectual arrogance as the forerunner to Leonard Nimoy’s Spock," wrote Debra Craine in the Times, giving it five stars.
 
Daily Mail reviewer Chris Tookey also gave five stars to Abrams' film, which chronicles the early days of the SS Enterprise, calling it "the biggest surprise" of the year. "It is not only by far the best of the 11 Star Trek movies, it must rank as the outstanding prequel of all time."
 
Along with Pine and Quinto, cast members who walked the blue carpet - in honour of the uniforms worn by the Enterprise crew - included UK comedian Simon Pegg, who plays Scott, Australian actor Eric Bana who plays the villain Nero and Zoe Saldana (pictured left), who plays Enterprise communications officer Uhura. Others attending the premiere included Claire Merry, former wife of footballer Thierry Henry, who wore a silver catsuit (above right), and BBC presenters Jonathan Ross and Edith Bowman. ·