Star Trek. The name rings bells - but you’re sure you’re not interested. 2009 marks the 43rd year of our relationship with the franchise, grown so familiar that we just shrug it aside. Nonetheless, every few years, it puts on a new outfit and twirls around with a hopeful bid. We wish the Franchise no ill will, but at the same time we think: Give it a rest, honey, you're showing your age.

Well, not any more. Director J.J. Abrams' version of Star Trek, the 11th movie to spin off from the original 1966 television series, catapults us into the Land Before Star Trek, a innovative and inventively entertaining prequel, with a light spell that makes us consider renewing those vows. It's relatively light on the violence and funny without going over the top; even with some touching moments. The movie is targeted enough toward the mainstream that someone with zero Trek experience and Trekkies alike would enjoy it, turning what was once strictly nerd fodder into a wild action movie, establishing the film as ‘what a reboot should be’.

So how exactly is this Star Trek movie different? Or rather, how does a prequel that establishes the origins of characters hope to surprise us in any way? We know that Captain Kirk will end up to be a venerable paradigm of military prowess. We know that the planet Vulcan will remain protected from harm by the power of plot necessity. So how can JJ Abrams pull any punches without altering the fabric of space and time itself? Simple: cheat.

You know one of the best narrative advantages of creating a science-fiction universe? You can get away with anything, especially alternate universe theories that give us a justifiable reason to deconstruct the universe as we know it (or known), sending Kirk's past/future trajectory into an entirely different space quadrant.

Much of the cheesy charm and spineless jokes of the past films have been sacrificed in this more action-oriented entry. But hey, there’s still lots of precious gems to discover. After viewing the film, fans are likely to be left feeling an ultimate sense of nostalgia for a future that will now never happen.

With impeccable timing, Abrams welcomes the rest of the old crew of the Enterprise, young and fresh again, one by one to his dance floor. We see the rain of insults Spock (Zachary Quinto) must endure on his home planet, Vulcan for having a human mother ( Winona Ryder ), and come to understand why he should feel more at home as a hot-shot commander in Starfleet Academy. The storylines of Spock and Chris provide the film with its spine, — one driven by emotion, the other ruled by logic.

By the time Leonard "Bones" McCoy (Karl Urban) introduces himself to Kirk on a transporter full of new recruits, my grin had settled in for good. The quickly-put-together crew of the Enterprise, which includes standbys Dr. McCoy, Uhura (Zoe Saldana), Scotty (Simon Pegg), Sulu (John Cho) and a charming 17 year old Chekov, (Anton Yelchin), find themselves going toe-to-toe with Nero (Eric Bana).

The first half of the story focuses on the fledgling crew as they haplessly scurry about space stations, learning to work as a group as they overcome obstacles on a galactic scale. Among some are, and not limited to, Sulu remembering to disengage the initial dampening resistor (parking brake), Chekov trying to get the voice-recognition computer to understand his Russian accent, and Scotty beaming three people from two places onto one platform. Whoops, spoiler alert.

Well, let's not go talking all sorts of crazy here. No matter how tattered and ruined the continuum may be, Kirk is still destined to become captain of the new/old NCC-1701, aka the Starship Enterprise, aka the snazziest set of space wheels in the whole galaxy. He's still destined to hook up with Spock, Bones and the rest of sci-fi's most famous space crew. He's still destined to lead hordes of red-shirted yeomen to their appropriately needless deaths, to fire phasers first and ask questions later, to boldly go where no one has gone before.

Really, the renegade Romulan with a vendetta subplot is just that — a minor story thread used as an excuse to show us how the gang got together. What makes the film entertaining is seeing how all of the pieces of the puzzle come together to form a picture, according to Abrams, and he does not let down.

Kirk was supposed to have had a long, fulfilling relationship with his father. A father and son legend. So if Kirk doesn't have a pops, what other huge changes could be in store for us? Will Spock break out into song—"Feelings," perhaps?

What philosophical musings do come are from Spock—for while Kirk may claim the helm, it's Spock who undertakes a voyage of personal discovery. We see him struggle mightily with his two genetic impulses—the logical Vulcan and the emotional human—and in the end, Spock tells himself, quite literally, that it's OK to feel a little human now and then.

"Put aside logic," the older Spock tells his younger self. "Do what feels right."

All in all, the film is well-acted (written by Transformers duo Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman). It boasts spectacular special effects and fast-moving direction, and, in the end, provides two hours of high enjoyment, a fiery, dynamic, plotted science-fiction tale that never loses momentum.

So, like the film itself, I'll end on an optimistic note: This Star Trek movie is, in a surprisingly old-fashioned way, a brisk, bright futuristic gallop through the galaxy. There’s no doubt that this franchise will continue to live long and prosper.

Rating: ***** out of five stars