The principal stars of the new JJ Abrams prequel film Star Trek made their way to Empire Leicester Square in London, England last night for the UK premiere of their film and were not only met by throngs of adoring fans but were also met with the first reviews of the film … and for the most part, the reviews are raves. Here are a few photos of Chris Pine, Eric Bana, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, John Cho and Karl Urban on the red carpet of the premiere event last night and a portion of one of those published rave reviews:

The entertainment business thrives on surprises, as has been proven once again by the sudden elevation to stardom of Susan Boyle on Britain’s Got Talent. And there has been no bigger surprise for me this year than this movie. Like many people, I yawned at the thought of yet another attempt to breathe life into a series that seemed finished, after the pompous, pointless and all too aptly named Star Trek: Nemesis in 2002. The original cast had long gone, and the ideas had dried up. Why try to reanimate a corpse? The short answer is that J.J. Abrams had come up with a tremendous idea, inspired no doubt by the success of Batman Begins and Casino Royale, both of which had reinvigorated tired franchises by recasting and going back to basics. The result is not only by far the best of the 11 Star Trek movies, it must rank as the outstanding prequel of all time … We see space battles, planets sucked into black holes, chases, space aliens. Stupendous special effects and a magnificent score by Michael Giacchino make it a treat for the eyes and ears. The picture moves at a terrific pace, and is a satisfying tale of good versus evil, with Eric Bana a highly hissable villain. He’s the Romulan Nero, bent on avenging the destruction of his planet by blowing up first Vulcan, and then Earth. The Australian actor is virtually unrecognisable in the role, and confirms my suspicion that, though he struggles to carry a movie as a leading man (proved most notably in Hulk), he is a first-rate character actor. Like all the best villains, Nero is driven by a belief that he is in the right, and makes a fearsome adversary. The script feels remarkably fresh, no small achievement in itself, and takes an ingenious turn with the introduction of a time travel theme, and a highly effective reappearance of 78-year-old Leonard Nimoy, who was of course the original Spock and brings considerable dignity and grace to his scenes, which are far more than cameos. This is space opera on a mythic scale, and it’s stirring stuff. The immense grandeur of the imagery bodes well for anyone who chooses, in the wake of this movie’s inevitable success, to go back into the history of the franchise, and marry some of its better script ideas to 21st century technology. After the artistic disappointment of George Lucas’s Star Wars prequels, with its terrible dialogue and worse acting, this movie really does promise a creative re-birth of science fiction adventure. The revelation for many will be the way the screenplay honours the original characters created by Gene Roddenberry in the sixties, and gives them a moving and satisfying back-story.

The review goes on HERE and offers a bit more information that you might want to read before seeing the film. I didn’t even read the rest of it for fear of ruining the surprise. I am so pleased to know that reviewers are, thus far, happy with the reboot film … which makes me worry less. I was never a fan of the original Star Trek series, nor of the original characters (Capt. Kirk, Spock, et al.) as I was more of a Star Trek: The Next Generation fan (as well as Star Trek: Voyager). This prequel, I’m hoping, will breathe new life into the old characters and hopefully make me a fan. I’ve been impressed with everything I’ve seen thus far … so I’m really anxious to see the final product. David and I procured tickets to see the film early on May 7th the evening before the film opens on the 8th … so I’m gonna do my best to keep away from any new footage from the film so as not to spoil the movie. It won’t be long now.

[Photo credit: Wireimage; Source]