Clearly aimed at broader audiences than die-hard fans, it boldly goes a long way where previous Star Treks haven't gone before. We get the back stories of the two contentious leads, Spock and Kirk, which fill in a lot of blanks.

A time-travel scenario has potential — and a key appearance on a remote ice planet is likely to thrill devotees — but the time flight doesn't jell.

Still, when it comes to sheer spectacle, Star Trek, as re-imagined by J.J. Abrams, delivers.

It's the USS Enterprise's maiden voyage, and intergalactic warfare looms. The interaction among the characters on the ship, however, is most fascinating. We meet the cocky renegade James Tiberius Kirk (Chris Pine) and the half-Vulcan, half-human Spock (Zachary Quinto). Though both are fine in roles made famous by William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, Quinto impresses with a thoughtful performance that avoids caricature.

We learn that Kirk was a hellion growing up in Iowa and that brainy Spock suffered the slurs of Vulcan bullies. They become friends, but the film creates a conflict around their early years. It also posits a surprising relationship between Spock and the linguist Uhura (Zoe Saldana).

Simon Pegg is perfectly cast as the upbeat engineer Scotty. John Cho, as helmsman Sulu, shows he can be as convincing an action hero as he was a stoner in the Harold Kumar comedies. Karl Urban has some of the funniest lines as the irascible yet likable McCoy. Anton Yelchin does a humorously over-the-top Russian accent as young Chekhov. Eric Bana is virtually unrecognizable as Nero, the evil Romulan ruler who despises Spock and menaces the Enterprise.

Creator Gene Roddenberry's idea of an enlightened future takes a back seat to pyrotechnics. The film starts with a bold action sequence; later battles grow frenetic. Throughout, the human factor burns brightest.

Given the volume of Trek lore, aficionados may find plenty to take apart. But non-Trekkers are likely to be transported by this latest voyage on the mother ship of sci-fi sagas.