I liked this quite a bit less than the first time I saw it. Though Abrams' Star Trek update remains a thrilling and fun film, there's quite a bit of emptiness to the whole matter.

It doesn't really have much to do with the character side of things, as the whole Kirk, Spock, and Crew taking up their destiny is easily part of what makes the film mostly satisfying. Instead, in an attempt to create excitement from set pieces, we have a flurry of superfluous action beats.

This might be a testament to Abrams ability to make a film that zips past before you even have a chance to think about what just happened, but the superfluous action beats ends up harming the film on a rewatch. Was there any point to that monster chase? Or what about Scotty getting stuck in the engine? The film already had the suspense to keep the audience invested during those points, why deflate it by giving us meaningless action?

That being said, it's still a lot of fun. As previously mentioned, Abrams keeps it moving so we're never bored, the cast perfectly resembles their original counterparts and have great chemistry with each other (Urban is fantastic as Bones), and this Trek drops the halfassed philosophical pretenses that had damaged previous entries and instead just offers us some character work which is slightly refreshing. And Michael Giacchino can rock my world anytime with his fantastic score work.

Star Trek is fun, but it's never truly engaging. I applaud Abrams wishes to take the franchise in a different direction for a fresh start in getting the new fans it desperately needs, but I have a feeling this is a film that won't sit well as time goes on.