OK, I'll bite. :-)
- First and foremost, the way these characters we know and love have been reborn into a new skin. It brings a fresh sparkle to the story and not only holds a lot of promise for future movies, but I'll bet a lot of old TOS videotapes get dusted off in the coming weeks. And 'Star Trek' gets entered into the YouTube search engine. Star Trek is the new "Miraculous Invalid." Just when you thought it was a goner, it jumps up and is full of health.
- I enjoyed the comfortable friendship that McCoy and Kirk shared. It didn't involve a lot of setup but you got the feeling right away that these were two guys who liked and accepted each other unconditionally. Heck, McCoy broke the rules in a big way to get Kirk onto the Enterprise, and this is a guy who is all about practicality and fatalism (as most doctors are.) Their dialogue throughout the film suggested a relationship I hope we get to see more of. Karl Urban: he's not just Eomer anymore...
- I also loved the fluidity and color of the visuals. Every scene seemed to have the texture and depth of an oil painting. It's the kind of movie where you find youself freezing just about every frame, just to see stuff. It's gorgeous to look at.
- I loved the humor too. "STOP it!!"
- I loved how Kirk showed at the end that he was still the same compassionate, decent Kirk that exists in the TOS, when he offered Nero a chance at survival. I'm a big fan of the A&E Horatio Hornblower series, and to me that was a Hornblower moment: know your enemy, offer him decent terms, but if he refuses, his fate is on his head, not yours. Kirk's first responsibility was the safety of his crew, but he didn't just smoke Nero's butt. He offered him life first, and I thought that was pretty cool.
- The destruction of the Kelvin was pure opera. George Kirk was awesome. I especially loved the part where there aren't any sound effects, just music and those intense visuals. Pure Wagner, man...
- The salt shaker shaped like a starship. Doesn't look like it holds much salt, but damn, I want one of those.
- Finally, I really, really love how I felt when I walked out of the theater. A little giddy, a little strange, and feeling like what I had just seen was reality, and the theater parking lot was the place that didn't really exist. I haven't felt like that since I was 13, in 1977 when 'Star Wars' came out.
It was COOL.
PS Greetings Bad Atom, from a fellow Ohioan!

