Less a bid to measure up against other movies at the box office, Star Trek may actually be more in competition with itself, and its many incarnations preceding this latest voyage of the USS Enterprise into theaters everywhere. But what does distinguish Star Trek from the cookie cutter crop of futuristic fantasies, and what led to its legendary status, is its humor and the personality of its characters, who can knock off the self-serious posturing from time to time, to laugh at themselves and each other. Focusing on an intricate web of enduring family feuds, Star Trek traces James Tiberius Kirk (Chris Pine) back to his birth, during which his dad met his demise at the hands of Romulan leader Captain Nero (Eric Bana). And Nero has long harbored his own festering grudge against the Enterprise, after the death of his wife. The occasional surprises materialize when all the noisy sci-fi machinery takes a break and allows the characters some quiet time to breathe through, especially comic relief provided by Anton Yelchin as the Russian accented know-it-all teen pilot Chekov, and Tyler Perry doing an admiral cameo in judicial punitive mode, as he cuts the cocky Kirk down to size. "Star Trek" was fashioned with obvious affection for the source material, but still offers something new.

incarnation (n.) 化身;典型

She's the very incarnation of goodness. 她是美德的化身.

cookie cutter 千篇一律的;了無新意的

to knock off 停止;中止

All the workers knocked off for lunch at twelve o'clock.

所有的工人都在12点钟停止工作去吃午饭。

What time do you knock off?

你们什么时候下班?

posturing (n.) 故作姿态，装模作样

intricate (adj.) 错综复杂的;复杂精细的

The intricate machine requires a skilled operator.

这种复杂精细的机器须由技能熟练的人操作。

demise (n.) 死亡;终止

the demise of a newspaper

报纸的停刊

festering (adj.) 恶化的

know-it-all 假装或自称无所不知的人

My brother-in-law is an obnoxious know-it-all.

我的姐夫是个讨人厌的自以为是万事通的家伙。

punitive (adj.) 给予惩罚的，非常严厉

punitive taxation 重税

punitive increases in the cost of living 生活费用之急剧增加

cocky (adj.) 自高自大的; 趾高气扬