The new Star Trek film, which opens worldwide next month, premiered in Sydney, Australia, last night. Early reports on the new film, which effectively reboots the franchise for the 21st Century, have been positive so far.

Chris Pine takes on William Shatner's old role as James Kirk, the famius character finding his feet for the first time in this new outing. Zachary Quinto inherits Leonard Nimoy's Mr. Spock (who also features in the film thanks to time travel elements in the plot, while Eric Bana plays the villainous Romulan, Nero, out to destroy the Federation.

While the film had its official premiere in Sydney in front of an audience of 1600, some paying $100 a ticket, fans in Austin, Texas, were treated to a surprize screening of the film on Monday night. Expecting to see Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan - considered the Trek film that confirmed the saga's big screen future - the audience was surprized when none other than Leonard Nimoy walked on stage and asked them to apologize ... asking them if they wouldn't like to just watch the new movie instead.

Needless to say, reviews from this screening have since swept the net, even though invited media to the Syndey premiere are under embargo to publish reviews before 21 April. Film magazine Empire's take must earn top mention, Colin Kennedy declaring it "the most exhilarating Trek to date," and marking "a new future for Kirk and co. If this can boldly go on to seek out ideas to match its speed and style, a franchise is reborn.

"There is nothing much to confuse the multiplex masses," the magazine reports, "while there are plenty of in-jokes and visual details for the forum-dwellers to chew over. More to the point, the film is sassy, young and hip in a way the franchise has not been since the ’60s. It’s neither The Hills in space nor fan fiction with a $150 million budget. Kudos is due."

While some such as Greg Clark at C.H.U.D. remain unconvinced by this much-touted big screen outing, Film School Reject's self-professed "Star Trek virgin" Cole Abaius praises the film's stars. "As far as performances go, Chris Pine is outstanding. ... Zachary Quinto is brilliant — creating an emotionless man without being robotic. ... Bruce Greenwood, Eric Bana and Karl Urban are all explosive and command the screen when they're on. ... Simon Pegg as Scotty provides a very strong comic presence that goes beyond the easy jokes."

Overall, though, the postive reaction outweighs the bad. On Aint It Cool News, Harry Knowles has dedicated about 40,000 words to the screening, reporting that it concluded with a standing ovation that lasted five to six minutes. "After the film, the audience was a collective smile, some crying they were so happy."

• Star Trek opens worldwide on 8 May Official web site: www.startrekmovie.com

• Paramount Pictures has given MTV the first clip from the new film, which features Chris Pine as James T Kirk hitting on Uhura (Zoe Saldane) in a local bar. Yahoo has a second video clip titled “Disease and Danger” which features the introduction of Karl Urban as Dr. Leonard 'Bones' McCoy, who is just a little nervous about flying.

Review Round Ups...

• Entertainment Weekly: What People are Saying abot Star Trek
• Slashfilm:Early Buzz - The First Review of JJ Abrams' Star Trek

Review Links...
Warning - some reviews contain Spoilers.

• Harry Knowles at Aint It Cool News
• Quint from AICN: "Star Trek isn’t just a successful reboot, but a genuinely fun and exciting science fiction action adventure. My biggest complaint is that it feels like they just got started up when the film ended. I want more!"
• C.H.U.D. reader Greg Clark: "Well, it doesn’t suck. Anyone who says it’s better than Wrath of Khan is talking out of their hyperbolic ass though."
• Cinema Blend: "The runtime flies by with very few lulls in the pacing, reinvigorating characters and a universe that had, let's be honest, grown stale and tired."
• Empire: Ultimately, any boldness one can attach to the going here really belongs to the rescue of the Trek franchise from cultural irrelevance. This is a not insignificant achievement. As Abrams has noted himself, making 45 year-old tricorders desirable for the iPhone generation is a hell of a tough gig. Doing this while simultaneously pandering to the doctorates in Klingon is a task of Herculean, nay Sisyphean, proportions... But Abrams and his crew pull it off."
• Alex Billington at First Showing, who was at the Australian Premiere : "This 11th film is easily the best looking, most expensive, best produced iteration in the franchise. This film is going to be absolutely massive... After a night like this, it will truly be hard to see another movie taking the mantle from Star Trek this summer."
• Neil Miller at Film School Rejects: "Some of the smartest work [Orci and Kurtzman have] done."
• Nick Broughall on Gizmodo: "I have never been a Star Trek fan... But after last night's world premiere at the Sydney Opera House, I'm a changed man. If J.J. Abrams mission was to bring new fans into the Star Trek family, he has succeeded."
• Rodney Perkins at Twitich: "Abrams' film is a very entertaining and reverential take on the Star Trek mythos."