I was delighted with how the actors grew into these famous roles, yet added their own imprint.
I was impressed with Zachary Quinto. I knew he would be the perfect actor to portray Spock.
By the end of the movie, I liked the new Capt. Kirk and Dr. McCoy and very much liked the new Chekhov (sp?), who did a great job of mangling English.
The villain borrows a bit of dark style and feel from the shadows of Babylon 5 and that is cool. It fits well.
I finally came to accept the alternate reality explanation, although I am secretly hoping they all go back in time and pull off a great rescue of Vulcan.
The visual effects were often first rate. I liked the new "beam me up" visuals.