A peek under the 'Star Trek' hood

The scene was a packed showing of "Quantum of Solace" at the AMC 16 in Burbank, one of the heaviest trafficked venues in the nationwide multiplex chain. Pre-show ads and promos -- a bunch. Trailers -- quite a few, including "Gran Torino," "Seven Pounds," "Valkyrie," and the next "Fast and the Furious," featuring the reunion of Vin Diesel and Paul Walker. Car stunts! Eye candy! What's not to love?

But the only preview to get a noticeable rise out of the assembled action fans this past Sunday? J.J. Abrams' version of "Stark Trek." Amid hoots and hollers, the crowd met the young Enterprise crew -- Spock (Zachary Quinto from "Heroes"), Scotty, Kirk and the rest -- in the first widely-seen footage of the summer opener.

That reaction probably bodes well for the Paramount tentpole.

And today, THR details the studio's efforts to whip up and sustain that kind of enthusiasm for the flick, even though it's still six months from launch.

That has involved a roadshow to cities like Rome, Madrid, Paris, London and New York with the Emmy-winning filmmaker and key cast members showing a handful of scenes. Yesterday's L.A. presentation is described in detail here (minor spoilers included).

While it might be mostly an international play -- the "Trek" movies historically have underperformed outside the U.S. -- it's also a sharp business move to reintroduce the franchise to the media and the faithful and to spur some Interwebs chatter to try to snag the newbies.

THR's Borys Kit called the footage "emotional, thrilling, funny, visceral," though he saw the comedy as a little goofball. Might not matter when it's sandwiched between a lot of action.

Paramount bumped the action fantasy from this holiday to May and, as a result, have the luxury of a finished product. Hawking it this early, especially with hand-picked crowd-pleasing scenes, could be a smart decision. (The first TV ads ran this week, but there's no way the studio could keep up steady ad buying from now until May. Look for event-style marketing during marquee TV events.)

For us, we'll take most any chance to see Simon Pegg on the big screen (we were one of about 10 people who actually paid to see "Run, Fatboy, Run." Conclusion: Meh).

Hopes are much higher for "Star Trek."