Like you, I'm not a true Trek fan -- I saw a ton of episodes of the original in reruns growing up, but only one of the early movies -- so I don't have a good point of reference for the pairing or a strong sense of the original depiction of the characters except as icons.

I did end up completely sold on Pine as Kirk by the end; I thought Quinto was good as Spock, but I'm less convinced that he owned the role in the way that Pine did. Then again, I'm not sure that would have been possible for any actor, with Nimoy in the movie.

It'll be interesting to see where they go from here with the characters and their relationship dynamic -- I can see Jenkins' point, which means that the new version of Spock can't have the same character arc or inner conflicts as the original. But what will he have instead, and will it be as compelling? Do they plan on further developing the Spock/Uhura relationship -- fleshing out the backstory and/or going forward? I guess only time -- and the fic! -- will tell. *g*