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Thursday, September 12, 2013

Star Trek Into Darkness Review.

Thoughts: J.J. Abrams' fun 2009 reboot of the Star Trek franchise made the franchise relevant for the modern era, and four years later we finally have the long awaited Star Trek Into Darkness, but was it worth the wait?

After hearing of the mixed to positive reviews, my expectations for Into Darkness where mixed, I did not know what to expect from the movie. Upon watching it, I have to say that it did not disappoint in the slightest. While some of the die-heart Trekkies that are still mad about Abrams' reboot will have nothing new to enjoy, more open-minded fans of the franchise and fans of the reboot will have plenty to love, because Into Darkness was a blast! Although I did quite enjoy Abrams first Star Trek film, it lacked a strong villain that it so sorely needed, but Into Darkness completely kills it in that respect. Benedict Cumberbatch is far and above the best part of the entire movie; he absolutely killed it in his mysterious role as the film's villain and because the character's identity is a mysterious, I shall refer to the character as Cumberbatch. Despite this, Cumberbatch should have had much more screen-time because his character needed it. Cumberbatch played a rather compelling villain and throughout most of the movie I was actually more on Cumberbatch's side than Kirk and Spock's because he had justification for his actions. Thus far in 2013, Cumberbatch is the best villain of the year, although he will likely be bested by Hiddleston in the upcoming Thor: the Dark World by Loki/Tom Hiddleston.

Even though I was unfortunately spoiled as to the true identity of Cumberbatch's character, I already had my suspicions, so that did not detract from my enjoyment of the film. Star Trek Into Darkness is a film that deserves a full spoiler discussion, however this review will be spoiler free and, if the readers are interested, I will write a full spoiler discussion on the film in the future.

Being a fan of the franchise, Into Darkness featured many references that only those that have seen some of the old movies/TV show can appreciate, or, in the case of some Trek purists, despise. If you are one of those fans that dislike the movie because of the attempts to mimic the original, that is understandable.

Something of major importance to mention is that J.J. Abrams is directing Star Wars Ep. 7, which everyone already knows. Because of this, I was hoping to see if Abrams has the directing chops to pull off Star Wars and I have to say that Into Darkness' direction was rather impressive. Except for a few too many dang lens flares, Abrams did a great job.

One a side note, why is there no colon between "Trek" and "Into" in the title? I looked it up, the official name has no colon, so that makes the movie's title look weird.

Directed by: J. J. Abrams

Genre: Sci-Fi, Action, Action Adventure,

Release Date: May 17, 2013

Running Time: 133 minutes

MMPA rating: PG-13

The Good: Benedict Cumberbatch completely steals the show, Relentless pacing, Impressive action sequences, Superb directing by Abrams, Compelling villain, Tribble!, Several homages to classic Star Trek moments, Hilarious sense of humor, Brings back previously fantastic cast.

The Bad: Occasionally predictable, Minor plot holes,

Plot: The following plot summary is copied from Wikipedia.com.

In the year 2259, the Federation starship USS Enterprise has been sent to the planet Nibiru to study the development of primitive cultures. Captain James T. Kirk and Spock attempt to save the planet's inhabitants from a volcanic eruption. When Spock's life is endangered, Kirk violates the Prime Directive to rescue him, exposing the Enterprise to the planet's civilization. Kirk accuses Spock of showing little morality when they argue over the decision.

Summoned to Earth, Kirk loses command of the Enterprise as a result of his decision and Admiral Christopher Pike is reinstated as its commanding officer. When a secret Section 31 installation in London is bombed, Pike, Kirk, and Spock meet with Starfleet commanders to discuss the hunt for the culprit, Starfleet agent John Harrison, but Harrison attacks the meeting in a jumpship. Kirk destroys it, but Pike is killed and Harrison escapes by transporting to Kronos, the Klingon homeworld.

Watch the movie to see what happens next.

Plot: 8.1/10- As compelling of a villain Cumberbatch was, Into Darkness did have a great deal about Spock and Kirk's relationship. While that part was handled well, it is somewhat of a backtrack to what happened in the previous Trek movie with Spock and Kirk bickering. There where a few other minor aspects that where retreads of the previous Star Trek film as well. As for the main plot as a whole, it was quite good and well paced, even though some may not like the lightening pacing as much. Towards the end, there where a few minor plot holes and predictable parts that kind of detract from the movie. Other than those grievances, the rest of the plot is great and filled with fun and snappy dialogue, even if it is not as "deep" as some fans would like.

Action: 9.2/10- Abrams has really stepped up his action direction skills with Into Darkness. Most of the action sequences where riveting and well directed. There were only a few shots that were poorly framed or darkly lit. Cumberbatch's character was a beast in the action scenes and he was the main reason why many of the action scenes where as awesome as they were. Never before has there been this quality of action in a Star Trek film.

Acting: 8.5/10- As stated before, Cumberbatch was freaking awesome in his role. He had a menacing screen presence and made the character very compelling, although this is no surprise since Cumberbatch is amazing as Sherlock Holmes. The entire cast of the Enterprise from the previous film is great, without a single miscasting. Chris Pine as Captain James T. Kirk is even better than he was in the previous Trek film, and Zachary Quinto as Spock is good, but not particularly great in his role. Alice Eve, aka "Thumbnail Chick," was neither bad nor good in her role. Although no one else was noticeably bad, aside from Cumberbatch, the acting is not particularly special.

Special effects: 9.2/10- Although some of the effects are obviously CGI, the movie still looks great! The effects and setting are much improved compared to the previous Star Trek film. Fortunately, Abrams used a surprising amount of practical special effects and fully built sets, opposed to going all green screen.

Soundtrack: 9.2/10- The rendition of the classic Star Trek theme is done perfectly by Michael Giacchino and a few other tracks are homages to other Star Trek tracks from the past.

Comedy: 9.3/10- Star Trek Into Darkness is an often hilarious movie filled with humorous banter and quick quips.

Would I Watch This Again: While I would not consider buying the movie on Blu-Ray/DVD, Into Darkness was a lot of fun and certainly worth watching again.

Overall: 8.5/10- Overall Star Trek Into Darkness is a blast to watch and a fun space-adventure romp, however Cumberbatch is the main reason to watch the film because both his performance and character are the main things that make the movie memorable.

Closing comments: Some hardcore Trekkies and those who are not fans of Abrams first Star Trek will find little to like in the film, everyone else should enjoy the fun ride.

Recommended for: Sci-Fi fans, Star Trek fans, Cumberbatch fans, Action fans,

Please check back tomorrow for my review of the Wolverine.

Click here to check out more of my movie reviews.



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31 comments:

  1. I'm glad to know someone else was on Cumberbatch's side! He was such a wonderful character, I wanted him to be good! I just watched this last night and absolutely loved it. The characters are superb, the story was excellent, and the acting was completely amazing. Right now I think I like Into Darkness more than Thor, but I think that'll change when the Dark World comes out.

    Please do a spoiler post! I'd love to know more of what you think about Into Darkness.

    Oh, and J. J. Abram's lens flares drive me insane. Other than that I think he's a great director:)

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    1. If only Cumberbatch was in the movie more! If Kirk did not stun him, maybe Cumberbatch would have not turned completely "evil." Although I did enjoy Into Darkness, it is still not on the same level with Thor for me at least.

      A spoiler post would be a lot of fun, thanks for vote on that topic.

      -James

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  2. I thought it was definitely a fun ride, but it was really just missing something for me. I thought that Cumberbatch should have had FAR more screen time and that the bromance between Kirk and Spock (which was addressed heavily in the first movie) should have been lessened. I also thought it ended with a bit of a wimper...

    Definitely a great movie, just not the "Dark Knight" that I was hoping for from the franchise.

    GREAT review, James!

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    1. That's a little funny, I felt something was missing from the first Trek. I completely agree about Cumberbatch need so much more screen time, and less of the bromance.

      Since you and several other people were a little disappointed by the movie, so my expectations where low, that I had the opposite reaction to the movie.

      Thanks Jordan!

      -James

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  3. I've watched this again hoping to like it more than I did the first time. It was a tad more enjoyable but the plot's just rather dumb, IMO.

    Cumberbatch is one of the positives, just a shame his character wasn't given something more original to work with, ditto with the movie as a whole.

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    1. Good point, the more I think about the movie the less I like the plot and notice the plot holes.

      He can always be in a sequel! Thanks Daniel.

      -James

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  4. I loved this movie. I'm a trekkie for sure, but since I haven't seen the original series, I think it makes me MUCH less critical. Though, my mom watched the original when it was airing on TV, and she also loved the movie :).

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    1. I'm glad that you enjoyed the movie also! My father, who is a Trekkie, enjoyed the movie a lot too. :)
      Have you seen the original movies like Wrath of Khan? Just curious.

      -James

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    2. No, I haven't. I really should though. I'm sure at some point I will.

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  5. As you know from my review I loved it as well. I also thought the political message was spot on for todays world. However I must say again, Chris Pine should not be saying " space the final frontier" Pay Shanter whatever he wants.

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    1. Glad we agree on the movie, and I agree about the political message as well. Although I am not sure if bringing back Shanter would actually make sense in terms of the universe's continuity, it would have been cool Shanter to end the film with an epic monologue. My biggest problem with the famous monologue is that he replaced "where no man" with "where no one," that seriously bothered me.

      -James

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  6. YAY You liked it! Cumberbatch was great, wasn't he? You didn't mention anything about Scotty, who I thought was just hilarious, but he is a small character. I would be interested in reading a spoiler post in the future!! :D

    ~Jamie

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    1. Yes, Cumberbatch was so awesome in the movie! :) Oh yeah, but there where so many characters it is hard to mention them all, but he has always been one of my favorite characters from the franchise. Thanks for the thoughts on a spoiler post!

      -James

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  7. "I called him 'Perfect Hair!'"

    Brilliant movie; I'm somewhat amused and in no way surprised to see that everyone else thought Cumberbatch stole the show. I was a Cumbercookie before I watched it, so I thought maybe I was biased...

    I've seen the original series, and Cumberbatch's identity hadn't been spoiled for me, so that whole aspect of the plot was a welcome and interesting twist for me. I'd love a spoilers-version!

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    1. Hahahaha! That quote is so funny!

      "Cumbercookie," I have not heard that one before, but I too was a fan of his work well before the his role in the movie. Maybe I was biased as well, but he was still so awesome in the movie.

      Thanks for voting about spoiler post, I should try and do that for sure.

      -James

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  8. Great review! I haven't seen the movie yet, but I'm definitely looking forward to seeing it at some point soon! :D Glad to hear you enjoyed it. And I can't wait to see Benedict in this movie- I've only seen him play Sherlock and the small role he had in Warhorse, so seeing more his amazing acting abilities is going to be great :D.

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    1. Sine you enjoyed the first Trek so much, I am such you like Into Darkness! :D I have only seen Benedict in those roles as well, but I am glad that he is starting to become mainstream. :)

      -James

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    2. I would recommend Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy w/Gary Oldman in the starring role. Cumberbatch had a small role but it was highly effective.

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    3. Oh yeah, I had forgotten about Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, that movie was interesting, albeit a little disappointing considering my high expectations. I really did not like his character in the movie either, but Oldman was brilliant.

      -James

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  9. The movie was better than the first, and the first was pretty good in my opinion, and it was one of the best movies of the summer for sure. It was a great movie-plenty of action, and humor. Great review! Looking forward to the Wolverine review, I haven't seen it and I'm looking forward to your review!

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    1. Agreed, I liked the first one, but Into Darkness was even better! So far, I would rank Into Darkness my fourth favorite movie of the summer, but I have yet to all of the movie that have been released in the summer.
      I hope you enjoy my Wolverine review tomorrow, the movie was amazing.

      -James

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  10. I know I'm the spoiler here, but because I have seen all Star Trek films I cannot give Into Darkness the enthusiasm everyone else has. The audience at the midnight screening I attended (only my second midnight screening) did not applaud at the end (and I've been at screenings where audiences applauded at the end of Ghost Rider!).

    I'm not a Trekker/Trekkie. I have no emotions wrapped up in this. I, for my part, cannot understand why ID is being touted as this epic...when frankly I've seen this film already. I don't agree w/Trekkers who voted ID the Worst Star Trek film (or even suggested it might not BE a Star Trek film), but ID made me feel cheated: as if they were asking me to think it was original when it wasn't.

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    1. I have seen all of the Star Trek films, except 5, and I noticed how similar it was to the other Trek films. To me, ID walked a fine line between homage between and unoriginality, but in the end I thought it succeeded as a homage in terms of those unoriginal parts. However, I can understand that you thought of it as unoriginal, since it kind of was.

      That is interesting about the applaud, but seriously, Ghost Rider received applause!? Both of the movies where terrible!

      ID is definitely not the worst for sure, that would have to be the first Trek film or 5, which I have not seen yet. As always, thanks for the thoughtful comment Rick.

      -James

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    2. I vouch for The Motion Picture as being the worst: as I wrote in my review, to call its pacing glacial would imply that it moved. Part 5 was pretty bad too. You can skip it (unless you like bad movies, your call). Hopefully when I get free time from school I can write my Star Trek Film Retrospective conclusions.

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    3. That movie was the worst, almost nothing actually happened in the Motion Picture. I might watch 5 just because I am a fan of the franchise, although I am in no rush to see I. A Star Trek retrospective sounds like a good idea, I actually have one in the works as well, and for the same reason, I have not finished it yet.

      -James

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  11. Great review, it was interesting hearing your thoughts! A 'spoiler discussion' sounds great!
    ~s

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    1. Thanks S! Hopefully I can get a full spoiler discussion up in the next few weeks.

      -James

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  12. Great review, I think I agree with you 100%, except one thing... I thought it was worth buying for multiple viewings, in fact I just bought it today! This is weird though, the description on the back of the case gives away a certain spoiler like it's nothing. I guess they figured it wasn't worth trying to keep it secret anymore...
    Oh, and I actually thought Quinto's Spock was better in this movie, he really surprised me this time. So 95%.
    Bones and Chekov are my favorites, so I wish all the characters had more equal screen-time... kinda what you'd think would happen if Joss Whedon had directed this. Still, this is a great movie. I died when Scotty was "running."

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    1. Unless I really loved the movie like the Avengers, Iron Man 3, or the Wolverine, I am the one that typically buys a film because it costs so much. That is weird, I suppose since you are buying the movie, it assumes that you have probably already seen it, but still that is odd.
      Bones and Chekov are great, especially in the newer movies, although they where some of my favorite characters in the old Star Trek movies as well.
      Whoa, the thought of Joss Whedon directing Star Trek is mind blowing. He would probably make the movies more awesome with a better balance of character screen-time. Oh yes, that scene was hilarious!

      -James

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  13. Nice review! I just watched Star Trek (2009) and am very excited to see this, especially for Cumberbatch. :D

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