Friday, October 04, 2013

Review: Star Trek - Into Darkness

Directed by J.J. Abrams

Staring

Chris Pine as Captain James T. Kirk   
Zachary Quinto as Commander Spock
Zoe Saldana as Lieutenant Nyota Uhura
Karl Urban as Lieutenant Commander Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy
Simon Pegg as Lieutenant Commander Montgomery "Scotty" Scott
John Cho as Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu
Anton Yelchin as Ensign Pavel Chekov
Benedict Cumberbatch as Khan
Bruce Greenwood as Admiral Christopher Pike
Peter Weller as Fleet Admiral Alexander Marcus    
Alice Eve as Lieutenant Dr. Carol Marcus
Leonard Nimoy as Spock Prime

and cameo by  Christopher Doohan (son of James Doohan) as Transport officer   

So it comes to pass that someone had the bright idea to make a Star Trek movie for Star Trek fans. Ok, I know, they almost all were in some fashion or another and to be honest this outing takes from a lot of the previous films but throughout it all is the feeling that you have been here before in some alter ego, and it is all strangely familiar as well as bright and shiny new (even with Abrams incessant lens flares). 

There is often the feeling that any moment now, the plot will drop into a classic StarTrek series with all the associated nods and winks.  But that is what makes it so entertaining.  Can I say right now though that I never for one instance bought into Benedict Cumberbatch as Khan ?  Nope, nope nope no nope never.   If you are going to do Kahn, look at how Ricardo did him, BOTH TIMES!!!   The man oozed barely controlled rage and exuded extreme confidence.  Did Cumberbatch come within a row of a** holes? Be honest....Kahn is not played sophisticated but with distane ......  ok, only bitch, really!  This is truly a film for fans, the nods and winks, the double backs, the switches and the one really big switch that I thought was really balls out. (nope, no spoiler)  

So if you have seen all of TOST and even though you hated some, seen all the  movies, if you have not seen this one yet....find a blu-ray and enjoy  ADD this one to your Star Trek collection of movies or hope that someone takes the hint and adds it to your Christmas list.  

Now I saw the movie at a small group viewing so I can not speak to the extras but the movie is a 9.5 and only to bitch about the incessant flares.  It is worth it, rent it, buy it....whatever, it is that good a Star Trek venue....

4 comments:

btonym said...

Great movie... Except for the damn light flashes. (There's a place in the darkness for that flashlight.) Granted, Cumberbatch is not THE Khan that I knew. This is an alternate timeline so what the hell - let's boldly go.

Beam Me Up said...

I know it is supposed to be an alternate, but Abrams picks and chooses pretty damn selectively. Bones and Spock are damn close to the originals. I know that is nit picking but damn it, Kahn was the maker and breaker of worlds, a possible psychopath plus the others that I listed in my review. I Abrams wanted to make his audience believe that this was Khan Noonien Singh he failed in a fairly spectacular fashion. Am I going to pan the movie because of this? No way, it was a great star trek movie, possibly one of the best. Thanks for the comment

btonym said...

Can't wait for the next one. Spock, McCoy and Scotty are petty much right on target. What's next... ?

Beam Me Up said...

Well if he is going to keep to his own history now it will have to narrow his choices...at one point I would have thought that he would have taken a shot at menagerie but I don't see any way of shoe-horning Pike back into the mix. I admit there are a few of the star trek shows that he never goes for. Since Spock done the deed instead of Kirk I cant see where he would go in that either. I am getting used to the new Enterprise and crew so I hope he doesn't jump so far away from the central history that even "Spock Prime" can't even save them.....