The first trailer I saw looked interesting and when I decided to go to the theatre to watch it and then make a judgment call, I ended up having to admit that I liked something Star Trek related. Since then, I've defended the J. J. Abrams film as a prime example of not only good filmmaking but also a prime example of how to pull off doing a reboot the right way.
Thus, when they announced a sequel, I knew immediately that I would not only go to see it but that I would be amongst the crowd on opening night. Sadly, there was no crowd for my midnight showing tonight, which I'm speculating is due to the fact that most midnight shows are on a Thursday and this was a Wednesday, but I digress. We're not reviewing the inadequate popcorn or the overpriced ticket, we're reviewing STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS.
BRIEF SYNOPSIS: The plot revolves around a manhunt for John Harrison, aka Khan Noonien Singh, who has murdered tons of Starfleet Academy officers.
MY THOUGHTS: Honestly, there isn't much that I can nitpick and speak negatively about in regards to this film. The visual effects are fantastic and the lens flares have been toned down. The action is captivating and exciting. The characters stay true to themselves and never seem to do anything that they wouldn't do just for the sake of the plot. Khan is an engaging villain (that you almost kind of root for, at least more than Admiral Marcus). The weakest part of the film would have to be the inclusion of Carol Marcus, though even that is a bit of a stretch to call it a weak point, as there's potential to develop a romance between her and Kirk in the third film of the trilogy.
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| Plus, c'mon, you know most guys watching this movie were ok with this scene |
As expected, the film focuses heavily on Kirk and Spock - which it should - but it doesn't leave the rest of the core cast out in the cold. With the exception of Chekov to an extent, everyone has something important to do. McCoy feels like a true senior medical officer. Uhura gets her hands a bit dirty but we aren't beaten over the head with her the way a lot of films feel the need to force-feed us the "women can fight too" concept. Sulu even tastes the command chair and looks like a badass in the process. Scotty is given the most time out of them all, which is funny considering the way his character was used in the previous installment as being extremely important after not showing up for the majority of the film.
Then there's Khan, who admittedly starts off kind of ridiculous as the first several times they show him, it's done so by zooming in to a closeup of his face with music that just felt awkward.
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| The first 20 minutes of character development = "must zoom in more!" |
The plot is interesting, the characters are believable in this universe, the acting serves the film well, the dialogue isn't shaky, so on and so forth. There's really nothing to shed light upon and start belittling. I just thoroughly enjoyed this film and the things that they've done to set up a third film make me very confident that the next one will be just as good if not better than the two that preceded it.
REVIEWPOINT = HIT
This is a very, very good movie. Do not mistake that by me saying it should win Best Picture or anything of the sort, as it shouldn't. However, as a sequel to a good sci-fi action film, this matches if not surpasses the previous one in some regards and does not disappoint at all. If you were a fan of the first one, definitely go see it.
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