Star Trek Into Darkness - Review

After Star Trek was rebooted in 2009 by director JJ Abrams, the franchise suddenly found a renewed interest with both fans and non-Trekkies alike. While the film was criticized by some for a substandard screenplay that favored flashy effects over depth, the film nonetheless was considered a pretty huge success. So, to no surprise, expectations for it's sequel, Star Trek Into Darkness, have been running high. Now the film is finally in theaters, and critical reaction has been quite positive for the most part. While I personally had some mixed feelings toward the 2009 reboot, I was overall pleased with the final result and was genuinely interested in seeing where the series would end up going. Now that I've finally seen the film, what are my thoughts? Honestly... despite a few good moments and scenes... Star Trek Into Darkness kind of sucks. I know that's going against the majority here, but the more I think about it, the more I think just how lazy, flat, and uninspired this movie turned out.

The film picks up sometime (a year maybe, not really disclosed) after the events of the previous flick. James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) is still Captain of the USS Enterprise. His loyal friends and crew return as well, including First Officer Spock (Zachary Quinto), Medical Officer Leonard "Bones" McCoy (Karl Urban), Communications Officer Lt. Uhura (Zoe Saldana), Lt. Sulu (John Cho), Ensign Chekov (Anton Yelchin), and Chief Engineer Montgomery "Scotty" Scott (Simon Pegg). Kirk leads the Enterprise with a cavalier attitude, which has lead to many near-disaster occasions and landed him in hot water with his Starfleet superiors. Fortunately for Kirk, his friend and mentor, Admiral Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood), reluctantly continues to bail him out trouble. That all changes however, when a rogue Starfleet officer named John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch) carries out a number of terrorist attacks against various Starfleet locations... one of which takes the life of Admiral Pike. Kirk, determined to take down Harrison, volunteers the Enterprise for the assignment. Starfleet Admiral Alexander Marcus (Peter Weller), approves the assignment, and sends Kirk and crew on their way. Shortly after the mission commences, Kirk begins to realize that not all is as it seems and that Harrison may have more than one trick up his sleeve.

First of all, I'm going to preface this review with a disclaimer... I will eventually have to spoil many parts of this flick. I generally try to avoid spoilers as much as I can, but this time I really don't have much of a choice, since so many of my thoughts and critiques center around un-revealed plot details and twists. Honestly, I think most Trekkies have long since figured out (or at least suspected) many of the "big surprises" (sarcasm) so it's probably not a big deal... but since they're technically spoilers, when I get around to revealing them, I will put up a spoiler warning.

So without spoiling anything... what works in this film? Once again, it's a strong technical achievement. The special effects are just as impressive, if not more impressive, than the effects in the 2009 film. They've lost some of their novelty since 2009, but I won't deny that they still look pretty great. There are some really impressive action scenes that keep the film moving at a good pace and continuously entertaining. You have your expected space battles, a few hand-to-hand combat scenes, a chase scene or two, and also a pretty creative sequence involving Kirk flying through space in a space-suit and jetpack-like device. The makeup effects are just as great as always and the cgi is utilized well. JJ Abrams fetish for barraging the audience with lens flares and shining lights can be a bit annoying, but you get used to it reasonably quickly. Once again I also have to commend composer Michael Giacchino for his work on a stellar musical score. There are a few repeat tracks, but the use of original music combined with shout-outs to classic Trek material is always fine in my book. Overall, it's a nice looking and typically exciting movie with some great action and impressive effects. That prevents the film from tanking completely, which counts for something.

Most of the actors from the previous film return, and for the most part, they're all pretty solid. Chris Pine is a bit better this time around as Kirk, giving way to a few bits of dramatic range while still approaching the role with the same intensity and charisma as last time. I won't say he's always perfect, and he still doesn't have that same memorable presence as Shatner, but he does his job. The standout for me once again was Simon Pegg, who brings both some drama but mainly comic relief to the role of Scotty and generally represents Kirk's voice of reason in the flick (a role usually reserved for Bones or Spock. Speaking of Bones, I once again really got a kick out of Karl Urban's portrayal of McCoy. It would be hard for anyone to replace DeForest Kelley but I think Urban's carried the torch. By the way, he does eventually get to say one of Bones' trademark, "I'm a doctor not a _____" lines, that's always nice. Zoe Saldana gets a little more to do this time around but still gets kind of lost in the shadows of the rest of the cast, who are better developed. That's too bad because she's a damn good actor who desperately needs a good role to show off her talent. Zachary Quinto also makes some huge strides, running off with a good portion of the movie as Spock, and is honestly probably one the best choices to replace Leonard Nimoy. On that note, Leonard Nimoy stops by for a brief cameo as Spock Prime... which is good for me. As for Benedict Cumberbatch as John Harrison... well, he's clearly a very talented actor and has a few standout scenes. Unfortunately, he's very much held back by some major issues with the script. In order to discuss them, this is where I have to go into spoiler territory. So yeah, skip the last paragraph if you want nothing spoiled...

MAJOR SPOILER TERRITORY HERE!!! SKIP TO THE LAST PARAGRAPH IF YOU WANT NOTHING SPOILED!!! DON'T SAY I DIDN'T WARN YOU!!!

Okay... so the big twist the studio was so closely guarding, avoiding, and flat out lying about is hands-down the most predictable, annoying, and obvious twist that EVERYONE, either a hardcore Trekkie or casual fan, saw coming... BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH IS KHAN!!! Yes, the worst-kept secret for the 2013 blockbuster film season is the most underwhelming plot twist in years. This annoys me for a couple different reasons. First of all, why bother keeping such a thing secret? This is Khan Noonien Singh we're talking about, Star Trek's most well-known, infamous, and arguably flat-out best villain in the entire franchise. Wouldn't announcing that Khan is going to be in your movie just generate hype and excitement??? That's fairly negligible though, there are bigger problems at stake. For starters, Khan never has a very well-defined character. At times he's simply a pawn for a corrupt Starfleet officer (I won't spoil it, but you'll probably figure it out as soon as he appears on screen), at times a misunderstood anti-hero, and at times a threatening villain. I guess this was supposed to keep you guessing, but honestly, his character beats are one predictable cliche after the other, so he just comes off more as a sloppily-written character than anything else. Worse yet, it really robs Cumberbatch the chance of a great performance, since he's clearly a talented actor, but because his character is so inconsistent, he gets cheated as well. Also... why is a white guy playing Khan? I know Ricardo Montalban wasn't Indian as the name implied, but having a brown skinned actor in a major role in the 1960s was a big deal. What's up with the whitewashing? Very unfortunate! The rest of the characters are let down here as well, since any of the notable character arcs or bits of development are just retreads of the last film. Everything from Kirk's daddy issues to Spock's dual personalities are just revisited as opposed to further explored.

I really wish lame plot twists and underdeveloped villains were the film's only problems, but unfortunately, there's so much more. Responding to the complains that the last film was more style over substance, Into Darkness tries to incorporate some themes and undertones to it's plot. This time, it tries to examine the nature of terrorism, and the role the government may or may not play in such an event. Sadly, it's themes come off as more underdeveloped and/or on the nose than anything, namely because it's characters are so underdeveloped and cliche. My biggest gripe with this movie though... the damn thing is just plain lazy and derivative. How so... THE FUCKING MOVIE RIPS OFF WRATH OF KHAN EVERY CHANCE IT GETS!!! It's annoying that the last three Star Trek films have felt the need to "borrow" certain elements here and there from Star Trek II, but this film is hands down the worst offender. Almost the whole third act (and parts of the first and second for that matter) are shamelessly ripped off straight from Wrath of Khan. It really becomes shameless when the films reenacts the Wrath of Khan's ending pretty much note-for-note (only with a little twist this time). Honestly, how fucking lazy are these writers to just outright steal material? It's just embarrasing when you even consider that they can't even rip off material correctly, as they totally botch Wrath of Khan's emotional themes by attaching an ending with a stupid deus ex machina with a HUGE plot hole that raises way too many question. What a letdown!

SPOILERS END HERE!

So that's Star Trek Into Darkness... not awful but still pretty bad. It has the effects and action you would expect out of a summer blockbuster, but it's let down by a tedious, one-the-nose, and derivative script. Honestly, if you must see this one... I'd say wait for a rental.

My Score: 2.5 out of 5!

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan - Review

1979's Star Trek: The Motion Picture was seen as something of a disappointment. While not totally without merit, the film was criticized for it's tedious pacing, reliance on effects, and for doing away with most of the traits that made the TV series so endearing. While it made some money at the box office, it's numbers weren't what the studio had hoped, and as a result, they were reluctant about making a sequel. After series creator Gene Roddenberry was booted off the project (as he was generally blamed for the problems with the first film) and a significantly lower budget was provided, the sequel was green-lit and went into production. The movie, titled Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, while technically a canonical sequel to the 1979 film, generally ignored the previous film's events, and instead was more of a follow-up to Space Seed, a first season episode of the TV series. The film once again managed to recruit the series' primary cast members, but wasn't able to recruit the same prestigious behind-the-camera crew of the first, instead hiring the relatively unknown director Nicholas Meyer. Despite the cut budget, a lack of interest from the studio, a less prolific director, and the still bitter reception of the first film, the film was released to theaters in 1982... and Star Trek has never been better!

Taking place in the 23rd century, years after the USS Enterprise completed it's "five year mission," some of the ship's original crew have gone their separate ways. The Enterprise itself has become a Starfleet training ship, with Spock (Leonard Nimoy), the ship's former Commander, now serving as the Captain and primary instructor to his Commander-In-Training, Lt. Saavik (Kirstie Alley). The aging Admiral James T. Kirk, former Captain of the Enterprise, boards the ship one last time to oversee a routine training mission before he settles down from space missions. After reuniting with most of his original team, including Spock, McCoy (DeForest Kelley), and others, the mission becomes anything but routine when Kirk faces off against a former enemy. Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalban), a genetically altered "superman" once defeated by Kirk, returns seeking vengeance and universal domination. With time as a factor, Kirk and crew must hurry to defeat one of Starfleet's deadliest enemies.

Many fans (and non-fans for that matter) generally consider Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan to be the best entry in the Star Trek movie series... and honestly, I'm right there with them. Not only is Wrath of Khan the best Trek movie, but it's arguably the best "thing" in the whole Star Trek franchise... dare I even say, even one of the best Sci-Fi movies ever made! I know that might seem like a bit generous, but every time I watch this movie, my admiration for it continues to grow. The plot is solid, the themes are interesting, the characters are well developed, the villain is unforgettable, the pacing is near-perfect, and the action is memorable. It took all of the best elements from the TV series while taking advantage of it's expanded movie run-time and budget to further explore some interesting themes and dynamics. After the mixed reception of it's predecessor, some thought that the Star Trek franchise was dead, but this film proved that it still had plenty of life left in it and rejuvenated the series... and after watching the movie, it's easy to why.

When all is said and done, Wrath of Khan mainly succeeds on the strength of it's story. Most of the film is centered around Admiral Kirk, as he deals with age, regret, and overcoming his past. Despite the fact that this movie is 30 years old, I still won't spoil anything, but I will say that the way his past life is explored is legitimately moving and interesting. The past rivalry between Kirk and Khan fits in perfectly with such themes, adds a great hero/villain dynamic, and never comes off as overly dramatic or schmaltzy. The filmmakers took some real chances here too, adding some legitimately moving dramatic moments that sometimes moves people to tears... again won't spoil anything, but I really have to get them credit for trying something so risky. There are also some great interactions between Kirk, Spock, and Bones (something that was often neglected in the first film) that gives the film some much needed levity and explanation. As mentioned, the Hero Vs Villain face-off scenes are near perfect, with Kirk and Khan having some suspenseful and nail-biting interactions. Oddly enough, neither Kirk or Khan are ever in the same room with one another, instead limiting most of their communication with each other via communicator or screen. It would have been cool to see them face-off in person, but whatever, what works just works!

The effects this time around are notably of a lesser quality compared to the grandiose visuals from it's predecessor, but they still work. Honestly though, the lavish visuals from the first probably did more harm than good, and if that film was evidence that visuals don't make up for a lacking story, this film is solid proof that the opposite is true. A visually dynamic but narratively empty film can only get you so far, but if a film has a solid script, characters, and pacing, some sketchy visuals are easy to look past. Still, that's not to say that movie looks bad, in fact I think it has a pretty good visual aesthetic. The production design, namely the look of the ship interiors, is memorable and detailed. The models used to render the ships still do their job as well. Ultimately, the filmmakers just knew how to put their lower budget to good use. The effects certainly don't have the first film's "epic" feel per se, but they're shot from well-chosen angles, the editing is swift and fluent, and none of the effects are overblown or overused. The first space battle between the Enterprise and the Reliant is an awesomely suspenseful and exciting bit of action and one of my favorite scenes in all Sci-Fi movies. It's one of the more action packed films in the Trek series, and hits pretty much all the requisite action beats it needs to. The film also featured one of the first instances of CGI (Computer Generated Imagery) that, while more than a bit dated, is still pretty cool to look at. Compared to today's cg-laden blockbusters and effects driven monstrosities, it's unlikely that these effects will blow anyone away, but like I said, that doesn't really matter. The effects work when they need to, and even when they don't, you can always fall back on the film's important strengths (of which there are plenty).

The only weakness the film truly has is the quality of some of the acting. Once again, the producers managed to recruit many of the series' original actors, and they are all of different calibers. Many of the returning actors are so set in the respective roles that they're able to reprise them with ease. William Shatner (mostly) once again reigns in some of his typical scenery-chewing tendencies and gives a relatively restrained performance. He's not always perfect but he shows strong emotional range during some of the movie's more dramatic scenes. Leonard Nimoy and DeForest Kelley are solid once again as their renown characters, no complaints there. In a surprise casting choice, Kirstie Alley plays the Vulcan, Lt. Saavik. It's odd to see a comedic performer like herself in a Star Trek movie, but she does the whole emotionless Vulcan schtick fairly well, no real complaints. With all that said, there is one stand-out performer, and that is Ricardo Montalban, who absolutely owns every single scene as Khan. His intense and brooding performance just sells every ounce of hatred and rage lying within the character, and contributes a great deal of the film's most memorable moments. His role has become so iconic, that he's not only often considered the series' greatest villain, but one of Sci-Fi's greatest villains period. The rest of the cast is hit and miss, but even when the acting isn't totally up to par, there was never a point I was totally taken out of the movie.

So Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan... it kicks ass! Even with a few dated effects and a handful of flawed performances, the film scores huge thanks to a strong story, great character development, memorable action, and an iconic villain. There are tons of fans and audiences that will forever consider this the best film in the Star Trek series, and while it's always possible one might come along and take it's place, the film has got it's work cut out for it. If you haven't seen this one, do so!

My Score: 4.5 out of 5!