Star Trek Into Darkness Review

Having been a Star Trek fan for many years I was so happy when J.J. Abrams was able to come along, and bring some new life to the series with the amazing 2009 Star Trek film. Since then I have been highly anticipating a sequel, and was ecstatic when it was officially announced, and was obviously really looking forward to it finally being released, and although I wasn't able to see it on opening day as I try with most films, I am glad I finally have.

Plot

SPOILER FREE

After Starfleet's own, Commander John Harrison attacks Starfleet from within, James T. Kirk, and his crew are tasked with capturing this one man weapon.

Review

This was a phenomenal film, and made the previous film look average, and it was far from that. Now following a blockbuster film isn't easy, and most of the time sequels fail due to too much hype, or just not meeting the level of it's predecessor. This film however didn't do that, and was easily better than that film, and probably the best Star Trek film so far. J.J. Abrams, who produced some magic with the first film once again showed why Star Trek still has potential, and why it can still be to the level of quality the franchise deserves to be. I also feel that although I'll always hold the original series, and the Next Generation with fond memories, this does appear to be the best time in Star Trek's history, as it doesn't just give long time Trek fans the ability to re-live this amazing franchise, but it also gives people who are either new to the series, or have disliked it in the past cause to like it now, as it truly is wonderful. The way that this film was not just exciting, and dramatic, but also energetic, suspenseful and emotional was another thing that made it so brilliant, as the entire film, from script, to direction was outstanding, and truly amazing.

The main cast members from the previous film returned for this film, as they were all perfect in their respective roles. Once again Chris Pine amazed as the daredevil Captain of the USS Enterprise, James T. Kirk, and his acting was just as good as it was in the last film, if not better. His character was also much more developed, learning new things, and overall maturing a lot throughout this film, which was nice. The rest of the cast also did an excellent job, doing as good, if not better than they're last performance, with Zachary Quinto showing the emotional changes in Spock perfectly, as well as Karl Urban once again doing a fabulous job as Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy, Zoe Saldana as Nyota Uhura, John Cho as Hikaru Sulu, and Anton Yelchin as Pavel Chekov, and Simon Pegg as Montgomery "Scotty" Scott, who was much funnier in this film than the last, and that's saying something. I also liked with Scotty how although at one point it looked like he'd be getting used less in this film than he was in last, that in fact it was the opposite, with him having a much more interesting, and important role. Besides these great cast members Leonard Nemoy briefly returned as the older Spock, and Bruce Greenwood returned as Rear Admiral Christopher Pike, both of which I was really happy about, as although they didn't play an overly big role in the last film, or this one, their appearances were still brilliant, and a nice addition.

Besides the returning cast members this film would also see the addition of some newer character's, with Alice Eve joining as Dr. Carol Marcus, as well as Peter Weller, as Starfleet Admiral Alexander Marcus, Carol's father. Now although the addition of Carol Marcus was a brilliant addition, especially with her dad also being in the film, it was however the addition of Peter Weller as Admiral Marcus that interested me the most. Although Weller hasn't done as many great films as you'd have hoped or expected, he was in one of my favourite sci-fi films, RoboCop as RoboCop himself, and this alone usually draws my interest to any of his appearances in films, especially films I'm already interested in like this. Weller didn't disappoint, as he played Marcus brilliantly, and I loved how he managed to play the cool, and calm leader, whilst also having his own secrets, which really made things interesting. Eve wasn't bad herself as Carol, and I really liked the fact that she was added to this film, especially considering the role her character would play in the original series, and I look forward to seeing her development in any future films.

USS Vengeance

Like with the previous Star Trek film, the CGI, and special effects were amazing, and really made the film even more phenomenal than it already was. Now the main thing that I love with anything to do with Star Trek is the USS Enterprise, as I've always loved the simplicity, yet beauty of it, and have also liked how it's never really changed over the years. In saying that, the USS Enterprise was overshadowed in this film by Admiral Alexander Marcus' ship, the USS Vengeance, which was simply a marvel to look at. Now to be fair there wasn't a huge lot of difference between the Enterprise, and the Vengeance, as they both have very similar designs, with the main difference being that the Vengeance is much bigger. I did however find it that much more sinister looking, and dark, which made it more awe-inspiring. At the same time this would also give more room for re-design, as it wouldn't be nice to Trek fans to mess about with the Enterprise, whereas this new ship is fair game. Besides the ships the rest of the effects were also outstanding, and I especially loved how they handled the alien races that were featured in this, as although a good majority of this will have been make-up, it was still amazing, as was the buildings, and in general everything.

The Science of Destruction

The villain in this film was a human, and Starfleet Commander named John Harrison, played by Benedict Cumberbatch. Now I was expecting a lot from Cumberbatch, as he's simply amazing in the BBC TV series, Sherlock, and the way he performs in that shows that he has the skills to be the perfect villain, and he proved that in this film. This wasn't however the best part about the Harrison character, as although I won't spoil anything, there is a twist to the character, and unlike the Mandarin twist that happened in the recent Iron Man 3 film, I loved this twist. As I said I won't go into detail, but I will say that any big fans of Star Trek should love the twist. Besides all this Cumberbatch amazed, as his sinister, methodical tone was perfect for this sort of character, and he really showed the calculating, and emotionlessness of this character perfectly.

The previous film showed Kirk, and Spock at each others throats, being bitter rivals. This isn't the case in this film, and the two appear to be get along perfectly, and although their friendship is slightly tested, they are the best of buddies. Now one of the things I've enjoyed most throughout the original Star Trek series, as well as the films is the interaction between Kirk, and Spock, especially when they don't disagree. At the same time I was happy that the development of their friendship didn't take up as much time as in the last film, as it would make it a bit dull, and repetitive, but was still happy to see it continued to the extent it was.

The Klingons Return

This film would also see the addition of some Klingons as when Kirk, and the Enterprise go after Harrison they have to sneak onto Kronos, where Harrison is sheltering himself. Although Klingons have been over used at times in the past, they are probably the most well known alien race in Star Trek, so it was only a matter of time before they made an appearance in Abrams films, and I was glad it happened in this film, as it was a nice surprise. There was however a small part of me that felt that there appearance could have been a bit longer, but it was probably for the best, as due to Harrison being the main villain you don't really want to waste your best group as side enemies, and it'd be best to keep them for another film. At the same time it was right to introduce them, and it makes any future appearances, whether as the main threat or not that much easier to set-up.

The action in this film, like it was in the last film was also amazing, and was both exciting, and dynamic. Although the film left a lot of room for story development, it also had much more action than the previous film, with the action itself also being much more epic. Now there was plenty of fighting in this film, with both Kirk, and Spock fighting Harrison at one point, or another, Kirk, Spock, and Uhura fighting Klingons, as well as other fights. Now my personally favourite had to be the Spock/Harrison fight, as although Harrison's fight's with Kirk were amazing, the one against Spock was much more emotional. The fight against the Klingons was also epic, as was all the fighting, and although there are other fights that I'd love to speak my mind on, they'd give away spoilers.

Final Verdict

If you thought the 2009 film was amazing, you haven't seen nothing yet. This is a truly phenomenal film, and one of the best I've seen this year, as well as being possibly the best Star Trek film of all time. The action, and emotion was balanced equally, and the overall plot was developed perfectly, creating a very dramatic, and suspenseful film, which after just seeing already has me looking forward to it's release on Blu-Ray. I'd highly recommend this film to anyone, whether you're a Star Trek fan or not, as it's a truly amazing film, and well worth the watch.

Rating: 5/5

Star Trek (2009) Review

I've been a Star Trek fan for many years, and although I grew up watching Star Wars (still preferring it), I have since became a Trekkie, loving most of the TV series (Next Generation, and Original series mainly), and films. I'm excited over the upcoming Trek film, Star Trek Into Darkness, and felt that it's only fitting that I re-watched, and reviewed this masterpiece.

Plot

SPOILER FREE

James T. Kirk, and Spock don't get along, but when the time travelling Romulan, Nero, who killed Kirk's father returns, attacking Vulcan, and kidnapping Captain Christopher Pike, they must work together to take down this threat.

Review

I have to admit, prior to seeing this film for the first time I was sceptical, as the previous Star Trek film, Star Trek: Nemesis wasn't great, and re-boots themselves are dodgy, as you get the odd good one, with ton's of bad ones. This one however was amazing, and probably one of the best Star Trek films ever, and although some of the classics like Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan are still among my favourites, this may actually be better than that. What I like most about this film, and the thing I keep telling my friend who hates this film, is that it's a parallel universe, which easily allows the story to go right back to the start, whilst also having freedom, and freshness. The other big thing that made this film so good was J.J. Abrams, who directed this fabulous film. To be honest Abrams' involvement to start with made me more sceptical, as although I loved some of his TV series like Alias, and Fringe, others like Lost I found unappealing (though I have since given Lost another chance and liked it... but not the ending). I did however have to eat my words as he made this film awesome, and I'm glad that he's directing the sequel, and hope that he can bring this magic to the Star Wars franchise.

Abrams and Crew of the USS Enterprise

The other thing that made this film so good was the cast, which was perfectly chosen. Again prior to seeing this film I was sceptical on some of the choices, either having not seen much of their work, or not seeing them fit into their respective roles, but after seeing the film I was blown away, and felt that some of these actors may have done a better job than the original actors. Chris Pine was just perfect as James T. Kirk, and though this was one of the actors that I hadn't seen much of their work prior, I felt he did a fabulous job. Spock was also in good hands, as Hero's star, Zachary Quinto did an fantastic job of the logical Vulcan, and although he wasn't as good as Leonard Nemoy was in the originals, he was still amazing in the role. To be honest the whole cast was perfect, as Karl Urban did a brilliant job of Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy, as did Zoe Saldana as Nyota Uhura, John Cho as Hikaru Sulu, and Anton Yelchin as Pavel Chekov. There was however one actor that stood out, and was only rivalled by Pine, and Quinto, and that was Simon Pegg as Montgomery "Scotty" Scott. Pegg just owned this role, and although I've loved him in such things as Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, Paul, and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, this had to be one of his best roles, as he really gave the perfect comic relief.

Before this film got right into the main part of the story it would show the origins of Kirk, and Spock. I found this brilliant, and although some could say that this may have slowed the story down a little, I personally felt that it gave the prefect perspective on these two character's, and what better time to go into their early life than a re-boot. Now although the younger Spock scenes were probably the more emotional, also showing his characteristics, as half human, and half Vulcan, I still found the younger Kirk scenes much more entertaining, especially just before he joined the Federation, as it had humour, as well as action, making something that was truly entertaining.

This Never Happened to Shatner

Although they disagreed at times, Kirk, and Spock were always friends in the original series, but that wasn't the case in this film. For most of the film the two character's have a strong disliking for one another, which started when Spock felt Kirk cheated at his Kobayashi Maru test (which he kind of did). Both character's have very different characteristics, so it's natural that they'd not get along, and I loved that, as it added animosity to the film, giving for drama, and entertainment whilst outside action, whilst also adding much more depth to the film, and it's story. I also found some of these scenes humours, and others genius, as it was the perfect thing to add in the re-boot, making for entertaining viewing.

The CGI, and special effects in this film was amazing, and truly epic, as all the digital editing looked amazing. Although sometimes I look into films to find out how much of it's actually CGI, and what's not, I haven't done so for this, but having seen many CGI films over the years I'd like to think that I had a good idea of what's CGI, and what's not (although I am caught out from time to time). Anyway most of this film seemed more like the classic special effects methods than CGI, as a lot of it appeared to be studio, or model work, and the only real obvious bits of CGI were the scenes in space, planets, and maybe even the space ships. Besides this the special effects were amazing, and I really loved seeing the USS Enterprise again, and was happy that there were no changes to it. I also really loved the bike that Kirk had with no spoke's, which really looked cool, and the Romulan ship, which looked nothing short of epic.

Live Long and Prosper

This film didn't feature one Spock, but two, as Leonard Nemoy would make an appearance as an older Spock from the future, credited as Spock Prime. The appearance of Nemoy was amazing, and having him in this film alone is a brilliant thing, but the way he was used him was just perfect. It also really helped with the story, as well as setting in the fact that this is a parallel universe, which was nice. The interaction between the Nemoy Spock, and the few character's he interacted with including, Kirk, and Scotty was also brilliant, and really made his appearance more interesting, and entertaining. Overall although there were many fans that were upset that William Shatner didn't appear in this film, I personally think that Leonard Nemoy was the better choice, especially given the way he was put into the story.

I Thought I Taw a Romulan

This film also had a brilliant villain in the form of upset time travelling Romulan, Nero. Now when I first watched this film it took me a while to recognise that Nero was played by Eric Bana, who played Hulk in the terrible Hulk film, and Hector in the phenomenal Troy film. Even the way he spoke threw me off, as he spoke very differently as to how he usual speaks, whether in or out of films. Anyway Bana did an amazing job, and he was a perfect villain, something that I wouldn't think of after seeing his performance in Hulk, and Troy (as well as other things , but he really pulled it off, and was really sinister. I also loved that like all great villains Nero had a motive, and that this drover him into doing what he's doing, as I always love it when the villain believes he's in the right.

The action in this film was amazing, and really dynamic, and entertaining. What I liked most about the action was that although this film didn't add action for the sake of action (although there was always going to be some), when there was action it was great, as the action scene where Kirk, and Sulu fight a couple of Romulans on a drilling platform near Vulcan was great, and really entertaining, whilst the fight near the end of the film, as well as the small fight between Kirk, and Spock was also brilliant. What probably made all these fights so good was that they were all very different, and unique, feeling very spontaneous, and fresh, whereas you get some films were the action scenes are very similar.

Just before I finish I though I'd add that the fact the end credits had the music from the original series, as well as the Spock played by Nemoy doing the, "Space, the Final Frontier," line was also a nice touch for fans.

Final Verdict

This was a truly epic film, and a great way for people who've never seen Star Trek before to become fans, as it's exciting, and entertaining, and although it's fairly different to the original series, that's a good thing, and it still feels like a Star Trek film, but in a more modern context. I'd highly recommend this film, as now's the perfect time to either watch this film for the first time, or re-watch it, as with the release of Into Darkness being not to far away it should lead you nicely into that film (although I'm sure you'll be able to watch that film without seeing this).

Rating: 5/5