Going into the film I was more concerned with how the movie was going to live up to the knowledge that the director of this is going on to direct the new Star Wars movie. I know J J Abrams is an amazing director and have enjoyed most of his work, but I sometimes find it very flashy (no pun intended) and somehow lacking that Star Wars heart that the original three films had. It made me worried that his take on Star Wars could be more like the empty George Lucas Prequels than the originals which are so special. This might have been a bad pane to be looking at the new Trek through but I think it served me well. Most people would be watching the flick with their pre-conception of what Star Trek is and how does this movie fit into the ethos, whereas I was watching it very closely to see how well it was put together and what made it work, in the hope those same mechanisms will work for Star Wars VII. I am glad to say that it not only allowed me to enjoy this film immensely by not getting annoyed with any fanboy crap, but has also satisfied me that Abrams should be able to deliver a spectacular Star Wars in a couple of years. The heart and soul of Trek seems to be those characters on the bridge: Kirk, Spock, Uhura, Scotty, Bones, Sulu & Chekov. I see a direct correlation to the heart and soul of Star Wars being: Solo, Skywalker, Leia, Chewie, C3PO & R2D2 and am therefore very happy to say that Abrams absolutely nailed their chemistry. It was a joy watching that group of people interact in the midst of trouble and just plain fun seeing the banter and arc of each character and how much they count on one another. If Abrams is able to do the same with whoever is in Star Wars VII (little Solo, little Skywalker, mini Chewie, C3PO and R2d2 perhaps?) that movie is going to be awesome. Towards the end Abrams went pretty full on with heart string tugging and Spock and Kirk almost started to feel like gay icons but that to me was so tongue in cheek and in line with the somewhat silly sort of vibe much of the old Trek had that it just worked. The style of the film was so perfect and layered with the brilliant cast it moulded together to make a movie with a story line, characters and situations you actually cared about. The villain of the film is a secret and so I wont reveal it here, but apparently this movie has taken an old classic and twisted around the plot to make it into a fresh new idea. Thankfully I went to the cinema with a couple of friends who knew more about the old Trek than I did and filled me in. That to me made the movie even sweeter, and I hope those that know Trek found it a fun and interesting take on things. The other amazing thing about the new Trek is Kirk. I mean how hard a role is it to step into the shoes of William Shatner and play such an iconic character! But Chris Pine just gets it, owns it, and makes the character fresh. I love the way he presents the reckless, loving, womanising, charismatic Kirk and the movie would be nothing without him. It astounded me then when Benedict Cumberbatch blew onto the scene as the baddie only to put Kirk in his place and diminish his character so effortlessly and fluently. Every scene with Benedict was top notch. He is one amazing actor and I cant wait to see where this new found mega fame takes him. At this point I think he could play anything he wants to and I hope he picks wisely. All in all the film is the perfect popcorn (American) summer blockbuster. It has everything you want and also makes you care about the people and the plot at the same time. If Abrams is perfecting his movie making skill as he goes on, and it seems he is, then I really cannot wait to see his Star Wars. Until then I cannot wait to see this Trek again when it comes out on Blu-ray in a few months. SCORE: 8/10 IMDB Info for Star Trek Into Darkness
Star Trek Into Darkness
Going into the film I was more concerned with how the movie was going to live up to the knowledge that the director of this is going on to direct the new Star Wars movie. I know J J Abrams is an amazing director and have enjoyed most of his work, but I sometimes find it very flashy (no pun intended) and somehow lacking that Star Wars heart that the original three films had. It made me worried that his take on Star Wars could be more like the empty George Lucas Prequels than the originals which are so special. This might have been a bad pane to be looking at the new Trek through but I think it served me well. Most people would be watching the flick with their pre-conception of what Star Trek is and how does this movie fit into the ethos, whereas I was watching it very closely to see how well it was put together and what made it work, in the hope those same mechanisms will work for Star Wars VII. I am glad to say that it not only allowed me to enjoy this film immensely by not getting annoyed with any fanboy crap, but has also satisfied me that Abrams should be able to deliver a spectacular Star Wars in a couple of years. The heart and soul of Trek seems to be those characters on the bridge: Kirk, Spock, Uhura, Scotty, Bones, Sulu & Chekov. I see a direct correlation to the heart and soul of Star Wars being: Solo, Skywalker, Leia, Chewie, C3PO & R2D2 and am therefore very happy to say that Abrams absolutely nailed their chemistry. It was a joy watching that group of people interact in the midst of trouble and just plain fun seeing the banter and arc of each character and how much they count on one another. If Abrams is able to do the same with whoever is in Star Wars VII (little Solo, little Skywalker, mini Chewie, C3PO and R2d2 perhaps?) that movie is going to be awesome. Towards the end Abrams went pretty full on with heart string tugging and Spock and Kirk almost started to feel like gay icons but that to me was so tongue in cheek and in line with the somewhat silly sort of vibe much of the old Trek had that it just worked. The style of the film was so perfect and layered with the brilliant cast it moulded together to make a movie with a story line, characters and situations you actually cared about. The villain of the film is a secret and so I wont reveal it here, but apparently this movie has taken an old classic and twisted around the plot to make it into a fresh new idea. Thankfully I went to the cinema with a couple of friends who knew more about the old Trek than I did and filled me in. That to me made the movie even sweeter, and I hope those that know Trek found it a fun and interesting take on things. The other amazing thing about the new Trek is Kirk. I mean how hard a role is it to step into the shoes of William Shatner and play such an iconic character! But Chris Pine just gets it, owns it, and makes the character fresh. I love the way he presents the reckless, loving, womanising, charismatic Kirk and the movie would be nothing without him. It astounded me then when Benedict Cumberbatch blew onto the scene as the baddie only to put Kirk in his place and diminish his character so effortlessly and fluently. Every scene with Benedict was top notch. He is one amazing actor and I cant wait to see where this new found mega fame takes him. At this point I think he could play anything he wants to and I hope he picks wisely. All in all the film is the perfect popcorn (American) summer blockbuster. It has everything you want and also makes you care about the people and the plot at the same time. If Abrams is perfecting his movie making skill as he goes on, and it seems he is, then I really cannot wait to see his Star Wars. Until then I cannot wait to see this Trek again when it comes out on Blu-ray in a few months. SCORE: 8/10 IMDB Info for Star Trek Into Darkness
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Can't wait to see this bad boy!!
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