MEOW!
In
a couple of respects, Star Trek has been a semi-legitimate part of my
adolescence. In eighth grade, I performed in a production titled Sahara
Nights at Vernon Center Middle School (VCMS); I was given the role of
Captain Kork of the Seaship Enterprise. I asked Mrs. Helpryn, "Who is he
supposed to be?" And then she said "Oh well, it's sort of like Star
Trek." I had absolutely no idea what that was, but I just replied with
"Oh...sweet!" During rehearsals, I was curious as to why my good
friend Corrine, who portrayed a satirical version of Dr. Leonard
"Bones" McCoy (something I wasn't aware of at the time), kept on
saying lines such as "Dang it, Jim! I'm a lover, not a fighter!" I
was also curious as to what a *captain's log* and *stardate* was. No mater. Overall,
it was a solid theatrical experience, with a few minor technical glitches (The
two scooters that made up the *magic carpet* was collapsing right in front of
the eighth grade class. Hehe. Solid times. Sol. Id. Times.).
One
year later, I was introduced to J.J. Abrams' interpretation of Star Trek
(2009). Two words: Awe. Some; it ended up being the second best film I saw that
year (with The Absolutely WONDERFUL Princess and the Frog being the winner.).
Not only was it brilliantly re-imagined by J.J. Abrams, but it had an
infectious and intelligent script with excellent performances that perfectly
matched the characters of the Starship Enterprise (Zachary Quinto's Spock, in
particular, was highly logical). I loved it then, and I still have a great time
with it today, lens flares and all. So that puts a ton of pressure on Star Trek
Into Darkness, the sequel to the 2009 delight, and what do I think of that?
Let
me put it this way: you know a film is unbelievably good when it plays in your
dreams the night after you see it. A few flaws aside, Star Trek Into Darkness
is easily the best film of the summer so far, the most satisfying film of the
year so far, and quite possibly the best film of the year so far. So far, so
good. Wonderfully envisioned by J.J. Abrams, the film once again features
outstanding cast members that give it all they got, a brilliant musical score
by Michael Giacchino that is easily reminiscent of the scores by maestro John
Williams, a few jaw-dropping action sequences that will make your jaw
drop as if you were ten-years old again, and a very well-crafted twist on a
sacred cult classic (Unlike the disappointing Iron Man 3, I dare not give away
spoilers surrounding this film. I'll also add as a word of caution: If you ever
go onto the IMDb page for this film, DO NOT LOOK AT THE CAST LIST! Moving on.).
The
plot? The crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise, led by Captain James T. Kirk (the
terrific Chris Pine) and First Officer Spock (the AWE. SOME Zachary Quinto),
are granted permission to track down terrorist John Harrison (the terrifyingly
incredible Bennedict Cumberbatch), who was responsible for the murder of
innocent people including Admiral Pike (Bruce Greewnood). From then on, it's
spoiler season, although I must admit that it gets a little too complicated at
times. This film demands you to be more alert about its storytelling more than
most of the blockbusters produced over any given summer. Granted, it succeeds
for the most part, and those who see it over and over again will be rewarded
with more subtle information. But there are aspects such as John Harrison's
backstory that are more ambitious than it needs to be; it suffers from too much
telling and absolutely no showing. There should be an even amount of both,
which would unleash an exciting amount of imagination from J.J. Abrams. So in
regards to that, it's unfortunately a missed opportunity.
Several
components compensate, however; all of the members of the Starship Enterprise
return to reprise their roles respectively. Chris Pine's Kirk is even better
than what he was in the last film, and gets a few powerful moments to finally
show what he's made of. Simon Pegg once again makes a 100% pitch-perfect Scotty, and also
gets a couple of moments that can generate thunderous applause (He also reminds
me of a friend that I made at the East Hartford Summer Youth Festival. Take a
wild guess what his name is.). While I do believe that a few characters deserved another moment in the sun as well, it's always a pleasure to see John Cho (Sulu), Zoe Saldana (Uhura), Karl Urban (Bones!), and Anton Yelchin (Chekov!) reprise their own roles once more with the amount of screentime that they have.
But the two stand-outs are Bennedict Cumberbatch as John Harrison and Zachary Quinto as Spock. Cumberbatch first. Even if the script requires him to memorize an overly ambitious monologue, his performance is as spine-tingling as some of the best movie villains to ever grace the silver screen. There's a moment when he's behind a slick glass cell while corrupting Kirk's mnd, and -shutters-, can he give one the creeps ("I can give you seventy-two, and they are onboard your ship, captain. They have been...all along." -shutters again-)! And whenever he's kicking Klingon butt or anyone else's, there's no doubt that it's all the more satisfying when feeling it in the comfort of a movie theater.
And then there's Quinto. His portrayl of Spock is one of the best character studies in any film franchise that I've ever seen. Because this re-boot is set in an alternate reality, we are able to discover Spock challenging his ability to control his own emotional state. We only have Nero (Eric Bana--from the last Star Trek film) to thank for all this madness; if he hadn't sucked the life out of Spock's home planet, along with taking the life of his beloved mother (Winona Ryder) in the process, we wouldn't have an intriguing character to sympathize with. And when he becomes involved in an oh-so satisfying climax, we commence to root for him as if he was a Saturday Morning Television hero. Even though I've only seen him in these two Star Trek films, Zachary Quinto is slowly becoming one of my favorite actors of all-time.
But the two stand-outs are Bennedict Cumberbatch as John Harrison and Zachary Quinto as Spock. Cumberbatch first. Even if the script requires him to memorize an overly ambitious monologue, his performance is as spine-tingling as some of the best movie villains to ever grace the silver screen. There's a moment when he's behind a slick glass cell while corrupting Kirk's mnd, and -shutters-, can he give one the creeps ("I can give you seventy-two, and they are onboard your ship, captain. They have been...all along." -shutters again-)! And whenever he's kicking Klingon butt or anyone else's, there's no doubt that it's all the more satisfying when feeling it in the comfort of a movie theater.
And then there's Quinto. His portrayl of Spock is one of the best character studies in any film franchise that I've ever seen. Because this re-boot is set in an alternate reality, we are able to discover Spock challenging his ability to control his own emotional state. We only have Nero (Eric Bana--from the last Star Trek film) to thank for all this madness; if he hadn't sucked the life out of Spock's home planet, along with taking the life of his beloved mother (Winona Ryder) in the process, we wouldn't have an intriguing character to sympathize with. And when he becomes involved in an oh-so satisfying climax, we commence to root for him as if he was a Saturday Morning Television hero. Even though I've only seen him in these two Star Trek films, Zachary Quinto is slowly becoming one of my favorite actors of all-time.
Michael
Giacchino's score also makes an enormous impact on the franchise as much as
John Williams did while creating the compositions for the Star Wars films (HE'S
COMING BACK FOR EPISODE VII!!!!). The minute you hear his theme when the STAR
TREK INTO DARKNESS logo appears, you know that you are in for an excellent
experience at the movies. But that doesn't stop there. Giacchino's compositions
during an action sequence elevates the much needed tension, such as when the
Enterprise is falling towards Earth's ground from the far reaches of space.
It's awesome, jelly man. He also creates an emotional response during the
quieter moments, such as a dialogue-free scene involving a father from
Starfleet attempting to find a solution for his daughter to live, which
naturally leads into a crescendo-ized introduction for John Harrison. The best
part about his score is during the end credits, where you can just sit in the
theater, close your eyes and surrender to those turbo-tastic notes (Sadly, I had to leave early before the entirety of the credits ended. Must...get...money...for...IMAX 3D).). This is one
score that should not go unnoticed come Oscar time.
Much
like Christopher Nolan, J.J. Abrams made a decision to shoot Star Trek Into
Darkness entirely on film, and even though I observed the picture through the
power of digital projection, it looked absolutely spectacular. The opening
sequence contains a bold use of colors, such as a mixture of red and orange for the design of the planet's environment, yellow and white for the design of
the natives, a blue-ish turquoise for the design of the ocean surrounding the
natives' environment, and a brooding mixture of black and orange for the
erupting volcano Spock attempts to cease. There's also a visually striking
action sequence when John and Kirk fly through a field of debris in order to
reach the U.S.S. Vengeance; the result of that sequence will leave you with a
ridiculous grin. And I dare you not to get chills when the Enterprise begins to
travel at
WWWWWAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRPPPPPPPPPPSSSSSSSSSPPPPPPPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD!!!!!!!!!
(Side-note: One of my nitpicks of the 2009 film was that there wasn't an action
sequence involving two starships traveling at
WWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRPPPPPPPPPPPPSPPPPPPPPYeah, you know what I mean. In
this film, there is one; it made me feel giddy.).
A
couple of complications aside, Star Trek Into Darkness is an absolutely
wonderful entertainment with an outstanding cast and spectacular spectacle.
This is the best film of the year so far, and one that I plan on revisiting
sometime soon. Thank you for reading my review. Live long and bloody prosper.
Out
of five legitimate stars, I give Star Trek Into Darkness...
Until
next time,
MEOW!
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