Trey 4/5
Though the story isn't as complex or original as its predecessor, Star Trek Into Darkness offers an extremely satisfying sequel that's character moments and dialogue outweigh the at times uneven action sequences.
Suzanne: 4 out of 5
I'm just going to be honest, the first one was better. But I'm not reviewing that one so lets get down to business. I thought the story was really good, it was full of emotional ups and downs and the dialogue by the characters was true to Star Trek which was good. Overall I thought the movie was very enjoyable and I plan on adding it to my collection when it comes to Blu Ray/DVD.
Introduction
J.J Abrams is back with the second installment in his revamped Star Trek Series. In 2009, Star Trek made even the most skeptical and cautious none Trekkie's open their eyes and love the character and adventures of a crew that has been loved for years before by loyal fans. Though it had some backlash from the previous fans, nobody can deny the skills that J.J Abrams showed. This installment brings back the illustrious Enterprise Crew, Captain Kirk (Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto), Uhura (Zoe Saldana), Bones (Karl Urban) and many more return for this second installment. When a terrorist attack plotted by John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch) a member of Starfleet, Kirk and his crew are given the task of completing the mission of killing him. Will the ego's of the crew members get in the way of the mission? Or will Kirk and his crew realize that greatness is within them? Watch the movie and find out for yourself.
Visuals
Trey: The special effects in this film are rather tremendous, especially since practical effects are used in this movie at a minimum. However the lens flares and odd camera movements became very distracting in particular with the earlier action sequences. I am talking about the scene on the Klingon planet, which felt like a star wars drone gun fight. However the lens flares off the guns and the terrible quick cuts made this scene absolutely unwatchable. Even the beginning scene with the volcano was so vibrant and colorful it became hard to watch. I just think Abrams tried to best his predecessor on grandness when it wasn't necessary.
Suzanne: I thought that the visual effects for this movie were quite amazing. The U.S.S. Enterprise was stunning on the screen and I loved the effect every time they went into warp speed. I thought that the odd camera angles worked really well with the movie as well. It really drew my attention into the scene and what I was supposed to be focusing on which I thought worked really well. The only thing that really started to bother me was all of the lens flares throughout the film, I know that J.J. Abrams uses them in all of his movies but I'm not sure he should use so many.
Audio and Score
Trey: Nothing to say about this one, I honestly can't remember it at all. That says all I needed to say it fit at the time and never distracted me that is all that matters.
Suzanne: I thought the score worked beautifully with this movie. It didn't use songs that didn't work, like the Great Gatsby did, and I thought that was great. There's not really anything else to say other than that.
Acting
Trey: I have been rushing through the previous categories to get into one I wanted to talk about, the acting. I'd like to start with my three highlights Zachary Quinto, Simon Pegg and Benedict Cumberbatch. Spock is the man in this movie, every great scene for me revolves around his interaction with Kirk or his relationship with Uhura. I kid you not, he gave a speech in the middle of the film about him choosing not to feel emotion and my eyes got watery. He was unbelievable in this film besides one cringe worthy yell at the end. The movie is about how Kirk earns his spot as Captain but I left this movie saying, "bullshit, I want Spock as my captain." Spock has amazing fighting skills that are displayed in this last scene, a beautiful girlfriend and he is wiser and more cautious that Kirk. Ill take him any day over the reckless James Kirk. That is not to discourage Chris Pine who also did very well in his performance. As for the much needed comic relief Simon Pegg as Scotty absolutely KILLED IT! I was so pissed when he quick because I thought I was getting another film where I only get 20 minutes of the funniest man on screen. Luckily he came back and made my film experience that much more enjoyable. I am a firm believer that a film as only as good as its villain, and Benedict Cumberbatch was so commanding in his performance. Even for being severely underdeveloped he owned that role unlike anyone else could. My only problems were Alice Eve as that one chick who is the daughter of the admiral (That is how much I care), and Karl Urban. I like Karl Urban he is a good character actor but he voice and delivery of the lines annoyed me, maybe it's how it was in the old show but I don't know. Alice Even however was just terrible, her dainty voice and annoying and unnecessary I am his daughter twist tore me up. I almost applauded when Benedict Cumberbatch stepped on her leg like the bad ass he was.
Suzanne: The acting was just so great in this movie that it is going to be hard to get to everyone. I really enjoyed watching Zachary Quinto (Spock) and Chris Pine (Captain Kirk) every time they came on screen together. Their witty banter back and forth was amazing and it made the movie that much better. The best thing with Spock, though, is that he just doesn't understand human emotion or sarcasm and that makes his lines funny and unforgettable. And toward the end when he was fighting Benedict Cumberbatch he was a total bad ass, he kicked his ass and then some it was a great scene. Then we come to Captain Kirk, who as you know is played by Chris Pine. He did fantastic as the Captain in this movie, he was a very emotional character and I think that is what drew me to him. In two of the scenes he was so close to tears about something that it made me want to cry. Now for the bad guy Khan, or as we know him Benedict Cumberbatch. His character was a very interesting one because he was the bad guy but at the same time just trying to save his "family", aka his crew. I felt pity for him when I found that out but later realized he needed to be stopped big time. He did such a good job as a bad guy that it will be hard to see him the same as Sherlock. As for the rest of the crew three people stood out, Simon Pegg (Scotty), Karl Urban (Dr. McCoy) and Anton Yelchin (Chekov). All three of them were great characters and they really shined through in the movie.
Story and Writing
Trey: The character interaction was the best part of the film and that can be attributed to the great acting and fantastic dialogue. It was funny without ever becoming silly which was a big misstep in Iron Man 3 for me. The story however wasn't all that original and as my friend pointed out was, at times, the same as the Wrath Of Khan. The twists were effective but not all that surprising, and besides a tremendous chase sequences at the end, and a thrilling ship to ship transfer the action sequences were too much for me. They either became hard to watch or were never that interesting in the first place. Also let me talk about the Klingons which were one of my biggest gripes in the film. I know nothing about Star Trek, I have heard the Klingon name but know nothing about them. This film didn't try anything to explain what they were about. All I know is they are bad, and I guess are dangerous. The thing that made no sense is Uhura stated they respected honor, but from the looks of it they were going to stab her anyways. Where is the honor in that? Small gripes yes, but that is why it's not getting a 5 star rating because there was some small problems. Kirk's death though tragic was never given enough time to settle before bringing him back, almost instantly I said "he isn't going to die". Pike's death was fantastic because it was unexpected and it affected the film as it went on. The Star Trek Enterprise claims to go where no Star Trek has ever gone, and in this film it didn't feel that way. It was far more Star Wars, which excites me for J.J Abrams next directorial film.
Suzanne: I thought the story was pretty good overall for this movie. I have never seen any of the old Star Trek movies or TV shows so I don't have a lot to base my judgment on. I will agree with Trey that the introduction of the Klingon's was awful. I have heard of the Klingon's before but I didn't know anything about them and the movie didn't help with that. If you are going to bring in this rival character that is dangerous and could start a war against you, you better explain a little more about them. Other than the the story was fine for me. I thought that Kirk's death worked well and was an interesting twist to the movie that I didn't expect.
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