STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS - Grading & Discussion [SPOILERS]

Discussion in 'Star Trek Movies: Kelvin Universe' started by Agent Richard07, Apr 18, 2013.

?

Grade the movie...

  1. A+

    18.8%
  2. A

    20.6%
  3. A-

    13.2%
  4. B+

    11.1%
  5. B

    7.9%
  6. B-

    4.1%
  7. C+

    5.7%
  8. C

    5.0%
  9. C-

    3.5%
  10. D+

    1.5%
  11. D

    1.6%
  12. D-

    1.3%
  13. F

    5.7%
  1. KirkusOveractus

    KirkusOveractus Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    Mar 27, 2009
    Location:
    Ambler, PA
    Because Khan was their leader, and according to the principle laid out in "Space Seed", his chamber is programmed to be activated first, to see if the conditions allowed for awakening of the others.
     
  2. cbspock

    cbspock Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Jul 17, 2001
    Location:
    San Antonio, TX
    One other little cool effect I liked in the film, when they order clear all moorings, we finally see stuff being disconnected from the hull :) Also the view from the space station as Enterprise pulled away was nice. I really like the hybrid "view screen / window"


    I also assume the thrusters we see fired on the bottom of the saucer are used for re-entry so Enterprise can land in a dock on the ground, or in the water :p


    -Chris
     
  3. trevanian

    trevanian Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Oct 14, 2004
    Well, they only bumped it from xmas to summer after it was finished (Par had kept TREK clear of summer since TFF in the very competitive summer of 89), so more the need for just some kind of blockbuster.

    The way Par looked at TREK clearly changed.

    Compare: they threw nearly as much money at 1997's EVENT HORIZON (about 60 mil, though for some reason IMDB has it listed as 50 mil now -- I had a source put it at 75mil at that time, but nothing to back that up) as they did on any of the original TREK TNGfilms, yet there was certainly no guaranteed minimum return on EH like they had with the franchise.
     
  4. flemm

    flemm Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

    Joined:
    May 8, 2009
    I agree that it's good to see this. It's pretty similar to Paradise Lost thematically, though that episode was made well *before* 9-11, which is impressive.

    The additional element of the long-range missile strike is a very nice touch, though.
     
  5. Ryan8bit

    Ryan8bit Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    Oct 22, 2004
    Location:
    St. Paul, MN
    I'm sure del Toro would've been fine too, but I have little reference for Cumberbatch. I did see that brig scene with Kirk and Khan, and it definitely seemed like Cumberbatch way outshined Pine. That image Dennis posted of that scene made me laugh out loud so hard.

    I'm not really talking myself into anything though. I remember when Enterprise first aired and there was a whole lot of the same stuff. "What!? It's four days to Qo'noS? The ship looks like the Akira? Blah blah blah." And despite all of that I still managed to love the pilot episode of the show (at the time).
     
  6. cbspock

    cbspock Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Jul 17, 2001
    Location:
    San Antonio, TX

    I wonder what changed at Paramount that they finally gave some love and attention to Trek, and decided to roll the dice on rebooting the franchise? Was it the success of other franchises that went through a reboot like Mission Impossible, Batman, James Bond???


    -Chris
     
  7. HaventGotALife

    HaventGotALife Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

    Joined:
    Jul 6, 2011
    Maybe they realized that they had to do something grand in scale to get anyone to see it after Nemesis. And the best way to do that was through a re-boot.
     
  8. cbspock

    cbspock Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Jul 17, 2001
    Location:
    San Antonio, TX
    I thought of DS9 Paradise Lost and Homefront in terms of into Darkness's themes. It is amazing how a lot of what Star Trek questioned still applies to today. Like A Private Little War and A Taste of Armageddon.


    -Chris
     
  9. Mr. Laser Beam

    Mr. Laser Beam Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    May 10, 2005
    Location:
    Confederation of Earth
    I'll just repeat what I said earlier: I do not care what reasons Khan might give for doing what he did. I don't care what he's been through - it doesn't make what he does "right". He simply does not have the right to vengeance - his actions during the Eugenics Wars (and in TOS) show what kind of person he is. Khan has no right to lecture anyone about how Admiral Marcus held his fellow Augments for ransom. As we saw in TOS, Khan simply has no compassion of any kind, and has no concept of caring for other people. Yeah, yeah, he called McGivers his "beloved wife", but we also saw how Khan actually treated her as well. It was just one step removed from assault.

    As for Khan being forced to work for Marcus? KHAN DESERVES IT.. He deserves everything he got from Section 31. I'm no fan of that group or its motives in general, but as far as Khan being forced to work for them? Good! Let the murdering bastard get his! He can't possibly make up for all the hell he and his Augments put Earth through, but it'd be a start.
     
  10. LizK

    LizK Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    Jul 19, 2002
    Location:
    Earth
    Actually, when Khan was explaining how he had been the only one unfrozen, and then his people used to blackmail him, he was somewhat sympathetic - he was doing everything he could to protect his "family." And the fact that ALL were put into a cryogenic "prison" was a form of exile - only they won't be able to come back in 20+ years and bother the crew.
     
  11. Pauln6

    Pauln6 Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Jul 24, 2009
    Location:
    Bristol, United Kingdom
    I dunno - they put a LOT of effort into making the technology credible but futuristic in TOS - how else do you think much of it became reality? The TMP Enterprise always seemed to me to be a thing of absolute beauty and it remains the definitive Enterprise for me. The plans of the ship, for the most part, seemed credible, even though I'm not an engineer, although i admit that all the flashing lights and buttons have to give way to touch screen tech.

    The JJprise just seems... less credible - like a fanboy's wet dream, although I'd be very interested to see what real engineers make of the designs.

    Two really odd points are that the ship seemed to lose warp power, impulse power, thrusters, and emergency batteries all at once. And in the 21st century we use robotic drones to survey high radiation hot zones for a reason.
     
  12. gornsky

    gornsky Lieutenant Red Shirt

    Joined:
    Apr 27, 2013
    Location:
    Sydney, Australia
    It actually does "work". It's the Target Chamber at the National Ignition Facility in California. They were filming there for a while, in keeping with JJ's approach that he likes to film in "realistic" surroundings where possible. I think it's cool that the NIF is like a modern-day parallel to a Starship Warp Core.

    I just found this great YT vid that aims to explain in simple terms how it works. When you get to the end of the animation, you'll see the target chamber, which you should recognise from the film.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yixhyPN0r3g
     
  13. CorporalCaptain

    CorporalCaptain Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Feb 12, 2011
    Location:
    astral plane
    Star Trek has been behind the curve when it comes to robots, from the very beginning. Even Lost in Space had a robot!

    It's worth pointing out, though, that had there been engineering drones, or even waldos, of some kind, the plot could have ixnayed them, by saying that radiation in the core would fry out their duotronics or whatever. Scotty: "The core is the one place the Rovers can't go."
     
  14. CaptainDonovin

    CaptainDonovin Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

    Joined:
    Jul 8, 2006
    Location:
    Labrador City. woof
    Wow, I'm actually going to post something outside of treklit.

    Just saw it (twice back 2 back) & loved it. I know a bunch of fans are likely unhappy with our villan & some of the reused themes but I enjoyed this movie, may be my personal top three behind FC, TWK, & 09. Loved the emotion, the flow, the action. Loved how McCoy did more than diagnose someone, Scotty got into a fight, Chekov was under under utilized but had good scenes. Oh, & Uhura kicked ass. The scene in Mudd's shuttle was funny & touching.

    Someone elsewhere got a sense of The DS9 two-parter involving Red Squad (Homefront & Paradise Lost) & I saw hints of that as well. Sure the bad admiral theme came back, seemed like every other captain in TOS was dirty. Loved the fact Nimoy had a cameo & the tribute at the end, that was awesome.

    Looking forward to seeing it again.
     
  15. DaveyNY

    DaveyNY Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    May 14, 2001
    Location:
    DaveyNY from Skin-Neck-Ta-Dee (Schenectady)
    I was kinda disappointed that the chamber kirk went into didn't have more glowing effects (Lens Flares??) in it.

    Seemed like a bit of a let-down after seeing what Spock stuck his head into for TWoK.
     
  16. Amaris

    Amaris Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Dec 25, 2002
    Location:
    United States
    To me, it looked more practical, and I loved that.

    Also, and I know not everyone had this reaction, but in the death scene, where Kirk says, "ship out of danger?" I damn near pissed myself with fan glee.
     
  17. Phily B

    Phily B Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    Jul 26, 2001
    Location:
    United Kingdom
    I dunno if anyone noticed, but it looked like Kirk was sparkling when he was in the reactor and looking up at it >_>
     
  18. Xaios

    Xaios Commander Red Shirt

    Joined:
    Aug 30, 2012
    Oh yeah, something I forgot to mention. Uhura ACTUALLY GOT BE A LINGUIST.

    Some of the shots were just gorgeous, too. The one where the Enterprise plummets beneath the clouds, and then rises up was just stunning.
     
  19. DaveyNY

    DaveyNY Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    May 14, 2001
    Location:
    DaveyNY from Skin-Neck-Ta-Dee (Schenectady)
    For some reason, my prescription glasses seem to somehow mute the 3-D effect through the 3-D glasses, so I might have to see it in 2D to fully appreciate all the nuances of the effects.
     
  20. The Green Mushroom

    The Green Mushroom Commander Red Shirt

    Joined:
    Mar 19, 2001
    Location:
    United States
    Is anyone still reviewing this movie on this thread?

    I liked it. A lot. It wasn't perfect, but I enjoyed it.

    What I liked:

    • Someone acknowledging that Kirk doesn't really have the experience for his job.
    • Scotty resigning on principle
    • The Augment Torpedoes. (I didn't know it was Khan, but I knew it was Khan as soon as I saw him surrender to those torpedoes filled with his men.)
    • Chekov seeming less than thrilled with getting a red shirt.
    • Starfleet, or at least Marcus personally, overreacting to the loss of Vulcan. It makes them seem more human.
    • The Botany Bay' discovery resulting from butterflies coming from Vulcan rather than Spock telling anyone about it or the Enterprise fulfilling its destiny to find it.
    • The homages to The Wrath of Khan.
    • Spock's roaring rampage of revenge. Yes it is out character for the Spock we all knew and loved. But that Spock never had to watch Kirk die as a young man and certainly never had to see Vulcan die around him.
    • The mystery who the villian was. At first I thought it was annoying and very much wanted to know. Then I decided that I would try to stay as unspoiled as possible. Then I started piecing the clues together. I went in suspecting Khan, but wouldn't have been surprised if it was someone else.

    What I didn't like:

    • Why did Spock, or anyone, need to personally dive into a volcano?
    • The homages to the Wrath of Khan. (Yes, I both loved and hated them.)
    • Why weren't ANY ships around Earth to at least help evacuate the Enterprise. I wouldn't be surprised if more space traffic was flying over my head right now than there was as the Enterprise fell.
    • Was there a Klingon Neutral Zone in 2259?
    • Was it just me or did it look like a moon was crashing into Kronos? (Or: Why did Praxis explode thirty years early?)
    • Why would Khan be recruited to design weapons? Yes, I actually could understand why Marcus would want a more savage person to advise him on defending the Federation, but why waste time teaching Khan to manipulate modern technology when it would have been easier to show him the modern toys and ask what he would do with them.

    What Spock should let the 2250s know:

    • Khan
    • The Borg
    • The Planet Eater
    • The Whale Probe