STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS - Grading & Discussion [SPOILERS]

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

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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. BillJ

    BillJ The King of Kings Admiral

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    When they first find Khan in TWOK, he gives us a quick glimpse into his background but then we're onto revenge.
     
  2. Phily B

    Phily B Commodore Commodore

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    It's just silly to bring up as a criticism like many parts of his review, TWOK didn't recap Space Seed nor did it require it to; why on Earth would STID?! It's like people know the film is a Star Trek movie, so you have to compare to single TV episodes.
     
  3. Pauln6

    Pauln6 Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Lol - Naked Time might squeeze by on the notion that even if not obvious, those crewmen might have been affected by the virus. I do prefer to view TOS & TNG THROUGH THE PRISM OF THE TIMES THEY WERE MADE. That does make some elements look silly. I'm sure if they could have afforded to film in a brewery every week, they would have.

    I agree with the comments about the difference between Kirk and Spock's solutions to the damaged engine. Spock, while not an engineer, has sufficient technical skill to effect repairs and greater resistance to radiation than the other engineers on hand. He is the logical choice for the task despite there being other engineers nearby.

    Kirk's problem is that he promoted an ensign to chief engineer so they're all off doing something else... evacuating the ship maybe? And it really isn't clear why they have magical glass and inspired transporters but no radiation suits or robotic drones - technologies that we have in the 21st century already, along with greater equality of the sexes.

    I can see why they needed Harrison. "Our people keep dying when fixing our engines. Please tell us what to do!" "Errr... make me bombs - and be quick about it."
     
  4. Opus

    Opus Commodore Commodore

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    And what exactly did Kirk do that saved the day?
     
  5. BillJ

    BillJ The King of Kings Admiral

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    Star Trek is an incredible TV series and I've been watching it for as long as I can remember (1975 when I was 4). It's like a friend whose been with me my whole life, I honestly think it's the longest continual relationship I've had in my life.

    But...

    It is incredibly flawed. People tend to remember the good and forget the not-so-good which simply isn't fair to J.J. Abrams version.

    Is Abrams version perfect? Hell no, not even close. An elderly Vulcan, who hasn't been in active service for a century flying such a critical mission. A beach ball full of Red Matter, enough to rearrange the universe sent along when a single drop will collapse a star. Cadet to Captain of the Flagship.

    But, in 2009, I had fun with Star Trek for the first time in a very long time. Somewhere along the way those in charge of the franchise forgot it was suppose to be fun.

    YMMV.
     
  6. Phily B

    Phily B Commodore Commodore

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    If there were radiation suits, he probably didn't have time to suit up. I doubt a radiation suit would've helped, even in TWOK Spock didn't bother with one did he? Everyone in engineering appeared to have one on, as far as I'm aware there has never been such a suit in Trek.

    The Enterprise crew refused to evacuate, this was made clear when Spock gave the order to abandon ship. I'm not sure on your first point either, he had Scotty and the acting engineering officer at his disposal, would he have ordered them into the warp core to die?
     
  7. Count Zero

    Count Zero No nation but procrastination Moderator

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    I think in an earlier scene we see engineering staff wear suits but I'm not sure (I really need to see this movie again). But you're right that in TWOK Spock doesn't bother with a suit, either, he just takes a mask and gloves. I always took it to mean that it wouldn't have mattered, anyway. Scotty would have sent someone in or gone himself if a suit had been protection enough to survive.


    He becomes Captain again halfway through the movie because Pike dies and Admiral Marcus sends him on the mission to kill Harrison/Khan, not because he saved the day.

    What he did on Nibiru was against regulations and against the Prime Directive but was it morally wrong? After all, he saved a civilisation from extinction and the presence of the Enterprise was only revealed because he chose to save Spock instead of letting him die. That's very Kirk, I'd say. We saw Kirk go against the Prime Directive (as it was later interpreted, anyway) quite a couple of times in TOS.

    As for self-reflection there is a poignant short scene between Kirk and Spock where Kirk explains his way of doing things and that he actually doesn't know what he's doing. Both Kirk and Spock have character arcs that I thought were interesting. So it's not like Kirk is staying the same throughout the movie.
     
  8. Franklin

    Franklin Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Yep. I was a little too young for the first-run of TOS, but my friends and I caught up in a hurry in the early 1970s when they started showing it in syndication. Even then, we'd laugh our asses off at some of the downright silly things. Our favorite episodes were those that were farcical (in the real definition of the word) like "A Piece of the Action", "The Trouble with Tribbles", and "I Mudd". They were fun.

    Good characters helped, too. That and they themselves didn't seem to be taking it all that seriously, either. When Kirk faced the noose right before a commercial in "The Squire of Gothos", I really expected him to look at the camera, wink, and give a wry grin.

    Whatever Kirk was doing, if it was trying to make a primative gun to shoot a Gorn, reasoning with red, green, and yellow brains, or wooing yet another alien vixen, you expected there was nothing else in the universe he'd rather be doing. He was having fun. That's what's back in Trek, now.
     
  9. Count Zero

    Count Zero No nation but procrastination Moderator

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    "It was fun. Oh my." ;)
     
  10. Kruezerman

    Kruezerman Commodore Commodore

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    You're all welcome to y'all's opinion. I'm done arguing with people who go in to review something already WANTING to hate it. It's dishonest and frankly, cowardly in journalistic terms. We like it. The general public likes it. The majority of critics LOVE it. Don't you DARE tell me that this makes Star Trek "dumb" and is meant for "dumb people." The arrogance of some people speaks volumes. You don't want to be apart of this new Star Trek? Fine. Just don't insult us or those that enjoy it.

    That's just wrong.

    This isn't about Star Trek anymore at this point, this is about sharing with others, and certain people can't stand it.

    /endrant
     
  11. Admiral Buzzkill

    Admiral Buzzkill Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    They should have given Devin a press pass and free tub of popcorn. That'll learn 'em. :lol:
     
  12. Hartzilla2007

    Hartzilla2007 Vice Admiral Admiral

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    I really don't care about the "cadet to captain" complains I mean really using that logic we should have a trilogy of movies about Bruce Wayne where he doesn't become Batman until the tail end of the last movie.

    I don't really watch a Star Trek movie because I care about Starfleet procedures and chain of command crap and other meaningless background minutia I watch it to see the crew going on space adventures.

    And as such finding out that this is apparently getting derailed by said meaningless background minutia didn't exactly thrill me, in fact I consider it only wasting a few minutes a screen time a plus as I want to watch Kirk and Spock be Kirk and Spock, I don't give a crap about the Farragut, Republic or which ever other canon fodder ships Kirk was running around on before hand.

    And another thing did it ever occur to anyone that Kirk may have gotten the promotion due to the fact that he stopped the guy who DESTROYED VULCAN, this isn't some colony in bumf@#k Idaho IN SPACE! this is kind of a major planet being the victim of what has got to be the worst terrorist attack in the federation history. So yeah i think stopping Nero is kind of important especially since he pulled it off while the fleet was screwing around at the ass end of the universe.
     
  13. GameOn

    GameOn Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

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    I saw Into Darkness earlier today and expected to hate it after reading all the spoilers and disliking Star Trek 2009 but to my surprise I kind of enjoyed it. It has it's fair share of flaws, the plot feels kind of contrived and it rehashes too much from other movies but it didn't leave the sour taste in my mouth that the previous movie did.

    It's pretty much what I expected these new movies to be really, simple but enjoyable sci-fi action movies. In that regard the movie that this reminds me the most of is Star Trek First Contact.
     
  14. Franklin

    Franklin Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Why I oughta -- . :klingon:

    :lol:

    (For whatever else may have been wrong or right about that scene, those were good word for Kirk to go out on, IMO.)
     
  15. trevanian

    trevanian Rear Admiral

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    I'm a little more concerned about the 'reciting poor dialog' generalization. Doesn't explain the waves of good laughter erupting during 15 or 20 McCoy lines, or some briliant & concise dialog that ... well, I've seen the movies recently. He either hasn't or didn't pay attention.
     
  16. Commishsleer

    Commishsleer Commodore Commodore

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    I know you're joking here but as much as I like to nitpick the Star Trek movies its all out of love. They're all great movies, even the one I hate :rolleyes:. As I say to the 4 year old, it doesn't mean I love you less if I love your older brother.


    Its a big nod to the fans. Geez Abrams can't win. He/the screen writers did this for us fans. He needn't have done it. They could have solved the situation another way. Non-fans don't care. Thank you Abrams for trying at least

    So Kirk saves the Earth and stops a Klingon war and the captaincy of one of many starships Starfleet has, is too much of a reward. Are there any other captains in Starfleet who have done as much. There's probably people who are better at paper work. Maybe Captain Tracey's still there, perhaps those captains/commodores who agreed that Starfleet should install the M5 in an armed Starship.

    I'm over the cadet-captain thing anyway. Its been 4 years. It happened, You can't change it. They even demoted him at the beginning of the film to appease the fans
     
  17. GameOn

    GameOn Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

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    Going from cadet to captain was a real problem for me as it was completely unbelievable. You have Kirk taking command when everyone else on the bridge outranks him. They could have all the Kirk and Spock conflict by having them both be lieutenants who are unsure how to proceed once they loose the captain and first officer. Going from lieutenant to captain would have at least been more plausible.
     
  18. BillJ

    BillJ The King of Kings Admiral

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    Well...

    According to the display during the space jump over Vulcan, Kirk was already a lieutenant. :p
     
  19. BillJ

    BillJ The King of Kings Admiral

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    FX is currently showing a butchered version of Star Trek 2009.
     
  20. Locutus of Bored

    Locutus of Bored Yo, Dawg! I Heard You Like Avatars... In Memoriam

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    And that fits with some aspects of his muddled PrimeVerse backstory as well: