STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS - Grading & Discussion [SPOILERS]

[Xaios]

especially if they could have gotten Kurtwood Smith involved in this iteration of Trek as well.

Heh, I can see it now. Kurtwood Smith as future-Red Foreman saying "double dumbass on you" to Kirk.

Just came from my 2nd viewing. Enjoyed it every bit as much! Theater was packed, too.

This time around, I noticed just how incredibly... reptilian... Cumberbatch's expressions seemed. It was actually kind of mesmerizing. If he's ever offered an opportunity to play Satan in something, he would knock it out of the park.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

I was VERY upset to find out that Gorn don't lay eggs.

 

[Amaris]

especially if they could have gotten Kurtwood Smith involved in this iteration of Trek as well.

Heh, I can see it now. Kurtwood Smith as future-Red Foreman saying "double dumbass on you" to Kirk.

Just came from my 2nd viewing. Enjoyed it every bit as much! Theater was packed, too.

This time around, I noticed just how incredibly... reptilian... Cumberbatch's expressions seemed. It was actually kind of mesmerizing. If he's ever offered an opportunity to play Satan in something, he would knock it out of the park.

I don't know, because then I'd be in the moral dilemma of having a crush on "Satan."

 

[CaptainStoner]

I liked how the klingons were made to look defintely larger than humans. Fucking LOVED how much fun JJ let himself have with the Enterprise.

A- for me. Overall fantastic. Just a touch too "actiony" for my taste, and I never felt like they were anywhere near klingon space. No ships, no outposts. Also hardly any ships or outposts around Earth.

Say, did the Enterprise fire weapons even once in this film? I dont think she did.

 

[HaventGotALife]

You know what I am beginning to hate? Star Trek fans. I can see not liking this movie for legitimate reasons, too fast to action packed, too much fun. Not enough staff meetings and mapping stars and studying nebluea. But I am reading things online like “McCoy said he delivered baby Gorn! Starfleet didn’t have first contact with the Gorn until 2267!”

This constant stream of Comic Book Guy nerd rage makes me embarrassed to love be a fan.

And I love that they say JJ has too much action. This movie is based on a series that the lead character got into a fist fight every week, tore his shirt open and once ran up a wall and tackled an Andorian.

I agree with you. All the talk about Khan's ethnicity, the ships in Marcus' office, ship and engine room design, alien redesign of the Klingons, liking or disliking the homages to Star Trek II, none of this applies to the plot, theme, characters, emotional appeal of the movie, the consistency in the structure, etc. This is a movie, not a universe. I don't care that an engine deck has been redesigned. I didn't even notice. So it looks like the Kelvin. What is the difference? Would it be a better movie if it didn't change?

As for the action, it was an adventure show. I haven't forgotten that, but my taste is Next Generation, where they would talk with great authority, on the problems facing people. I would rather have 2 hours of that, then 2 hours of ships exploding. There is more of that in this movie, as it has the theme of "vengeance" than in the last. Even named a ship after it. But would I rather see an exploding deck and a ship destroyed at warp, crash into a city, or would I rather see some of the emotional fallout from what transpired in the last 2 hours, I go with the latter every time. I want to know the characters and to have them more fully flesh out a theme. The action in this movie seems to have no symbolism, and action scenes I can get behind are reluctant defense (which Starfleet is supposed to be doing) and those that serve the other aspects of the movie. It moves the plot, but there is no reason why Harrison jumped through a glass pane instead of using the door. It just looks cool. That's not something I like. It means I am supposed to be enthralled with seeing someone run and the movie seems to stop, for large chunks of time, in telling a story to make something explode. That's what I don't like.

 

[Dr. Zaius]

Long time reader, first time poster:

Just got back from the theater and WOW. 'A' for me, just a few corny lines and some very minor nit picky stuff holding it back from A+. For me it's as good as any of the other great Star Trek Movies. What really excited me was the feeling that this was the end of the beginning; we've seen the crew's origins and now we've seen them earning their place. The future of both this crew and whatever else might be coming in the near future really has me excited. To close up though: thought both Cumberbatch and Weller hit it out of the park as villains and loved Pine and Quinto's dynamic (Damnit Spock you made me cry you green blooded son of a bitch).

 

[Lord Lunacy]

Say, did the Enterprise fire weapons even once in this film? I dont think she did.

Now that you mention it, I don't think it did. It was too busy getting pounded by the black pearl...that was a serious beating too.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

This is a movie, not a universe.

From a fan perspective, that's where you're wrong. I didn't watch this as an isolated movie, I watched it as a chapter in my chosen universe. And I'm now engaging in an exegesis of the film which references the greater universe the film is set in. Now sure some people are annoying about it, anal and seemingly derailed by details but that just demonstrates how Star Trek is bigger than one movie.

 

[Classic Fan]

So, it's been over a week since I've seen it, going again tomorrow.

But, it escapes me, has anyone mentioned Kirks long distance 'live chat' pone call?

 

[Classic Fan]

So, it's been over a week since I've seen it, going again tomorrow.

But, it escapes me, has anyone mentioned Kirks long distance 'live chat' pone call?

 

[Hartzilla2007]

I was VERY upset to find out that Gorn don't lay eggs.

Well to be fair it's agressive galaxy conquering Gorn from another galaxy, who according to background information acquired from scaning stuff on their ship and other Gorn stuff engage in high amounts genetic modification, that even includes adding genes from conquered species to their DNA, so mammalian birth was probably a result of that.

 

[Blue_Trek]

I don't mind Spock yelling Khan in a homage to TWOK, I just think the timing is wrong.
When he beams down to earth and see's Khan that's when could have yelled it.
Sometimes a movie tries too hard to do something, and then it doesn't feel right.

Also I never noticed Ohura's butt, and if I never noticed it, it isn't THAT gratuitous of a scene, not like Megan Fox bending over an engine in Transformers.

 

[Amaris]

This is a movie, not a universe.

From a fan perspective, that's where you're wrong. I didn't watch this as an isolated movie, I watched it as a chapter in my chosen universe. And I'm now engaging in an exegesis of the film with references the greater universe the film is set in. Now sure some people are annoying about it, anal and seemingly derailed by details but that just demonstrates how Star Trek is bigger than one movie.

This.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

I was VERY upset to find out that Gorn don't lay eggs.

Well to be fair it's agressive galaxy conquering Gorn from another galaxy, who according to background information acquired from scaning stuff on their ship and other Gorn stuff engage in high amounts genetic modification, that even includes adding genes from conquered species to their DNA, so mammalian birth was probably a result of that.

Oh! Everything is copacetic now, thanks.

 

[CaptainStoner]

Say, did the Enterprise fire weapons even once in this film? I dont think she did.

Now that you mention it, I don't think it did. It was too busy getting pounded by the black pearl...that was a serious beating too.

Seems to me that, while keeping this film consistent with the last, Abrams responded to practically every Trekkie criticism. No lens flare to speak of here. Lights in your face much reduced. Kirk taken down a notch.

* although I know full well that TOS is a brawl-a-thon, these films are almost nonstop action. I think one consequence is the universe doesnt feel vast in JJtrek yet. It never slows down enough to convey anything like that. But now he has a 5 year mission to explore.

 

[DarthPipes]

A-

I just got back from it and I have to say I really enjoyed it. It wasn't perfect to say the least. It has its slow moments, it's nonsensical moments, and I can't say I care about some of the left-wing politics. But my concerns were put to rest and I was very satisfied.

I'm not in the mood to do a thorough review but I will agree that the Enterprise came to life in this movie in a way that it hasn't before. It had some really good, entertaining performances from Quinto, Cumberbatch, Pine, Pegg, Greenwood, etc. Definitely looking forward to seeing it again. Loved the fact that Section 31 was part of all this (something from DS9 that left an impression) and the various continuity shoutouts.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

No lens flare to speak of here.

What! It was FULL of lens flare, especially on the bridge. Which I've never minded.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

So, it's been over a week since I've seen it, going again tomorrow.

But, it escapes me, has anyone mentioned Kirks long distance 'live chat' pone call?

People have said satellite thingies dropped in space and phone call bouncing along the relays etc also militarization of starfleet makes for better telecommunications.

 

[DigificWriter]

I just got back from seeing the film, and J.J. Abrams and Co. have created a freaking MASTERPIECE of Trek storytelling that not only pays homage to the franchise as a whole, but surpasses the classic tales from which it draws most of its inspiration.

Cumberbatch's role as Kahn was somewhat of an 'open secret' for most of the film's production/post-production, but one thing I wasn't expecting at all was to see the film combine the classic Kahn stories 'Space Seed' and 'The Wrath of Kahn' with elements of the story from Star Trek Insurrection (which made me extremely happy given that Insurrection remains my absolute favorite TNG film and one of my favorite Trek stories in general, despite its relative non-popularity with the majority of the fandom).

Cumberbatch playing Kahn was, as I noted, kind of an 'open secret', but I'm rather surprised that nobody ended up spoiling Peter Weller's Admiral Marcus' role as an additional antagonist. Tying him in with Section 31 and Kahn was a brilliant decision, and really helped offset the fact that, as I mentioned, most Trek fans were already aware of who John Harrison really was.

I don't know about anyone else, but I loved the film's take on the Klingons; it was great to see their ridged helmets, but I also liked that we got to see what they look like under said helmets, and really liked the new design that the production team came up with for them.

I voted the film an A+ in the poll, and would've rated it higher had the option to do so been available. It's a phenomenal piece of storytelling and Trek lore and one of the best films I think I've seen in the last year or so.

 

[Shanndee]

Just got home from my first viewing. I had a lot of fun! I have a few quibbles...but they are minor and I got over them quickly. I'm a little tired, and it appears that I have over 2000 posts to catch up on. Oy!

I'll join the conversation properly later!

A-