Monday, May 27, 2013

Warped Speed Mr. Sulu


I don't consider myself a Trekkie, but I have never missed a Star Trek movie.  I might start though. I watched the original show back in the day when it first aired and plenty of times in the space time television rerun continuum.  Back in the eighties Gina and I would go see the movies when we were dating.  We also watched The Next Generation when we were dating and into our marriage.  I didn't like Deep Space Nine ( or Voyager.  We'd go see the Star Trek movies though.  I'm not a Trekkie, nor have I ever wanted to put on set of pointed ears or dress like a Borg and attend a Trekkie Convention.  I just like the show.

Tonight Gina and I had a night alone so we decided to go see Star Trek: Into Darkness.  The new cast is great.  They did a wonderful job of finding actors that could fill the original cast's boots.  I have no problem believing it's Captain Kirk, Spock, Bones and Scotty.  They do a really good job playing those old familiar characters.

My wife enjoyed the movie, but I felt J.J. Abrams screwed the pooch on this one.  Here's what I think in a nutshell.  In this movie, which is supposed to predate the original Star Trek's five year mission, Spock was a frigid unemotional half Vulcan / half human being who took decades to finally get in touch with his human side.  From the 60's until the 80's, Spock finally came to a place where he warmed up and admitted his friendship toward Jim and Bones.

Well, this movie pretty much has Spock going through his Vulcan to his touchy-feely human transformation in the span of an hour and a half.  I like it the old way, the process of time in which this Vulcan finally transformed over time.  If Into Darkness was to be the precursor to the original Star Trek, it just doesn't work.  I liked the 2009 movie better than this one.

This movie is weak on story, but full of the kind of action you'd expect for a Star Trek movie.  Frankly, I'm kind of tired of the U.S.S. Enterprise being destroyed at the end of almost every movie.  It's getting pretty predictable these days.   Also, why do the producers feel like they've got to stick Leonard Nemoy in every movie?  I enjoyed him showing up in the Next Generation episodes, but sheesh, the story really didn't need him and the guy keeps popping into every freaking sequel.

The makers of this new Star Trek served up a big budget can of rehash.  I didn't mind seeing a younger Khan in this installment.  I like the actor that played young Khan, but it goes back to the writing.   I just wish they would've done something different with the story-line   Into Darkness started out alright, but began nose diving in warp speed once the mission got underway.  The ending was just so predictable and corny.  Since the creators put so much time, money and effort into it, why couldn't they deliver something more creative?  It was the death scene.  Why did they try to feed that to us again?  It wasn't as moving or touching as Spock's death scene in The Wrath of Khan.  It was a role reversal, but the same freaking death scene.

I'd just as soon had purchased tickets to see The Wrath of Khan again tonight rather than waste my money on this one.  In Star Trek: Into Darkness, the Starship Enterprise and her crew boldly went where they had gone before.



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