Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)

[Olive]

0/3 so far this summer.  IM3 was ok, GG was horrible and STID is not much better.  This film just seems like a bunch of noise.  People are running around frantically, always bustling to do something, but most of the time, it's just a bunch of static.  I didn't understand Khan's motivation, or Pike's.  People just seem to do things in here because they need a reason to spend money on the film.  

 

Bones just seemed like a caricature of the television Bones and Scotty is always panicking.  

 

The film did nothing for me, it was watching Cutthroat Island...all action and no substance.

 

5/10

Did you like Trek09?

[baumer]

Yes I did like Trek 09.  But this one kind of bored me.  From the beginning it felt like a bad rip off of an Indiana Jones movie.  Then it turned into the Avengers where the main villain wanted to get caught for something and then after Jim tells Khan he needs his help, the film just lost me.  That's when they were running around doing all kinds of things that made very little sense.  I also couldn't get into the suspension of disbelief.  There were many times where people should have just died.  But of course they being the main characters, they do not.  It was like a tiny little poodle barking her head off....hence the term all bark and no bite.  

[grim22]

As many other reviews here have said, I both enjoyed and was disappointed by the movie in equal measure. The action scenes are decent, the acting is decent, the movie is paced well and the fan pleasing moments are plenty. But, the plot does not hold together when given even a bit of thought.

 

The marketing made us believe that there would be a great villain in this movie, one who would take his place among the great villains in movie history - and for some time in the middle of the movie we think this may actually be the issue. Especially when they make Admiral Marcus the bigger villain and make Khan a wronged captain and Khan works with the Enterprise crew to show how similar they actually are. He is just a captain looking out for his crew, and then Leonard Nimoy shows up and tells us "No, Khan is evil" and all that character work done is rendered moot.

 

There are scenes which should be presented with a blinking sign saying "Pay Attention - THIS IS IMPORTANT". Especially the scene with Bones and the dead Tribble. There are also scenes which completely forget other stuff which has happened in this very film series - Chekov being unable to beam Spock and Khan because they are 'Moving too fast' whereas in ST09 he was able to get Sulu and Kirk back when they were falling a hell of a lot faster. I was also disappointed that Khan didn't get any final scene, he is fighting in one scene, and next he gets a haymaker from Spock and is imprisoned in the cryo tube.

 

Despite all the many, many issues this is definitely a movie I would say people should watch, it is a fun ride as long as you are not expecting it to be a game changer.

 

3/5 (maybe 3.5/5)

[MovieMan89]

I really want to know how come Spock could fight Khan so easily at the end and almost kill him when Khan was so superhuman and just swatted everyone else in the film away before that? Kirk had practially tried beating him to death and it had zero effect. What am I missing?

[baumer]

Spock is also strong, is he not?  He is stronger than humans.

[CoolioD1]

I really want to know how come Spock could fight Khan so easily at the end and almost kill him when Khan was so superhuman and just swatted everyone else in the film away before that? Kirk had practially tried beating him to death and it had zero effect. What am I missing?

Vulcans are stronger than humans. That's it....

Edited May 16, 2013 by CoolioD1

[Cmasterclay]

I really want to know how come Spock could fight Khan so easily at the end and almost kill him when Khan was so superhuman and just swatted everyone else in the film away before that? Kirk had practially tried beating him to death and it had zero effect. What am I missing?

Spock is also super-intelligent with abnormal strength, he just never allows himself to feel the "savagery' necessary to display it like Khan does. 

[MovieMan89]

See, I didn't know Spock had super strength too. Obviously I knew he was intellectually very advanced, but I don't remember it being explained he had advanced strength too.

[Deep Wang]

I want to see a prequel that shows exactly how they got the Enterprise underwater in the first place.  I don't see how it is in any way possible.

[MovieMan89]

0/3 so far this summer.  IM3 was ok, GG was horrible and STID is not much better.  This film just seems like a bunch of noise.  People are running around frantically, always bustling to do something, but most of the time, it's just a bunch of static.  I didn't understand Khan's motivation, or Pike's.  People just seem to do things in here because they need a reason to spend money on the film.  

 

Bones just seemed like a caricature of the television Bones and Scotty is always panicking.  

 

The film did nothing for me, it was watching Cutthroat Island...all action and no substance.

 

5/10

 

Don't worry B, you'll love Fast and Furious 6. I agree with you though that this summer has failed to produce any great blockbusters so far. For me they're all just good but not particularly memorable.

[Newbie]

See, I didn't know Spock had super strength too. Obviously I knew he was intellectually very advanced, but I don't remember it being explained he had advanced strength too.

they showed you a little of this in 2009 when Kirk provokes Spock and Spock kicks his ass.But yes Vulcans have far greater strength then humans.Also hinted again in 2009, when the Romulan is toosing Kirk around even comments how weak they are. Romulans are Vulcans who went off world before Vulcans embraced logic. Edited May 16, 2013 by Newbie

[75Live]

0/3 so far this summer.  IM3 was ok, GG was horrible and STID is not much better.  This film just seems like a bunch of noise.  People are running around frantically, always bustling to do something, but most of the time, it's just a bunch of static.  I didn't understand Khan's motivation, or Pike's.  People just seem to do things in here because they need a reason to spend money on the film.  

 

Bones just seemed like a caricature of the television Bones and Scotty is always panicking.  

 

The film did nothing for me, it was watching Cutthroat Island...all action and no substance.

 

5/10

 

I already was worried about this film and now looks like I was right.  I will still most likely see it, but I am not expecting anything from it at this point.

[Newbie]

You didn't understand Khan's motivation. Seriously? Star fleet found his ship discovered who they were, freed Khan to be used as a black Ops all the while Starfleet held his people's lives over him. Going so far to attached them to weapons. He wants the people in charge exposed then killed, and then he wants the rest of Starfleet to suffer. What's so difficult to understand. Took a kid who's never seen trek, and the only backstory I gave him is that Khan is genetically engineered superman who ruled millions, when he lost power him and 72 of his most loyal lLts. Went unto space. Really what more do you need.

[Newbie]

I want to see a prequel that shows exactly how they got the Enterprise underwater in the first place.  I don't see how it is in any way possible.

Trek has previously had ships under water. The ship is air tight, as force fields, and using propulsion systems that currently humans don't.They have also had starships in heavy gas giants(pressure greater then water) and in normal atmosphere.It's all been done before, just not as pretty.

[baumer]

You didn't understand Khan's motivation. Seriously? Star fleet found his ship discovered who they were, freed Khan to be used as a black Ops all the while Starfleet held his people's lives over him. Going so far to attached them to weapons.He wants the people in charge exposed then killed, and then he wants the rest of Starfleet to suffer.What's so difficult to understand. Took a kid who's never seen trek, and the only backstory I gave him is that Khan is genetically engineered superman who ruled millions, when he lost power him and 72 of his most loyal lLts. Went unto space.Really what more do you need.

 

 

That seems like he's going to an awful lot of trouble to do something that he could do a lot easier than the way he did it in the film.

 

And if you are using the card that someone else who is younger than me understood it and I didn't, then yep, good for them.  Congrats..

[Newbie]

Age wasn't the point exposure to the universe was. He's one of the few people I am around who has seen literally no Trek.

[Heretic]

Spock was so brilliant in this. Him and Cumberbatch stole the show.

 

Oh, and Simon Pegg running. Fucking hilarious. 

[Heretic]

I loved this, more than ST09. Very entertaining throughout, great action, and funny. But some lines were like ott cheese. Ending was lacking though, it all happened way too quickly. They should have added another 5 minutes or so just to flesh it out and smooth the transition, but other than that it was pretty great. I'd give it A-.

[Newbie]

Really, really loved this film, but it does have some issues, that prevent it from being a great film.

 

Easily better then Trek 2009.  One the villain is 100% better, and the plot holes of the plot is far more solid (the plot of the first film, absolutely makes no sense), and the lack of any Large puffy hands (seriously I can't tell you how much I hated that scene).

 

Acting for the most part was better (though not all), there was still some stupid Tech (and it wasn't the blood), but that damnable transporting between star systems.  If you can beam between star systems, you really need very few ships, anymore.  And again that technology makes literally no sense, as if Spock had the knowledge and the ability to do it on the fly (let alone with technology about 120 years earlier), then why the hell did he take his sweet ass time (remember he is in a hurry) to get to Romulus?  The entire event that creates teh alternate reality would not occur.

 

Great action, great set pieces, great momentum...but the film suffers from the lack of showing the passage of time.  Having the momentum stop, for events that would natural stop you, hit you in your tracks and make you dwell on the moments.

 

That does seriously hurt this film, especially if you are someone (like me) who wants to more then just a popcorn film (its a great popcorn film).  I love Star Trek.  I love it.  And that absolutely includes the slow moments, the heavy character moments.  It's one of the great strengths of the various tv shows (less so original Trek, which typically ended the episode with a nod in humor and warping away, regardless of how serious the mission was).  But modern Trek has done wonders with  moments.  Heck even the Final Frontier managed a great small quite slow character moment (McCoy and his failure to save his father).

 

I had no real issue with the reverse of Kirk "dying" or Spock's reaction to it.  While Spock's friendship with Kirk is new, he has also suffered terrible losses that his counter part never had to deal with at this point in his life.  The death of his mother, the near annihilation of his enter race, the loss of his commander (and we know from our timeline how much Pike meant to Spock), then to have Kirk die, his newest "friend".

 

Character wise the only issue is still Scotty.  Pegg just isn't playing any form of Scotty from the show or movies.  I have no problem if he was an original character, but he isn't.  And as someone older then Kirk, it would have been just his late teens or early adult hood that suffered changes.  I wonder what change him into the over the top, hyper active character he is?

 

4.5 out of 5 stars.  If the film would have slowed down in just a handful of spots and taking a little more time to do the same thing that was shown, it would have been a 5 star film for me.

[4815162342]

Just got back from seeing it. Pretty good, but two big nits I have to pick:

 

1) The film was so dedicated to apeing whole pieces of Star Trek II it missed out on some great chances to go its own direction.

 

2) That Fucking Plot Device That Was Annoying As Fuck When They Used It In Heroes And Was No Less Annoying Here And Was Present Only For The Film To Cheat Its Way Out Of Having To Have Actual Weight And Sacrifice

 

B+ (Should Have Been Better)