"STAR TREK Into Darkness" - 2013

[ChrisMC]

Good points, X. I don't really know where the perception comes from that Trek has always been sunshine and lollipops. And this movie didn't end on a bad note [spoiler] they are starting the 5 year mission! Starfleet DIDN'T become an uber military force. The bad element was defeated. [/spoiler]

I walked out of Nemesis completely bummed out. I walked out of this grinning like a fool. That's all I need to know.

[WillEagle]

Cool pic Will!  You know, you look a bit like Steve Sansweet - the famous collector of Star Wars merchandise.

lol
He's got alot more Star Wars stuff than I do.
I sent you a video. Hopefully it worked.

[moyer777]

Will, looks like you had a great time like we did!  AWESOME!

[Bryancd]

I have to say this ranks in the top 3 Trek experience in the cinema for me.

[ChrisMC]

I have to say this ranks in the top 3 Trek experience in the cinema for me.

Wow. That's pretty high. I think I can get behind that. I was too young for TWOK but I had an awesome time at ST6 and STFC. This was a ton of fun, maybe the most I've had with a trek film, like a rollicking good time.

[Jobydrone]

I think most loved Trek movie experience in the theater was ST4.  I was not steeped enough in the lore to fully understand WoK when I saw it in the theater, although I still loved it.  This one is in my top 5 for sure though as far as theater experiences go. I was at the first area showing and my audience was rocking and rolling throughout the entire film.

[ChrisMC]

Another effect of this movie is that the JJ-Prise has really grown on me. Pretty much liking it now. There were some really stunning shots of it.

[Bryancd]

Another effect of this movie is that the JJ-Prise has really grown on me. Pretty much liking it now. There were some really stunning shots of it.

The scale continues to be completely jacked up. TWOK was amazing, I would say even growing up watching TOS reruns, TWOK put TREK on the same level as STAR WARS for me. ST IV was great fun and I was still young enough to go along with the jokes, but I was in High School. By the time ST-V came out I barley gave it a look. First Contact I think is also an almost perfect TREK film, so that will be my number 2 but this is awful close.

[Praxis]

I walked out of Nemesis completely bummed out. I walked out of this grinning like a fool. That's all I need to know.

I 2nd that.

Wow, that was a lot of posts and spoiler tags to catch up on.
I saw it this morning and I'm still a little in the processing phase, but I loved it. I really loved it, what a blast.
[spoiler]Interesting to read the range of reactions to the KHAAAAN. I thought it was freakin' awesome. It actually kind of gave me chills. You could see him about to yell and I was oh man he's gonna do it! That whole scene really made the movie for me. It was a good movie but the death scene made it a DAMN good movie. It was moving...I actually shed a tear. I was surprised by my reaction.

One thing: Maybe I'm a little slow on the uptake but I was hoping you all could help clarify something for me. I don't understand why Marcus (who knew that Khan had put the bodies in the torpedos) would keep those bodies in stasis and want them placed on the enterprise. Huh? I think I missed something. Maybe I was too busy staring at lens flares.  :D

Anyway, as soon as the movie ended I just wanted MORE :). I CAN'T WAIT for the next one!

I know this borders on Trek Blasphemy, but while TWoK was undeniably great, I never ranked it among my very favorites (STVI is tops for me). I love this alternate take on the story. I love that it pays homage to the classic while still being powerful in its own way, dealing with issues relevant to these new versions of the characters. What better tribute could you ask for? It's beautiful. [/spoiler]

[Jobydrone]

[spoiler]
I have to see it again to be sure I correctly understood but my takeaway is that Marcus wanted the Enterprise to deliver the torpedoes and their payload to Kronos to use the augments to devastate the Klingons from within their home world and basically eliminate two threats at one time.[/spoiler]

[KingIsaacLinksr]

Wow....that film....I got to see it this night with friends...my thoughts below:

[spoiler]At the end of the movie, nothing really happened. Kirk's death scene was, frankly, terrible. Especially as they had built up (over and over and over again) that Khan's magic blood was going to bring him back to life, it felt completely unnecessary. The entire scene was painful to watch and felt forced. Just to give homage to a film that I feel has more weight and substance than this film ever had. Spock's KHANNNNNNNNNNNNNN was so bad that most everyone, including myself, in the theater laughed. Wish I was kidding...

So many contrivances in this film, so many plot holes in this film I could fly the Enterprise through them. Hell, it did on many an occasion. This film has a ton of problems. Somehow, the Enterprise is able to get to and from Kronos in a ridiculously fast amount of time. The transporters operated so wonkily for plot sake enough times to make me suspicious. Old Spock's scene was completely out of left field. I don't know why new Spock even thought about him. Not to mention, how he was able to contact him (I was under the impression their communications was jammed). There are so many problems this film has that I have to stop it here or I'll be going all night. Too many things were convenient, a problem that Star Trek has had in the past but it felt even worse here for whatever reason.

I still do not like the Khan storyline re-imagining and feel that it is completely unnecessary and stupid for the writers to use him as the main villain. He didn't feel like Khan and it could have been any number of generic mass-murdering villains we've seen lately. Oh, he gets captured? Yeah, he intended to be captured. Like the five billion other bad guys from Batman, to the Avengers to James Bond have done lately. That plot twist is old. His character doesn't feel substantial because he constantly changes gears from a mass-murderer, to a calculating villain to a psychopath. He isn't a good character, he's just a foil for the plot and not much else. And that's my biggest problem with him.[/spoiler]

At the end, I did have fun, if only barely, but I had to turn my brain completely off. Because if I didn't, I wanted to rage and scream at the many problems this film has. All that said, the film has pretty incredible special effects and some great character moments. The Enterprise looks great. I never once thought something looked unbelievable (beyond plot problems). Some really cool looking (and sounding) aliens thrown in for good measure, though they were such side characters I found that disappointing.

But the movie just keeps pushing the action on and on and on and on. It's afraid of slowing down for even a micro-second to let us breathe. It's the ADHD version of Star Trek. And I can't say I find that acceptable but I guess it comes down to the fact that I have to scale my expectations of films way back. Which I will do when I see it again with family next weekend. I guess I expect too much. I go to films like Star Trek expecting an intelligent experience that is thought-provoking and something worth chewing on. What I get instead is brain-freeze from the Ice Cream candy I just had. That's what most films have been lately. And what they will continue to be for the next decade by the looks of it. I guess from now on, I have to go to these with the expectation of turning off my brain and enjoying the rollercoaster ride. Fair enough. I guess I have videogames for much deeper and more nuanced experiences.

There, said my piece. Time for sleep.

[billybob476]

I'd love examples of "intelligent experiences" in Trek movies. Frankly, all the best ones have been rollercoaster rides.

[WillEagle]

A lot of reactions to the movie on here. I'll just say I thought it was an awsome rollercoaster ride. And I forgot to mention this earlier. We had a coupon for eating Red Baron pizzas so we got into the movie for $7.50!!! There is a few weeks till Man of Steel so I'll catch this again. Probaby during my long Memorial Day weekend.
[spoiler]More thoughts. I enjoyed the Kirk death scene and I also got a little emotional. I was really into the movie and that did get to me a little even though I knew it was coming due to what he was doing. Didn't know they would bring him back but it was a cool way to do it. And I'll admit the scene where Uhura beamed onto the ship where Spock and KHAAAAAN were fighting was pretty cool. [/spoiler]

[ChrisMC]

I'd love examples of "intelligent experiences" in Trek movies. Frankly, all the best ones have been rollercoaster rides.

I agree. There seems to be this disconnect between the "show", where allegory and high science can take a more prominentrole, and the "movies" where its almost always a high stakes situation where action is required and it's all quite exciting and heroic. Let's examine shall we?
ST:TMP- Mostly thoughtful sci-fi. You could say it's  remake of The Changeling. Main plot points: Big thing coming, killing things in its wake. Enterprise is dispatched, fly around a bit, at the end a species integration/evolution occurs. Not too many fans put it at the top. I love it.
ST:TWOK-Always touted as "the best". Main plot points: Kirk is old, Khan is mad, shoots up the Enterprise, Khan gets Genesis, Blows up his ship, Spock dies. A fun ride that's all about the CHARACTERS.
ST:TSFS- People say average, I enjoy it. Main points-Spock is in McCoy's head, Spock is alive on Genesis, Klingons kill Kirks son, Kirk blows up Enterprise, Vulcans re-cagigger Spock's brain. It's all about the CHARACTERS.
ST:TVH- The most blatantly message driven Trek film. The message is masked under a very fun film with some goofy fish-out-of water humor that works because we love the CHARACTERS. At the end Kirk gets back a ship. Yay.
ST:TFF-Yeah, this one sucks. God, beard-guy Vulcan, bad effects. The main thing I take away from this is the relationships between the CHARACTERS.
ST:TUC-Cold war allegory, Kirk and McCoy are taken prisoner, and their friends risk it all to rescue them.

Anyway, what I think I'm saying is, pretty much regardless of the message or story of the films/TV show, when Star Trek is at it's best is when it is fully invested in the characters. I think this new movie spends perhaps more time with them than some of the others do...I was quite moved by a couple of the character moments in this movie. The thing that I came away with is, these people love each other, just went through hell together, and now they are very strong. To equate this movie with something like a Transformers movie simply because it dares to be a BIG Trek movie that excites not just fans but non-fans (and it does, many a co-worker of mine is going, and the are NOT Trekkies by any stretch). It brings more people into our fold, and they can discover the joys of the Trek we have all known for years.

Plus, when I enjoy something and someone else has to turn their brain off, it makes me wonder if those IQ tests are meaningless and I'm really a big dolt.

[Rico]

Don't forget to send in those video reviews!!  :)