Don't worry we'll get to the Supernatural finale but right now...
Into Darkness plotwise is not something easy to sum up, not just because basically every real detail is a spoiler but also because it's surprisingly difficult to follow. There is nothing particularly complex about the plot but since the film seems reluctant to take even a moment away from the action sequences the constant twists being volleyed at us have no time to be established properly or really make any sense. There is an intelligent screenplay in here somewhere, asking questions of morality and ethics while mirroring many modern fears but none of it gets to play out in any meaningful way, there is no room for it to. It's a shame too because it seems the movie between the lines is actually one that is much more interesting than the one we got.The one thing that really held back my enjoyment of the original Star Trek film in 2009 was just how...Star Trek it didn't feel. Sure it had all the trimmings but I don't know, change the names of the characters and you could have been watching any old science fiction film and since there is so much that makes Star Trek unique, this was a shame. And sadly this sequel has exactly the same problem, assuming that references even people in the audience who never watched the show would get constitutes this as a adaptation. Protip: it doesn't.
However, much like 2009, Into Darkness is so beautiful and so thrilling you can kinda ignore just how much the film doesn't seem to want to be associated with its name. Almost. You see the big problem is is when every action sequence feels lifted from a third act of another movie it grows exhausting and tiresome very quickly. This is a big problem I had with Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, you don't realise how important those quieter character moments are until you see a film like this. Especially in the third act, I was practically crying out in my seat for the film to just slow down for a minute so characters could talk about things and explain what they were doing and why. And as said, Star Trek has a rich universe and some wonderful characters populating it so it feels practically criminal to basically flatten everything to one-note. Another huge problem I had with the film, and perhaps my greatest problem, is Into Darkness' Kirk is awful. Chris Pine actually shows some surprising talent in the role that I haven't really seen from him elsewhere but the screenplay does no justice to the performance or the character. Where other characters are just flat and uninteresting Kirk is frankly insulting, spending the majority of the two hours either getting the shit beaten out of him or making mind blowingly dumb decisions the original Kirk would have never made and getting millions of people killed in the process, perhaps worst of all is the final act of the film ends up writing him out of the film all together so Spock to step into the limelight. If anything what Into Darkness is about, is how pretty much everyone on the Enterprise is more qualified to be a Captain than Kirk is.
Cumberbatch's John Harrison is probably the only part of the film that really works completely as he feels tailored specifically for this film. As such an unrelenting action film, having an unstoppable force of nature as a villain is the perfect choice, easily making him the best part of the film. Everything you need to know about him and everything you need to enjoy him takes place in the action sequences or through terrifying facial expressions, which is important when your film is 95% action. If he doesn't prove how much of a threat he is in the opening scenes, wait 'til you see him run circles arond a bunch of Klingons... So do I recommend it? With the huge, epic and unrelenting action held up by stunning special effects it's definitely a film worth seeing in the cinema, this is the kind of stuff the cinema is made for. In terms of everything else... the characters are paper thin, the story muddled and confusing as it is predictable and since it's basically a two hour action sequence, there aren't enough quieter moments to justify all the melodrama that plays out in the final third, undermining perhaps a better film than the one we end up getting. Ultimately it is disappointing, if not all out bad. Now if you excuse me, I'm going to go watch the original series boxset of mine.
Think About It!
-Locke
2 comments:
I'd have to agree in large part.
While Cumberbatch was terrifyingly brilliant to watch in his action scenes (definite nod to anyone who's able to kick around a bunch of Klingons like hacky sacks), I'd have liked to have seen him using his superior intellect more.
Also, looking at what Abrams does to his version of the Enterprise; I get the impression that he broke his toys as a child. Seriously. Watch the film. Kid Abrams broke his toys.
It seems as though, rather than make a damn good film within the Star Trek universe; they decided to make an action film and attach Star Trek characters and places to it. The fact that it's Star Trek is almost incidental.
It's sad really that it seems studios have so little faith in the sci-fi genre that they make their sci-fi movie then just stick a franchise name to it and just hope it sticks.
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