USS Enterprise may be heading Into Darkness, but the film certainly is a treat to all the senses for the audience.
The action opens on a very red looking planet which seems to be inhabited by not-very-advanced natives (En masse, they look like fans of UofM football, and on close up, like badly made up extras in the umpteenth sequel of Mummy) who are madly chasing .. yup .. Captain Kirk and an assistant. Meanwhile, the cool Mr. Spock descends into the heart of an active volcano which is on the verge of eruption with a view to prevent it (I wondered briefly if his own coolness was going to produce the desired effect!), when the rope snaps or something - everything happening too fast - the shuttle had to abandon him and return to the mother ship. Thus launches the second installment, of this much beloved franchise (uhh, how I hate that word!!) revived after a long gap, with a bang of rapid action sequence.
I must confess - I didn't even notice the arrival (and departure) of the first in the revived series in 2009. I am sure the loss is mine. And I didn't pay much attention to this one either. However, an A- rating in EW caught my attention. And I've been craving a good dose of a thriller for a while now - so I said, why not? I was prepared for a kitschy psycho-action-drama but was certainly not prepared for this - a fast paced action thriller that based on a coherent, intelligent story.
The main plot lines - a formidable enemy that is enigmatic, other villains within the system in high places, small people who come out in defiance of them - all seem to be taken from the headlines of present day US dailies. The story is told without too much nonsensical technical jargon about warp drives or ruptures in space-time continuum. The dialog serves to establish and embellish the characters as much as to advance the story. The action is fast paced - no other description will do.
But, IMO, what really makes the film tick are the people - the cast. They are simply fantastic. I am no Trekkie. I don't remember much of the original series or the movies except for the broad archetypes of the main characters. And these guys got it pat down. Not just that, I don't know how else to put it - somehow, they make each of those characters loveable, especially Chris Pine's Captain Kirk.
I chose to watch the IMAX 3D version, imagining that there'd be a lot of action sequences. Certainly, the IMAX and 3D made it worthwhile in the spectacular action scenes, but there's also a lot of drama in between, with really close closeups of faces .. In one scene, I found myself counting the pores on Pine's nose :) In hindsight, a regular screen would have been just fine - this is certainly no Avatar or Life of Pi. But it is good.
Catch it on big screen while it lasts!
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1408101/?ref_=sr_1
The action opens on a very red looking planet which seems to be inhabited by not-very-advanced natives (En masse, they look like fans of UofM football, and on close up, like badly made up extras in the umpteenth sequel of Mummy) who are madly chasing .. yup .. Captain Kirk and an assistant. Meanwhile, the cool Mr. Spock descends into the heart of an active volcano which is on the verge of eruption with a view to prevent it (I wondered briefly if his own coolness was going to produce the desired effect!), when the rope snaps or something - everything happening too fast - the shuttle had to abandon him and return to the mother ship. Thus launches the second installment, of this much beloved franchise (uhh, how I hate that word!!) revived after a long gap, with a bang of rapid action sequence.
I must confess - I didn't even notice the arrival (and departure) of the first in the revived series in 2009. I am sure the loss is mine. And I didn't pay much attention to this one either. However, an A- rating in EW caught my attention. And I've been craving a good dose of a thriller for a while now - so I said, why not? I was prepared for a kitschy psycho-action-drama but was certainly not prepared for this - a fast paced action thriller that based on a coherent, intelligent story.
The main plot lines - a formidable enemy that is enigmatic, other villains within the system in high places, small people who come out in defiance of them - all seem to be taken from the headlines of present day US dailies. The story is told without too much nonsensical technical jargon about warp drives or ruptures in space-time continuum. The dialog serves to establish and embellish the characters as much as to advance the story. The action is fast paced - no other description will do.
But, IMO, what really makes the film tick are the people - the cast. They are simply fantastic. I am no Trekkie. I don't remember much of the original series or the movies except for the broad archetypes of the main characters. And these guys got it pat down. Not just that, I don't know how else to put it - somehow, they make each of those characters loveable, especially Chris Pine's Captain Kirk.
I chose to watch the IMAX 3D version, imagining that there'd be a lot of action sequences. Certainly, the IMAX and 3D made it worthwhile in the spectacular action scenes, but there's also a lot of drama in between, with really close closeups of faces .. In one scene, I found myself counting the pores on Pine's nose :) In hindsight, a regular screen would have been just fine - this is certainly no Avatar or Life of Pi. But it is good.
Catch it on big screen while it lasts!
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1408101/?ref_=sr_1
Comments
The list of movies I have been dying to watch is growing every week. I wish the day care was open on the weekends to use it for emergencies like this :).
You rely on Entertainment Weekly for reviews? I use rotten tomatoes, but anything that has above 90 in Critics rating, I check the users ratings which usually is a good indicator for me. These critics have a weird taste or a should I say a different taste than mine and I got tricked into watching horrible movies on many occasions.
EW - I don't read the reviews. They present a matrix of ratings which I consult. The pre-release coverage of this film I read in various media didn't really inform me in any way. So, I was able to watch the film with an open mind and no preconceived notions.
BTW, your favorite Shailene Woodley has a new film out as heroine - thought you'd like to know! :)