454: Star Trek Into Darkness

[00:00:00] 161, let's get to Star Trek Into Darkness which is the second in the trilogy. Came out in 2013, is once again directed by JJ Abrams, stars mostly the same cast as well as Alice Eve, Peter Weller, Benedict Cumberbatch and a few others and the

[00:00:22] synopsis is, after the crew of the Enterprise find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war zone world to capture a one-man weapon of mass destruction.

[00:00:36] So as I said this was the first one that I watched not really knowing anything about it, not really expecting a whole lot and I've seen it probably four or five times over the years and this one in terms of the most memorable scenes

[00:00:52] and the most emotion I think this one wins of the three and as for anyone who listens to the show frequently I love a good villain and a good villain can make the rest of the movie better, it can elevate it and I think that's what this

[00:01:04] one does. I know some people really rag on this movie I don't really know why compared to a lot of other films like it that get rave reviews from audiences and critics so I don't know really why a lot of people hate on this let me know in

[00:01:17] the comments if you want but I think this movie is very very solid it might be even my favorite JJ Abrams movie even with the Star Wars films as well because for one Benedict Cumberbatch amazing as Khan I think Khan is a great

[00:01:33] villain because mainly not to say you sympathize with him or say oh well all the people you're killing is okay it gives you a reason to understand where he's coming from you know he wants to save his people the last of his people so

[00:01:46] he's really going too far above and beyond to save them so I think that is a really in terms of the writing it's co-written by Damon Lindelof who also co-wrote Prometheus, The Leftovers and some others he's a and Watchmen the HBO

[00:02:02] miniseries or limited series he can be a really really great writer he has a few misses here and there but I think the script is very strong especially when it comes to Khan and the overall emotional resonance

[00:02:14] the opening of the movie though just getting away from him for a little while the opening like this is where the visual style really comes through where you know as I talked about with the first movie where it lacked this they

[00:02:26] have a bigger budget they have more of an understanding of the world they probably had more freedom to do what they wanted where they wanted to go planet-wise design-wise I think this movie looks so good the practical effects with makeup with production design the costumes the look

[00:02:44] of the red planet with the red trees and then the natives who have the yellow costumes and the white skin like almost like chalked skin that looks great and very intense and even the action is elevated in terms of direction the scale

[00:03:01] the choreography so it really does fit into a sequel for me at least being superior saying we're elevating it but not just for the sake of elevating it we can just do more and they make good use of that

[00:03:15] and then everything with Uhura and Spock I like that relationship and those actors have very good chemistry really performance-wise great the score is really really good by Michael Giacchino also the opening where you don't really

[00:03:31] meet Kahn you meet one of his servants I guess you could say where you see this father whose daughter's dying and then you find out later you know he would agree to help him if he sacrificed himself for this terrorist attack so to

[00:03:44] speak and I think all that it's dark but I really don't mind the series being dark because it has the ability somewhat similar to Star Wars but Star Trek is such an open palette open canvas that you really can go comedic as it does

[00:04:00] more so with Star Trek Beyond but you can also go really really dark with the right creative team the right performances behind it and this movie pulls off how dark it is very very well the scene where you first meet Kahn in

[00:04:14] that action sequence very good and Kahn is really in terms of the physicality both through Benedict Cumberbatch but also how it's directed very vicious and brutal but it's really effective I really like how they shoot

[00:04:28] him and how he acts and how he is in combat it's very very violent and fearless one other I haven't even really talked about John Cho much at all is Sulu I think he is perfect in that role and that scene that one good line

[00:04:46] what's really really good delivery where he's at the helm and he's like you will fail if you try and cross me and Bones is like remind me never to piss you off I think that's a such a good acting moment like it's perfect in terms of a

[00:05:00] character who's usually really not that threatening being very commanding and confident in what he's doing so I think that's very it really it picks its spots so well with performances I think one of the best scenes in the whole movie that

[00:05:13] always even from the first time I saw that really is so powerful is that scene where they do capture Kahn in that little glass cell and Kirk has that conversation with him and you give that backstory of Kahn's past trauma and

[00:05:30] those he's lost those performances by Benedict Cumberbatch and Chris Pine are so good like so touching so emotionally deep and dynamic like it's way better and way more elevated that needs to be for a Star Trek sequel they're going way

[00:05:50] above and beyond and the writing helps too but those that was like the best scene the movie to me I'm just like waiting for that scene to happen but besides that some other good action sequences the scene with Spock and Kirk

[00:06:04] where they're flying or jumping whatever you want to call it from one ship to the other that's great oh and actually quickly one thing the part of the movie and this goes into having a great villain is where Kahn and

[00:06:19] Kirk work together like that just shows you the flipping of switches the you know changing of not really changing of sides but getting a certain understanding and having to become sort of partners in various ways to complete a certain

[00:06:33] mission or a certain task like I just like how that relationship changes over the course of the movie and you don't really see that that often when it comes to the good versus evil villains especially in pretty normal blockbuster

[00:06:44] sci-fi films that's pretty rare and even the discovery of the cryo tubes of Kahn's I think that's a very good scene and Spock and Kahn have a really good conversation there that really works really one of the only scenes that

[00:06:59] stands out to me is being like wait what is that really pretty I mean just bluntly like shallow scene where Alice Eves's character like they turn around and she's basically just in her underwear and it's a full body shot and

[00:07:15] lingers there for a second it's like why did we need to see this like I'm not against having a little flirtation or romance or sexuality in these movies that's fine but it's so glaringly like superficial and you know it's shooting

[00:07:31] here from a low angle so you just see everything and she's like wait what like what's the big deal and it just feels so out of place almost just like for a marketing gimmick or something it really I think everybody in theater was

[00:07:43] like why are we spending time on this you know it just feels really weird especially now really just feels dated and really could have gone would have lost absolutely nothing so and because really there's not even that much of a

[00:07:56] romance or anything with any of those characters in terms of Alice Eve really the only real romance in the movie is Uhura and Spock which I love that's great as I said so really one of the only other issues in the movie is the

[00:08:11] third act as with most sci-fi movies like this with JJ Abrams movies is the third act really just becomes good versus evil let's take down the bad guy big action which it looks really good like the action the choreography the

[00:08:24] moving through the city I think is awesome like it all really works for sure in terms of being very solid confident action but it just goes on a little too long and overall the movie I think is just maybe maybe 10 minutes ish

[00:08:37] too long I think it could have been cut down and that third act is really where I start to phase out a little bit here and there but not a huge issue still enjoyable so yeah I once again as I am oftentimes with films that seem to get

[00:08:53] really trashed not always but sometimes I'm pretty confused as to why people rag on this movie so much but this one is by far one of the better sci-fi installments especially in a big franchise you know Cinemac Universe

[00:09:07] whatever of the 2010s for sure maybe I'm the minority there but I think I'll always be a big fan of it and it's never really gone down in all the rewatches at all so that's saying something in yeah that is a four and a half out of five