Star Trek- Better than I thought it was going to be!

[Quantum Windbag]

Just got done watching "Star Trek: Into Darkness".


(Warning- SPOILERS AHEAD)

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan was the best of the movies. Nearly every film since then has tried to recreate the formula with a similar scenery-chewing villain, and this film decides, what the heck, let’s just bring back Khan.

Does it work? Kind of. I found myself intermittently being touched by the nice nods to the classics of Trek and then rolling my eyes at some of the corniness and over the top action scenes.

SPOILERS-
After a series of terrorists attacks on Star Fleet, Kirk and company are sent to the Klingon home world to hunt down the perpetrator, whom they are told is a renegade Star Fleet office but is in fact Khan. Seems he was resurrected by a renegade admiral who wanted to use his knowledge to prepare for war with the Klingons.

They have some subtle commentary on the war on terror and the ends justifying the means. Mostly, though, it’s enough plot to hang an okay action movie on. Peter Weller does a great job in his role. The machinations between Kirk and Admiral Marcus and Khan are pretty good.

Good stuff? Carol Marcus, a Tribble, Klingons, a ship they seized from Harry Mudd, Section 31, and so much more from a Trek Nerd’s wish list.

Also, have to say a lot of good things about the characters here. They all disappear into their roles fairly easily, with maybe the exception of Pine, who simply is not invoking Shatner just yet. Karl Urban is great as McCoy, but he’s completely underutilized. Quinto is becoming a convincing Spock.

The more dubious stuff. The action scenes are a bit much, to the point of eliminating my suspension of disbelief. This is the kind of cartoony stuff the Star Wars Prequels did. They spent a lot of money on this, and frankly, STII:TWOK got the same emotional impact with cheap sets on a movie they originally planned as a made for TV operation.

The Deus Ex Machina they use at the end to save a major character is telegraphed so obviously there’s no tension, and they spend a lot of time creating a thematic bridge between this and the climax of TWOK.

Worth watching. Yes.

They invented immortality and eternal youth, and you dismiss it as a cheap lot gimmick? What the fuck, did your brain die when you sat down? Khan was not a ignorant Muslim extremists, he was a well educated genius who quoted from Paradise Lost and saw himself in the role of Ahab in TWoK. His obsession with Kirk in the movie worked because we could understand that he saw Kirk as the whale, and knew that Kirk, even though he was an asshole, did not cause the problems Kahn had. That is what made the pathos of his final speech so powerful, we knew that he was even more delusional than Ahab when he triggered the Genesis device.

For a guy that insisted that he didn't want to know about the original cannon, Abrams did everything he could to tug at the heartstrings of the fans by repeating the exact same scene that killed Spock, only making it ridiculous beyond imagination by having a guy that flunked out t=of the academy sacrifice himself to save everyone else.

Kirk
Would
Not
Do
That.

Neither Kirk. The one in the new movies is too stupid to know what to do, the one in the TV shows would find another way.

This movie is a complete flop, and may have killed the entire franchise. The only hope we have is if they fire Abrams and reboot the series again, doing it with someone who actually understands that Star Trek is supposed to be a bit pretentious. If they don't there won't be anything after 2016.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

I've read a lot of scifi bloggers who weren't all that thrilled with this latest Star Trek movie.

I'll wait til it shows up on cable.

well lots of the "hard core" fans feel there was no need to create a new version of something that has been established for 50 years....Abrams and Co. could have just went back to day one on Kirks Enterprise and went from there,instead he has created his own version of Star Trek.....they do the same to many of the long established Comic Characters when they make some of their movies....take creative liberties.....what you gonna do?....

Almost every time a movie is redone it's to renew or transfer the patent as well as an attempt to appeal to the newer audience. Purist's will almost never like it, such is life.
While I like the sci-fi venue I'm not a Trekkie, Where I tend to get really anal is with historical movies, to each their own.........

There is a difference between re-imagining Star Trek for an audience that demands more action and turning it into Space 1999 for idiots.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

well lots of the "hard core" fans feel there was no need to create a new version of something that has been established for 50 years....Abrams and Co. could have just went back to day one on Kirks Enterprise and went from there,instead he has created his own version of Star Trek.....they do the same to many of the long established Comic Characters when they make some of their movies....take creative liberties.....what you gonna do?....

Almost every time a movie is redone it's to renew or transfer the patent as well as an attempt to appeal to the newer audience. Purist's will almost never like it, such is life.
While I like the sci-fi venue I'm not a Trekkie, Where I tend to get really anal is with historical movies, to each their own.........

Ringle i just feel if you have something that has 50 years of history behind it....you dont fuck with it.....Abrams could have created a whole brand new different crew and ship.....and used them for his alternate timeline shit....and it still would have sold....

He could have even gone back and showed Kirk's first day on the enterprise without turning him into a Luke Skywalker clone who is completely unqualified to command a starship.

 

[JoeB131]

They invented immortality and eternal youth, and you dismiss it as a cheap lot gimmick? What the fuck, did your brain die when you sat down?

It's science fiction- Frankly, the Genesis Device in TWOK was a bigger plot problem than shooting up someone with Khan's blood to save their lives. (And they had to spend the whole next movie fixing it.)

Khan was not a ignorant Muslim extremists, he was a well educated genius who quoted from Paradise Lost and saw himself in the role of Ahab in TWoK.

Actually, I thought the Melville/Milton quoting Khan was a bit contrived. And can you please check your anti-Muslim agenda at the door of the theatre?

His obsession with Kirk in the movie worked because we could understand that he saw Kirk as the whale, and knew that Kirk, even though he was an asshole, did not cause the problems Kahn had. That is what made the pathos of his final speech so powerful, we knew that he was even more delusional than Ahab when he triggered the Genesis device.

Oh, please. Ricardo was chewing up the scenery and his pathos was about as fake as his plastic chest muscles. Not that TWOK wasn't a great movie. It was. I would even go so far as to say it was vastly better than this movie made on 1/20th the budget.

For a guy that insisted that he didn't want to know about the original cannon, Abrams did everything he could to tug at the heartstrings of the fans by repeating the exact same scene that killed Spock, only making it ridiculous beyond imagination by having a guy that flunked out t=of the academy sacrifice himself to save everyone else.

Kirk
Would
Not
Do
That.

Neither Kirk. The one in the new movies is too stupid to know what to do, the one in the TV shows would find another way.

Whatever, dude. I think the problem is, you are approaching this movie like a Trek nerd, and what I discovered from years of arguing on Trek boards is that there is no pleasing those people.

If you went looking for a thoughtful Sci-Fi movie, you were going to be disappointed, but Trek hasn't done one of those since Star Trek VI.

This movie is a complete flop, and may have killed the entire franchise. The only hope we have is if they fire Abrams and reboot the series again, doing it with someone who actually understands that Star Trek is supposed to be a bit pretentious. If they don't there won't be anything after 2016.

The movie had a budget of 185 million and has made 259 million worldwide so far.

I do think they need a new director, that they probably need to develop the characters more. (I also think that Pine and Quinto are totally wrong for their roles. JMHO).

 

[Ringel05]

A world Government would need to make most citizens of that world equal, the only way currently to do that would be to lower Our life styles to the 3rd world. Be careful what you ask for.

This is SO not true. We would need to get rid of partisan politics. The false left/right paradigm, and most importantly, fiat currency as a means to control price signals. The elites on this planet, the slim one percent of the planet, hold over ninety-five percent of the wealth. You are very ignorant if this is your belief. The world's resources, labor, and economic potential are enough so that all people on the planet could live a lower class, or lower middle class existence easily. Probably within a decade, everyone could have a middle class life style if we redefined what that meant, NOT CONSUMERISM. You don't need a car, we don't need tons of gadgets, and lots and lots of cloths. Live simply, so that other may simply live. How many outfits does your average Star Trek crew member have? How many personal possessions? How many "toys?"

What would it take? The decentralization of power structures. The elimination of bloodlines controlling the destiny of humankind's future. A truly egalitarian society where all men and women have an even shot at deciding our future. While certain families are more concerned with maintaining their grip on control of the planet; the intellectual, scientific, and spiritual development of the planet has been hamstrung. Essentially, we are crippled by a global cabal that has an iron grip on us. Much like episode 23 Season 1 from Star Trek Enterprise, we are like the Mazarites, corrupt and wasteful to the core.
http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Fallen_Hero

If you want to know the why and the wherefores, DEMAND the press reveal what goes on inside those secrete meetings that the one percent hold to decide what wars our leaders will start next, and how they plan to manipulate the world economy through their global trade organizations and central banks. It takes more money to fight high tech wars than to feed, cloth and educate the world. Too big to fail? Try a population too stupid to care.

Hopefully you don't think this theoretical construct will actually work in the real world.

 

[Sallow]

I think all the actors are doing a great job channeling their roles.

Come on..Kirk wakes up with 2 cat ladies..

How Shatner is that?

 

[theHawk]

Just got done watching "Star Trek: Into Darkness".


(Warning- SPOILERS AHEAD)

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan was the best of the movies. Nearly every film since then has tried to recreate the formula with a similar scenery-chewing villain, and this film decides, what the heck, let’s just bring back Khan.

Does it work? Kind of. I found myself intermittently being touched by the nice nods to the classics of Trek and then rolling my eyes at some of the corniness and over the top action scenes.

SPOILERS-
After a series of terrorists attacks on Star Fleet, Kirk and company are sent to the Klingon home world to hunt down the perpetrator, whom they are told is a renegade Star Fleet office but is in fact Khan. Seems he was resurrected by a renegade admiral who wanted to use his knowledge to prepare for war with the Klingons.

They have some subtle commentary on the war on terror and the ends justifying the means. Mostly, though, it’s enough plot to hang an okay action movie on. Peter Weller does a great job in his role. The machinations between Kirk and Admiral Marcus and Khan are pretty good.

Good stuff? Carol Marcus, a Tribble, Klingons, a ship they seized from Harry Mudd, Section 31, and so much more from a Trek Nerd’s wish list.

Also, have to say a lot of good things about the characters here. They all disappear into their roles fairly easily, with maybe the exception of Pine, who simply is not invoking Shatner just yet. Karl Urban is great as McCoy, but he’s completely underutilized. Quinto is becoming a convincing Spock.

The more dubious stuff. The action scenes are a bit much, to the point of eliminating my suspension of disbelief. This is the kind of cartoony stuff the Star Wars Prequels did. They spent a lot of money on this, and frankly, STII:TWOK got the same emotional impact with cheap sets on a movie they originally planned as a made for TV operation.

The Deus Ex Machina they use at the end to save a major character is telegraphed so obviously there’s no tension, and they spend a lot of time creating a thematic bridge between this and the climax of TWOK.

Worth watching. Yes.

The only thing that kept me interested were the remakes of characters we all know, like you mentioned: Carol Marcus, Khan, ect.

I agree that the new McCoy and Spock are great, but I'm not buying Chris Pine's Kirk. Kirk wasn't ever that wild in the old show or the movies.

I'm still not entirely sold on these Abrams' Star Trek movies. There's just way too much stuff they do just for the sake of having a gimick, so at times it feels like I am watching a Micheal Bay movie, and I just want to put a gun to my head and end it. A perfect example is the opening scene of this one. These scenes that Abrams puts in are just so "un-Star trek" that they just pretty much ruin the movie.

I'd prefer if they just go back to making regular Star Trek movies with TNG or even do a Voyager or DS9 one. Even the bad ones are better the Abrams' garbage.

 

[MisterBeale]

A world Government would need to make most citizens of that world equal, the only way currently to do that would be to lower Our life styles to the 3rd world. Be careful what you ask for.

This is SO not true. We would need to get rid of partisan politics. The false left/right paradigm, and most importantly, fiat currency as a means to control price signals. The elites on this planet, the slim one percent of the planet, hold over ninety-five percent of the wealth. You are very ignorant if this is your belief. The world's resources, labor, and economic potential are enough so that all people on the planet could live a lower class, or lower middle class existence easily. Probably within a decade, everyone could have a middle class life style if we redefined what that meant, NOT CONSUMERISM. You don't need a car, we don't need tons of gadgets, and lots and lots of cloths. Live simply, so that other may simply live. How many outfits does your average Star Trek crew member have? How many personal possessions? How many "toys?"

What would it take? The decentralization of power structures. The elimination of bloodlines controlling the destiny of humankind's future. A truly egalitarian society where all men and women have an even shot at deciding our future. While certain families are more concerned with maintaining their grip on control of the planet; the intellectual, scientific, and spiritual development of the planet has been hamstrung. Essentially, we are crippled by a global cabal that has an iron grip on us. Much like episode 23 Season 1 from Star Trek Enterprise, we are like the Mazarites, corrupt and wasteful to the core.
http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Fallen_Hero

If you want to know the why and the wherefores, DEMAND the press reveal what goes on inside those secrete meetings that the one percent hold to decide what wars our leaders will start next, and how they plan to manipulate the world economy through their global trade organizations and central banks. It takes more money to fight high tech wars than to feed, cloth and educate the world. Too big to fail? Try a population too stupid to care.

Hopefully you don't think this theoretical construct will actually work in the real world.

Of course not. It is too late for that. The minds of men have been hopelessly dulled by the elites in their indoctrination institutions. Once the mighty aurochs grew in the wild and were able to fend for themselves. No more. Like the self-sufficient rugged free thinking individual, they are now extincit, leaving behind only their distant cousin, the domesticated herd cow. Wolf packs wouldn't dare to challenge an individual in an aurochs herd, their only hope would be to separate the old, infirm or weak from the pack. How long do you think a herd of cattle would last against a pack of wolves? Even the strongest bulls standing together would melt away with out the protection of their human masters, much like civil society believes now w/o their masters. I mean, look at this. . . . .

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DigiWS1YhxI]Black Friday Crowd Rushing into Urban Outfitters - YouTube[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixoNk0cm4kY]Black Friday Shopping Madness 2011 Raw Footage Compilation - Tom Petty Remix - YouTube[/ame]

So it goes with modern man. Humans today are helpless, made that way by centralized governments, and their insidious indoctrination institutions and corporate controlled media. Even the tone of your cross makes me wonder whether you have the ability for independent thought outside of the dominant paradigm.

No, in order for a "Star Trek" world to exist, it has to happen, it has to start with the individual. WE the individual have to take responsibility. When everyone STOPS giving gifts and material shit at Christmas, and stops giving birthday gifts to everyone every year, and stops giving gifts for every single little puissant holiday created by corporations, THEN maybe, just maybe, we will have a change. But the change starts with US. Not by blaming them, or the system. They might have done it to us, but if they were gone, the damage they have done still remains. The aurochs, the independent spirit is still extinct.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcMxyq7UH8c]Knowledge Reigns Supreme 'Burger King' - YouTube[/ame]

Learn to say, "I'm good," And a Star Trek future will be here sooner than we would believe.

 

[Harry Dresden]

Almost every time a movie is redone it's to renew or transfer the patent as well as an attempt to appeal to the newer audience. Purist's will almost never like it, such is life.
While I like the sci-fi venue I'm not a Trekkie, Where I tend to get really anal is with historical movies, to each their own.........

Ringle i just feel if you have something that has 50 years of history behind it....you dont fuck with it.....Abrams could have created a whole brand new different crew and ship.....and used them for his alternate timeline shit....and it still would have sold....

He could have even gone back and showed Kirk's first day on the enterprise without turning him into a Luke Skywalker clone who is completely unqualified to command a starship.

yep.......commands a Ship and was never even a Ist Officer or even a LT.Commander....that was realistic....

 

[Harry Dresden]

Just got done watching "Star Trek: Into Darkness".


(Warning- SPOILERS AHEAD)

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan was the best of the movies. Nearly every film since then has tried to recreate the formula with a similar scenery-chewing villain, and this film decides, what the heck, let’s just bring back Khan.

Does it work? Kind of. I found myself intermittently being touched by the nice nods to the classics of Trek and then rolling my eyes at some of the corniness and over the top action scenes.

SPOILERS-
After a series of terrorists attacks on Star Fleet, Kirk and company are sent to the Klingon home world to hunt down the perpetrator, whom they are told is a renegade Star Fleet office but is in fact Khan. Seems he was resurrected by a renegade admiral who wanted to use his knowledge to prepare for war with the Klingons.

They have some subtle commentary on the war on terror and the ends justifying the means. Mostly, though, it’s enough plot to hang an okay action movie on. Peter Weller does a great job in his role. The machinations between Kirk and Admiral Marcus and Khan are pretty good.

Good stuff? Carol Marcus, a Tribble, Klingons, a ship they seized from Harry Mudd, Section 31, and so much more from a Trek Nerd’s wish list.

Also, have to say a lot of good things about the characters here. They all disappear into their roles fairly easily, with maybe the exception of Pine, who simply is not invoking Shatner just yet. Karl Urban is great as McCoy, but he’s completely underutilized. Quinto is becoming a convincing Spock.

The more dubious stuff. The action scenes are a bit much, to the point of eliminating my suspension of disbelief. This is the kind of cartoony stuff the Star Wars Prequels did. They spent a lot of money on this, and frankly, STII:TWOK got the same emotional impact with cheap sets on a movie they originally planned as a made for TV operation.

The Deus Ex Machina they use at the end to save a major character is telegraphed so obviously there’s no tension, and they spend a lot of time creating a thematic bridge between this and the climax of TWOK.

Worth watching. Yes.

The only thing that kept me interested were the remakes of characters we all know, like you mentioned: Carol Marcus, Khan, ect.

I agree that the new McCoy and Spock are great, but I'm not buying Chris Pine's Kirk. Kirk wasn't ever that wild in the old show or the movies.

I'm still not entirely sold on these Abrams' Star Trek movies. There's just way too much stuff they do just for the sake of having a gimick, so at times it feels like I am watching a Micheal Bay movie, and I just want to put a gun to my head and end it. A perfect example is the opening scene of this one. These scenes that Abrams puts in are just so "un-Star trek" that they just pretty much ruin the movie.

I'd prefer if they just go back to making regular Star Trek movies with TNG or even do a Voyager or DS9 one. Even the bad ones are better the Abrams' garbage.

they should have let J. Michael Straczynski do the film.....he expressed interest to do it...and said he would have gone for it.....

 

[Quantum Windbag]

It's science fiction- Frankly, the Genesis Device in TWOK was a bigger plot problem than shooting up someone with Khan's blood to save their lives. (And they had to spend the whole next movie fixing it.)

Protomatter makes more sense than injecting human blood into dead tribbles and discovering it cures death. How is human blood, even bioengineered human blood, compatibale with a species that humans had never encountered? Why would a doctor with all the advanced technology of Starfleet medical inject random dead things with human blood anyway? Was he secretly hoping the tribble would eat Khan?

Actually, I thought the Melville/Milton quoting Khan was a bit contrived. And can you please check your anti-Muslim agenda at the door of the theatre?

My anti Muslim agenda? I didn't make the movie.

Oh, please. Ricardo was chewing up the scenery and his pathos was about as fake as his plastic chest muscles. Not that TWOK wasn't a great movie. It was. I would even go so far as to say it was vastly better than this movie made on 1/20th the budget.

It was meant to be over the top, just like Moby Dick. Star Trek was always over the top, but it knew it. Why else would Kirk stumble across Greek gods and a bioengineered superman who he couldn't possibly defeat, yet still manage to save the day? The references to classic literature just reinforced that element, and is what distinguished Star Trek from Lost in Space.

Whatever, dude. I think the problem is, you are approaching this movie like a Trek nerd, and what I discovered from years of arguing on Trek boards is that there is no pleasing those people.

If you went looking for a thoughtful Sci-Fi movie, you were going to be disappointed, but Trek hasn't done one of those since Star Trek VI.

I approached this movie the same way I do all movies, hoping to be able to escape reality without being insulted. I could have accepted the Enterprise hiding in the ocean instead of in space. I could even have accepted that a primitive culture would be entirely wiped out by a volcano that wasn't even going to impact the planet as much as Krakatoa impacted Earth. What I could not accept is a cold fusion bomb that would freeze the lava. That made me sit up and actually say what the fuck out loud.

The movie had a budget of 185 million and has made 259 million worldwide so far.

I do think they need a new director, that they probably need to develop the characters more. (I also think that Pine and Quinto are totally wrong for their roles. JMHO).

First, you forgot the massive promotional budget Paramount poured into this movie. Second, it has made less money that the first Abrams Star Trek movie, and it is making a fraction of the amount of money Paramount wants a film like this to make. It is a flop, even though it will make money.

By the way, I actually think Quinto nailed Spock, though I do keep expecting him to slice someone's head open.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

Ringle i just feel if you have something that has 50 years of history behind it....you dont fuck with it.....Abrams could have created a whole brand new different crew and ship.....and used them for his alternate timeline shit....and it still would have sold....

He could have even gone back and showed Kirk's first day on the enterprise without turning him into a Luke Skywalker clone who is completely unqualified to command a starship.

yep.......commands a Ship and was never even a Ist Officer or even a LT.Commander....that was realistic....

Hey, he was a first officer for almost 3 minutes before he got tossed off the ship for mutiny.

 

[Ringel05]

This is SO not true. We would need to get rid of partisan politics. The false left/right paradigm, and most importantly, fiat currency as a means to control price signals. The elites on this planet, the slim one percent of the planet, hold over ninety-five percent of the wealth. You are very ignorant if this is your belief. The world's resources, labor, and economic potential are enough so that all people on the planet could live a lower class, or lower middle class existence easily. Probably within a decade, everyone could have a middle class life style if we redefined what that meant, NOT CONSUMERISM. You don't need a car, we don't need tons of gadgets, and lots and lots of cloths. Live simply, so that other may simply live. How many outfits does your average Star Trek crew member have? How many personal possessions? How many "toys?"

What would it take? The decentralization of power structures. The elimination of bloodlines controlling the destiny of humankind's future. A truly egalitarian society where all men and women have an even shot at deciding our future. While certain families are more concerned with maintaining their grip on control of the planet; the intellectual, scientific, and spiritual development of the planet has been hamstrung. Essentially, we are crippled by a global cabal that has an iron grip on us. Much like episode 23 Season 1 from Star Trek Enterprise, we are like the Mazarites, corrupt and wasteful to the core.
http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Fallen_Hero

If you want to know the why and the wherefores, DEMAND the press reveal what goes on inside those secrete meetings that the one percent hold to decide what wars our leaders will start next, and how they plan to manipulate the world economy through their global trade organizations and central banks. It takes more money to fight high tech wars than to feed, cloth and educate the world. Too big to fail? Try a population too stupid to care.

Hopefully you don't think this theoretical construct will actually work in the real world.

Of course not. It is too late for that. The minds of men have been hopelessly dulled by the elites in their indoctrination institutions. Once the mighty aurochs grew in the wild and were able to fend for themselves. No more. Like the self-sufficient rugged free thinking individual, they are now extincit, leaving behind only their distant cousin, the domesticated herd cow. Wolf packs wouldn't dare to challenge an individual in an aurochs herd, their only hope would be to separate the old, infirm or weak from the pack. How long do you think a herd of cattle would last against a pack of wolves? Even the strongest bulls standing together would melt away with out the protection of their human masters, much like civil society believes now w/o their masters. I mean, look at this. . . . .

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DigiWS1YhxI]Black Friday Crowd Rushing into Urban Outfitters - YouTube[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixoNk0cm4kY]Black Friday Shopping Madness 2011 Raw Footage Compilation - Tom Petty Remix - YouTube[/ame]

So it goes with modern man. Humans today are helpless, made that way by centralized governments, and their insidious indoctrination institutions and corporate controlled media. Even the tone of your cross makes me wonder whether you have the ability for independent thought outside of the dominant paradigm.

No, in order for a "Star Trek" world to exist, it has to happen, it has to start with the individual. WE the individual have to take responsibility. When everyone STOPS giving gifts and material shit at Christmas, and stops giving birthday gifts to everyone every year, and stops giving gifts for every single little puissant holiday created by corporations, THEN maybe, just maybe, we will have a change. But the change starts with US. Not by blaming them, or the system. They might have done it to us, but if they were gone, the damage they have done still remains. The aurochs, the independent spirit is still extinct.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcMxyq7UH8c]Knowledge Reigns Supreme 'Burger King' - YouTube[/ame]

Learn to say, "I'm good," And a Star Trek future will be here sooner than we would believe.

Yeah, it's the elites fault..........
The independent spirit is extinct.......

Tell me again what world insulated laboratory you live in? You know, the one that doesn't take real human nature into account..........

 

[Zona]

Just got done watching "Star Trek: Into Darkness".


(Warning- SPOILERS AHEAD)

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan was the best of the movies. Nearly every film since then has tried to recreate the formula with a similar scenery-chewing villain, and this film decides, what the heck, let’s just bring back Khan.

Does it work? Kind of. I found myself intermittently being touched by the nice nods to the classics of Trek and then rolling my eyes at some of the corniness and over the top action scenes.

SPOILERS-
After a series of terrorists attacks on Star Fleet, Kirk and company are sent to the Klingon home world to hunt down the perpetrator, whom they are told is a renegade Star Fleet office but is in fact Khan. Seems he was resurrected by a renegade admiral who wanted to use his knowledge to prepare for war with the Klingons.

They have some subtle commentary on the war on terror and the ends justifying the means. Mostly, though, it’s enough plot to hang an okay action movie on. Peter Weller does a great job in his role. The machinations between Kirk and Admiral Marcus and Khan are pretty good.

Good stuff? Carol Marcus, a Tribble, Klingons, a ship they seized from Harry Mudd, Section 31, and so much more from a Trek Nerd’s wish list.

Also, have to say a lot of good things about the characters here. They all disappear into their roles fairly easily, with maybe the exception of Pine, who simply is not invoking Shatner just yet. Karl Urban is great as McCoy, but he’s completely underutilized. Quinto is becoming a convincing Spock.

The more dubious stuff. The action scenes are a bit much, to the point of eliminating my suspension of disbelief. This is the kind of cartoony stuff the Star Wars Prequels did. They spent a lot of money on this, and frankly, STII:TWOK got the same emotional impact with cheap sets on a movie they originally planned as a made for TV operation.

The Deus Ex Machina they use at the end to save a major character is telegraphed so obviously there’s no tension, and they spend a lot of time creating a thematic bridge between this and the climax of TWOK.

Worth watching. Yes.

You forgot about the Nurse Chapel reference. (God I am such a trekkie geek.)

 

[MisterBeale]

By the way, I actually think Quinto nailed Spock, though I do keep expecting him to slice someone's head open.

Agreed. That's probably the number one reason I go to see the film, to watch him in it. Fun to watch actor. lol

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkWtuCdUtDg"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkWtuCdUtDg[/ame]

 

[MisterBeale]

Yeah, it's the elites fault..........
The independent spirit is extinct.......

Tell me again what world insulated laboratory you live in? You know, the one that doesn't take real human nature into account..........

There is no such thing as "human nature." Study a little cultural Anthropology and some epistemological Philosophy and you would know this. Either sign up for some classes at your local University or go to the Library and READ and stop believing everything you watch and hear from the MSM. It is apparent to me you watch too much TV. Since that is all you seem to find your way clear to do, I recommend a wonderful series by Desmond Morris called the Human Animal. Look it up. You would understand that Humans are the result of the societies they are raised in and what they choose to put into their heads.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Human_Animal_%28TV_series%29

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTsp9A7OaBI]The Human Animal by Desmond Morris - The Language of the Body - YouTube[/ame]

You know, someone asked, "Why can't we have a world like the Star Trek Universe?" And my multidisciplinary degree in Philosophy, Anthropology, English and Graduate work in Political Science I thought made me uniquely qualified to answer that question. Added to that, I have family that has been involved in esoteric activities going back many generations. I think I have a firm grip on the world situation. It really is an epistemological question which is at once simple and complex. WE ALL bear responsibility, and yet, there are certain power centers that have taken the power away, certainly intentionally from the masses. It isn't conspiracy, any more than the aristocracy of Europe conspired against the peasantry of Europe in the middle ages.

What? Do you think George Orwell and Aldous Huxley just got the ideas for their dystopian science fiction out of their asses? The reason our world resembles more of a 1984 or A Brave New World than a Star Trek has to do with the nastiness and selfishness of our leaders and the ignorance of our populace, it isn't a mystery.

And you sir, are an unqualified troll for attacking me and derailing the thread. YOU are one of those in the populace that I am referring to, ignorant and in denial. I can only assume that you thought the movie was wonderful and held no allusion to what is going on in our world today.

 

[Remodeling Maidiac]

Ok so I'm going to have to unsubscribe to avoid this I see. With all that's gone on in the last couple weeks I haven't had a chance to see it and im afraid you all are gonna inadvertently post spoilers without warnings.

Ill be back (yea I know, wrong movie)

 

[RetiredGySgt]

My wife does not like the new Kirk, she feels his portrayal is no good compared to Shattner's Kirk. I like all of them. I also am wondering why we don't facsimile their world govt.on our planet.

A world Government would need to make most citizens of that world equal, the only way currently to do that would be to lower Our life styles to the 3rd world. Be careful what you ask for.

How the hell would you know how it would be if all things were equal, including income.


"Better is bread with a happy heart than wealth with vexation."
Amenemope

Everything is not equal and that is my point, to make it seem that way would require we all lower our standards tp what would give the majority the same status. And that is 3rd world.

 

[RetiredGySgt]

A world Government would need to make most citizens of that world equal, the only way currently to do that would be to lower Our life styles to the 3rd world. Be careful what you ask for.

This is SO not true. We would need to get rid of partisan politics. The false left/right paradigm, and most importantly, fiat currency as a means to control price signals. The elites on this planet, the slim one percent of the planet, hold over ninety-five percent of the wealth. You are very ignorant if this is your belief. The world's resources, labor, and economic potential are enough so that all people on the planet could live a lower class, or lower middle class existence easily. Probably within a decade, everyone could have a middle class life style if we redefined what that meant, NOT CONSUMERISM. You don't need a car, we don't need tons of gadgets, and lots and lots of cloths. Live simply, so that other may simply live. How many outfits does your average Star Trek crew member have? How many personal possessions? How many "toys?"

What would it take? The decentralization of power structures. The elimination of bloodlines controlling the destiny of humankind's future. A truly egalitarian society where all men and women have an even shot at deciding our future. While certain families are more concerned with maintaining their grip on control of the planet; the intellectual, scientific, and spiritual development of the planet has been hamstrung. Essentially, we are crippled by a global cabal that has an iron grip on us. Much like episode 23 Season 1 from Star Trek Enterprise, we are like the Mazarites, corrupt and wasteful to the core.
http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Fallen_Hero

If you want to know the why and the wherefores, DEMAND the press reveal what goes on inside those secrete meetings that the one percent hold to decide what wars our leaders will start next, and how they plan to manipulate the world economy through their global trade organizations and central banks. It takes more money to fight high tech wars than to feed, cloth and educate the world. Too big to fail? Try a population too stupid to care.

In other words the 1st world and the 2nd must give up what it has and become more like the 3rd world, thanks for proving the point.

 

[Montrovant]

To avoid the strange political or social diatribes and get back to the actual movie....

I think these new Trek movies are fine. They don't meet the standards of the best previous Trek films, but are definitely better than the worst. I'd prefer a little less action/humor of the summer blockbuster and a little more depth to the plot, a little more character development, but I understand that is the exception rather than the rule and I'm not going into these films looking for too much.

That said, I did have one big problem with this movie, and that's the connections to Wrath of Khan.

When they decided to reboot Star Trek and create an alternate reality for it, I think they should have pretty much abandoned the old movies and series. Use the theme of Star Trek, even the main characters, but take it to entirely new places. This attempt to mesh the old into the new doesn't work. It's entirely too contrived. All of the references, rather than inspiring any fond memories, merely highlight their attempt to put more butts in the seats. Not only that, it seems like laziness; can't they get someone to write a new story? They have to steal from the old? And really, you are forced to suspend disbelief even within the context of the story to think that these characters would find a way to interact in this new, different timeline.

I assume they will continue to make these movies if the actors are under contract or willing to sign up for more, as both of the reboot movies have been profitable. I just hope that if they do, they stop pulling things from the old Star Trek and embrace the idea of making it their own.