Year: 2013
Director: J.J. Abrams
Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence
Synopsis: 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.
Official Page and IMDb Page
Official Trailer
STEPH SAID
Rating:
Review:
*This review contains spoilers*
Half of this movie didn’t make sense; the other half is
directed to fans of the original series. On the other hand, it is visually
appealing and intriguing at times.
This movie’s plot is intriguing and confusing at the same
time; it has so many layers and storylines that neither is explored in depth.
The two antagonists of the story, Khan and The Admiral, have different roles
that keep changing constantly, from bad guy to good guy to bad guy again. That
alone left me baffled. But the fact that I didn’t know who The Admiral was made
it even worse. He didn’t have an introduction like Scotty or Sulu, the actors
just began talking about him like everybody knew who he was. Well, I didn’t
know and was lost for half the movie.
Also, Khan’s background story is confusing and full of
holes. For example, exactly how and where did The Admiral find Khan? How did
The Admiral knew what Khan was? Did Khan make the terrorist attempt because he
wanted to kill The Admiral or because he was following with the plan to start a
war? Did Khan left for Kronos because he didn’t want to be found or because he
wanted to start the war? Among others.
Some scenes of the movie felt forced and, I think, were only
filmed to please the fans of the original series. A flash appearance by Leonard
Nimoy and the Klingons, for example. More than once the Enterprise was showed
coming out, of water or clouds, in a grandiose manner. I know I was supposed to
feel impressed, but I wasn’t, to me it’s just a ship. Yet, I guess fans of the
classic series were revering those moments. Oh and the fact that it was a
retelling of Khan’s story is probably a nod to the fans.
Most of the movie was clichéd and predictable, the only
exception being the true intentions of Khan and The Admiral. I’ll name a few as
proof. There is a time where Mr. Spock is going to die and another one in which
Kirk is dying. However it is obvious they will not, since they are the
protagonists of a recently rebooted famous series. Similarly, there was a time
a ship was going to fire against the Enterprise and it lost its power at the
opportune moment. Also there was a moment in which Bones’ arm gets stuck in a
bomb, which is deactivated with two seconds of the timer.
If this movie had something good was its visually appealing images
and effects, and its actors’ performances. Anton Yelchin and Karl Urban were
great, I really enjoyed their performances. But it was Zachary Quinto and
Benedict Cumberbatch who kept the movie going. I love how Quinto portrays
Spock; he never ceases to amaze me. I love how he can act like he is strong and
has no emotion while at the same time letting it all out. When Spock was
emotional due to the loss of his friend he became irrational, and I loved it!
Cumberbatch performance was exceptional. Five stars to him alone. He was
intense, dramatic, intriguing, emotive and constant. If it not were for his and
Quinto’s performance I would have been bored throughout the whole movie.
I think J.J. Abrams tried too much with this movie, tried to
please too many people and the movie got out of hand. The actor’s performance
was what saved it.
