Three years into the five year voyage of exploration, the Enterprise docks onto one of the federation's space stations and we get a taste of what this space station looks like. These scenes were filmed in Dubai, which lends its architecture to futuristic movies. What I found fascinating was the way the tall buildings all pointed to the center of the artificial open sphere, and how at the top the unreliable gravity played tricks on the unwary. Logical, but fascinating nevertheless.
The inciting incident is weak. The damsel in distress begging the federation to rescue her crew was obviously setting a trap. No responsible captain would have rushed without at least investigating. When Kirk said he guessed it was a trap early on, but not early enough, that was a gross understatement.
I liked that new female characters were given an important role. Love this new ally, who kicks butts and takes names, and I like the fact that at the end she plans to join Star Fleet. I hope we see her again.
The male villain had an interesting history, but not clearly explained. I won't spoil the story for you, but I don't understand what prompted his physical transformation. It lacked clarity and didn't seem to make much sense. Was he an alien from the start posing as a human? Or did something happen to him while he was on the alien planet?
Costumes, makeup and special effects were impeccable and breathtaking, as usual... even though I didn't see the movie in 3D.
I enjoyed the fact that the characters were made more human. Bones had a better presence than in the previous movie, and his character in opposition to Spok was funny and interesting, like in the original series, which is what I liked about him.
I enjoyed the motorcycle scene. Quite a stunt, and so fitting for Kirk. Only he would come up with such a dare-devil idea for a distraction.
I enjoyed seeing all the regular characters.
We also revisited an old federation ship
It was somewhat sad to see Chekov again played by Anton Yelchin, who was killed by his own car in his driveway when the parking brake failed. it happened shortly before the movie release. Rumor has it that his role will not be recast in future movies.
R.I.P. Anton Yelchin - here in the role of Chekov
As for Uhura, her love affair with Spok is still going strong. And on a different note, we learn in this movie that Mr. Sulu is gay. Possibly a wink to the original Mr. Sulu, George Takei.
How many times and in how many ways can we destroy the Enterprise? This seems to be the recurring theme on all Star Trek movies. This time in particular, I can't see how they could have possibly salvaged anything after the destruction, or retrieved any of the pieces. Yet, curiously enough, at the end of the movie, somewhat by magic, the ship is restored to its pristine state... ready for the next adventure.
I enjoyed the movie. Hope you do, too.
Vijaya Schartz
Blasters, Swords, Romance with a Kick
Website: http://www.vijayaschartz.com
The male villain had an interesting history, but not clearly explained. I won't spoil the story for you, but I don't understand what prompted his physical transformation. It lacked clarity and didn't seem to make much sense. Was he an alien from the start posing as a human? Or did something happen to him while he was on the alien planet?
Costumes, makeup and special effects were impeccable and breathtaking, as usual... even though I didn't see the movie in 3D.
I enjoyed the fact that the characters were made more human. Bones had a better presence than in the previous movie, and his character in opposition to Spok was funny and interesting, like in the original series, which is what I liked about him.
I enjoyed the motorcycle scene. Quite a stunt, and so fitting for Kirk. Only he would come up with such a dare-devil idea for a distraction.
I enjoyed seeing all the regular characters.
We also revisited an old federation ship
It was somewhat sad to see Chekov again played by Anton Yelchin, who was killed by his own car in his driveway when the parking brake failed. it happened shortly before the movie release. Rumor has it that his role will not be recast in future movies.
R.I.P. Anton Yelchin - here in the role of Chekov
As for Uhura, her love affair with Spok is still going strong. And on a different note, we learn in this movie that Mr. Sulu is gay. Possibly a wink to the original Mr. Sulu, George Takei.
How many times and in how many ways can we destroy the Enterprise? This seems to be the recurring theme on all Star Trek movies. This time in particular, I can't see how they could have possibly salvaged anything after the destruction, or retrieved any of the pieces. Yet, curiously enough, at the end of the movie, somewhat by magic, the ship is restored to its pristine state... ready for the next adventure.
I enjoyed the movie. Hope you do, too.
Vijaya Schartz
Blasters, Swords, Romance with a Kick
Website: http://www.vijayaschartz.com
2 comments:
This was beautiful review. Thanks Vijaya. I am planning on seeing this one but hesitated because my daughter said it was missing something she couldn't put her finger on. After reading your review I can't see what that would be. Guess I'll see if I have the same opinion after watching it. Maybe it was the part about the trap that you explained. Anyhoo, I'm a big original Star Trek series fan and loved how they did so well in representing the characters we love in the new movies.
Good review. I'm looking forward to seeing all the familiar characters again. So sad about Anton Yelchin--I did not know that he died.
Post a Comment