{"id":5912,"date":"2013-05-23T05:33:02","date_gmt":"2013-05-23T05:33:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hotnerdgirl.com\/?p=5912"},"modified":"2024-02-29T07:17:47","modified_gmt":"2024-02-29T07:17:47","slug":"star-trek-into-darkness-reviewed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hotnerdgirl.com\/index.php\/2013\/05\/23\/star-trek-into-darkness-reviewed\/","title":{"rendered":"Star Trek Into Darkness Reviewed"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

HNG Star Trek Into Darkness<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

So many nerdy posters but not a single Star Trek one to be found<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

I know that this review crazy late but I\u2019ve been dealing with some stuff that I might write about later so\u2026 c\u2019est la vie, mes chers amis!<\/p>\n

There isn\u2019t much in this world that I love more than\u00a0Star Trek<\/i>. It excites and inspires me like nothing else. I managed to see\u00a0Star Trek Into Darkness<\/em>\u00a0twice before opening day. My coworker convinced me to enter a costume contest that a local news station was having so I submitted\u00a0this picture<\/strong>\u00a0at the last minute and ended up winning the grand prize. No one was more surprised than me, let me tell you! My prize was VIP tickets to a\u00a0Wednesday night showing, $80 in concessions, and a gift bag full of\u00a0Star Trek Into Darkness<\/em>\u00a0goodies like a sweatshirt, t-shirt, poster, fake tattoos, cups, and some kind of Bluetooth device that I haven\u2019t figured out yet. So I took\u00a0my Mama\u00a0and stood at the concession counter while two employees ran around collecting\u00a0$80 worth of Red Vines and Junior Mints. Then I saw it again with my friends at a Thursday night preview. Both times were in 3D and I will probably see it again in 2D just for the heck of it.<\/p>\n

*WARNING: I usually try really hard not to spoil things but I can\u2019t help it when it comes to anything\u00a0Star Trek\u00a0<\/i>related and I spoil the shit out of this so beware. Also, it\u2019s been out a week so you should have seen it by now.<\/p>\n

[youtube:http:\/\/youtu.be\/QAEkuVgt6Aw]<\/p>\n

\u2013<\/p>\n

A brief synopsis: Starfleet\u2019s been doing pretty swell since\u00a0Nero got knocked down\u00a0but a new threat has emerged and no one seems to know how or why, just that he\u2019s blowing shit up and they want him to stop. It\u2019s up to Kirk and his crew to stop this one man Army using whatever means necessary. They think they\u2019ve accomplished this task until\u00a0Robocop<\/em>\u00a0shows up and turns out not to be such a good guy after all. 72\u00a0Augmenticles, 2\u00a0starships, a few thousand\u00a0lens flares, and a\u00a0half-naked baby mama\u00a0later and our favorite alternate reality crew is finally off on their five year mission and a third movie.<\/p>\n

Kirk (Chris Pine) has the Enterprise. Kirk loses the Enterprise. Kirk gets the Enterprise back. Enterprise loses Kirk. Enterprise gets Kirk back. Some would call this a better love story than\u00a0Twilight<\/em>. But I digress. Kirk is riding pretty high at the beginning of this movie. He pretty much thinks he\u2019s invincible and it\u2019s up to Admiral Pike to knock him down a few pegs (or Peggs\u2026?) Just as soon as the message sinks in he\u2019s thrust back into being a rock star and has to save the day from enemies on two fronts. You\u2019d think being thrown out of a trash chute with a genetically engineered superman would humble the dude. It doesn\u2019t, but he learns a lot and by the end of the movie he gets a bit philosophical, saying \u201crevenge is not who we are.\u201d A nice little twist of the \u201crevenge is a dish best served cold\u201d bit of\u00a0Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan<\/em>. Speaking of twists\u2026Kirk and Spock\u2019s little\u00a0sacrificial\u00a0switch-a-roo\u00a0kind of annoyed me the first time I saw it. The second time I saw it I appreciated it more even though\u2026..<\/p>\n

\u2026\u2026Spock\u2019s redux of the famous (and infamous) \u201cKHAAAAAAAAAN!!!\u201d call was only slightly less cheesy than\u00a0Kirk\u2019s original. Is it just me, or was Spock way too emotional in this movie? Don\u2019t get me wrong, I lurv me some\u00a0Zachary Quinto,\u00a0missing earflaps\u00a0and all, but the crying and the talking about the feelings and the anger were all very un-Spock-like. Like everyone else, I applauded when\u00a0Spock Prime\u00a0(Leonard Nimoy) Skyped in to break his own rule and discuss how his crew defeated Khan \u201cat great cost.\u201d I hope he shows up in every post-JJ-era\u00a0Star Trek<\/em>\u00a0flick. Spock got some of the coolest scenes in the whole movie. In addition to fighting with a volcano, Khan, Uhura, and some Klingons, he got to use all his Vulcan tricks: nerve pinches, mind-melds, and leaping great distances in a single bound. His moments with Kirk were especially comedic.<\/p>\n

Uhura (Zoe Saldana) got to be pretty badass in this movie. She stood up to the Klingons and swooped in to save the day when her boyfriend (who she also fought with) was taking a beating. Alternate universe Uhura is turning into the mama bear of the crew. She\u2019s got a\u00a0fierceness\u00a0and a gentleness about her that exist in\u00a0relatively\u00a0perfect harmony. Her feistiness probably wouldn\u2019t fly in a real-life military but for the movies it\u2019s entertaining to watch her throw her earpiece across the bridge\u2019s console.<\/p>\n

McCoy and the metaphors! Bones (Karl Urban) spit out so many that it was almost \u2013\u00a0ALMOST<\/em>\u00a0\u2013 too much. He\u2019s lucky I love metaphors, bad puns, and cheesy lines. I drew the line at \u201cDamnit Spock, I\u2019m a Doctor not a torpedo technician!\u201d That was, in fact, too far. However, the scene where he\u2019s trying to examine Kirk on the sly was absolute perfection.<\/p>\n

Scotty (Simon Pegg) is running. He just thought you should know. Pegg is an absolute and sorely underutilized gem. He\u2019s got more to do than he did in\u00a0Star Trek (2009)<\/em>\u00a0but he needs more scenes to chew on because, my God, the man spits out gold every time he opens his mouth. He\u2019s a little pissed off in this movie. First his ship is submerged in salt water, then transporter technology that he created is being used and abused, then he\u2019s forced to resign his commission over a morality dispute, then \u201cOne day he\u2019s been off this ship. One day!\u201d and it\u2019s falling apart. Still, he plays a huge part in saving the day and Kirk declares him \u201ca miracle worker.\u201d Poor guy needs some scotch and a foot massage. His friend Keenser (Deep Roy) pulls a\u00a0Major \u201cKing\u201d Kong\u00a0and straddles a torpedo but disappears before the real action begins.<\/p>\n

Sadly, Sulu (John Cho) doesn\u2019t have much to do in this movie, with one major exception. He gets to sit in the Captain\u2019s chair for a while and deliver an announcement to Khan full of truly epic badassery. It\u2019s intimidating and unexpected enough that Bones (having previously underestimated him) looks over and says \u201cremind me never to piss you off.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the other hand, Chekov (Anton Yelchin) gets slightly more to do. When Scotty resigns, Chekov gets promoted (?) to Chief Engineer and looks truly aghast when Kirk orders him to \u201cput on a red shirt.\u201d He spends most of his time running around with a nifty pair of goggles on (I don\u2019t remember seeing anyone else in Engineering with goggles, but meh).<\/p>\n

The good guys are rounded out by a new addition, Dr. Carol Marcus (Alice Eve). She\u2019s the daughter of Admiral Marcus and the future mother of Kirk\u2019s son,\u00a0David\u00a0(if this timeline follows the original timeline). She\u2019s got a gratuitous but\u00a0not at all offensive\u00a0(not to me at least, I thought the scene was funny) moment in her\u00a0underwear\u00a0and a scream\u00a0reminiscent\u00a0of a\u00a0velociraptor.<\/p>\n

Benedict Cumberbatch\u00a0can do no wrong. Even his name is amazing. I\u2019m a MAJOR\u00a0Sherlock<\/em>\u00a0fan (though I draw the line at\u00a0Cumberbitch fangirl\u00a0status thankyouverymuch) and while, yes, BC is very handsome, I\u2019m far more attracted to his fantastic acting chops. He definitely does not disappoint here. He relishes every line of dialogue and every facial expression. He expresses more in a sideways glance then some actors do in an entire movie *coughcoughKristenStewartcoughcough* I\u2019m seriously considering\u00a0referring\u00a0to him as Benedict Skullcrusher from now on. Also, did anyone else notice that he turns into\u00a0Emo Khan\u00a0when he\u2019s fighting?<\/p>\n

In the movie Khan declares that he\u2019s better than everyone in every way. But he doesn\u2019t really explain why. So if you\u2019re a\u00a0Star Trek<\/em>\u00a0virgin, you\u2019re probably wondering\u00a0why<\/em>\u00a0he\u2019s so much better. Allow me to fill you in: way back in 1992 (you remember, right?) genetically engineered super humans developed a\u00a0superiority\u00a0complex and decided to take over the world. They managed to take over about 40% of it with Khan Noonien Singh as their absolute ruler. This resulted in a series of conflicts called the Eugenics or Great Wars. The normal old boring humans managed to defeat the \u201cAugments\u201d in 1996 but about 80 of them, including Khan, went missing until they were discovered in suspended animation aboard the SS\u00a0Botany Bay\u00a0<\/em>by the crew of the USS\u00a0Enterprise\u00a0<\/em>about 200 years later. Here\u2019s how they are \u201cbetter\u201d:\u00a0The\u00a0Augments\u00a0were designed to be remarkably agile, five times stronger than, and twice as intelligent as a normal human, resistant to sickness and with enhanced senses, possessing heart muscles twice as strong and\u00a0lung\u00a0efficiency 50% better. Their blood contained\u00a0platelets\u00a0capable of regenerating from any disease or toxin, which could be used to cure or revive medical subjects via\u00a0transfusion. They also had twice the average lifespan. Even their resistance to\u00a0energy\u00a0weapons\u00a0was improved, as it took multiple shots with a\u00a0phase pistol\u00a0to stun one. In combat, they were even capable of resisting a\u00a0Vulcan nerve pinch\u00a0and\u00a0mind meld. Unfortunately, along with those awesome abilities comes a massive increase in aggression, ambition, and all around douchebaggery.<\/p>\n

Speaking of douchebags\u2026Admiral Alexander Marcus (Peter Weller) is one. Can\u2019t quite figure out where you know him from? It\u2019s\u00a0Robocop<\/em>. Sure, he\u2019s been in a few things since then, but trust me, it\u2019s\u00a0Robocop<\/em>. You\u2019re welcome.\u00a0You start off liking Admiral Marcus. He\u2019s no-nonsense and doesn\u2019t mind hearing what the youngins have to say. Then he goes and tries to start an intergalactic war with his brand new supership and you start to change your mind a little.\u00a0Then<\/em>\u00a0he reveals that he\u2019s been planning to murder craploads of innocent people just to further his agenda and you start to understand why Khan squeezed his head until his skull cracked open like a walnut.<\/p>\n

To many folks Thomas Harewood (Noel Clarke) may seem like a minor character. Sure, he gets the action started by blowing up Section 31, but why should we care about him? Because he\u2019s also Mickey Smith, former Companion to the Doctor who was, at one point, thrust into a parallel universe. He did make his way back to our universe eventually but who\u2019s to say he didn\u2019t get a hold of a\u00a0vortex manipulator\u00a0and find himself trapped in the 23rd century??<\/p>\n

A few final notes:<\/p>\n

I like the warp signature effect, even though it reminds me of \u201cthe more you know\u201d NBC thing from when I was a kid, what with all the sparkles and tinkling and stuff.<\/p>\n

When did the Starfleet uniforms get hats? I don\u2019t ever remember hats but in this movie they were everywhere, especially when paired with the grey dress uniforms. Must be an alternate timeline thing.<\/p>\n

The USS\u00a0Bradbury<\/em>. I can think of no greater honor.<\/p>\n

42 people died when Harewood blew up Section 31. I just always feel the need to point out when the number 42 is used in anything.<\/p>\n

The ash rain on Spock at the Daystrom Institute. It was very poetic.<\/p>\n

Miss Jeanette (Aisha Hinds) from\u00a0True Blood<\/em>\u00a0took over Navigation from Chekov. Every time I saw her I pictured a voodoo ceremony.<\/p>\n

What happened to the red shirts who went with Kirk, Spock, and Uhura down to Kronos? They swapped out their red shirts for some generic leather jackets, made it to the surface and then were never seen again. I\u2019m assuming they perished in the fight with the Klingons but when?? I like to know\/see when Ensign Ricky bites the dust.<\/p>\n

Carol mentions her friend\u00a0Christine Chapel\u00a0who got as far away from Kirk as she could and became a nurse. This is the second time Nurse Chapel has been mentioned in the new films but we still haven\u2019t seen her.<\/p>\n

Spock: \u201cOur options are limited. We cannot fire and we cannot flee.\u201d I LOL\u2019d.<\/p>\n

Khan\u2019s speech on board the USS\u00a0Vengeance<\/em>\u00a0was very in keeping with the original Khan.<\/p>\n

The shot of the Enterprise regaining it\u2019s thrusters and slowly rising through the clouds was GORGEOUS.<\/p>\n

Whudda thunk that a noble Tribble would help to save the day? The\u00a0shirt I wore\u00a0the first time I saw it turned out to be very appropriate. Sometimes I\u2019m psychic that way.<\/p>\n

I happen to like the lense flares.<\/p>\n

I got really excited by stuff like Section 31, pregnant Gorns, and a reference to the \u201cMudd Incident.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was nice to hear Chris Pine give the Star Trek shpeel with the \u201c5 year mission\u201d added back.<\/p>\n

No one knew what to expect from the 2009 reboot. Thankfully, it turned out to be magical with just the right amount of inside Trekkie jokes for those in the know. They attempted to recapture that magic here and, to be honest, they just tried too hard at times. They are definitely focusing more on action than substance, which in some ways is a shame because that\u2019s not what\u00a0Star Trek<\/em>\u00a0is all about. It\u2019s about diplomacy and exploration first and violence as a last resort. The conversation between Kirk and Scotty over the torpedoes addressed that which I was grateful for, but the big explosions and fighting cheapen it just a little. That being said, I\u2019m a big fan of action and it\u2019s also helping to attract a crowd that normally wouldn\u2019t give\u00a0Star Trek<\/em>\u00a0the time of day so I appreciate the contribution it\u2019s making to the fandom. The more fans the merrier! It means that much more\u00a0Star Trek<\/em>\u00a0for me in the future \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

And so ends my review of The Wrath of Khan 2.0. What did you think of the movie?<\/p>\n

4 out of 5 Sci-Fives! (for once my Sci-Five graphic is 100% appropriate)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

If you like pictures like this:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Then don\u2019t forget to buy a calendar! It\u2019s got every nerdy holiday you can imagine, plus a super handy convention calendar, and some never-before-seen pictures that will never, ever be seen anywhere else. I know it\u2019s May but it\u2019s worth it to get the 2013 calendar. Besides, if I don\u2019t sell these, then there probably won\u2019t be one next year so, ya know\u2026buy one\u00a0\u00a0Since it\u2019s May, they\u2019re super discounted (I promise you I\u2019m not making a fortune off of them) and the price includes taxes and shipping within the US and Canada (if you live outside of the US\/Canada then email me at princesstrek@hotmail.com). AND\u00a0I\u2019ll sign it if you want.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

HNG Star Trek Into Darkness So many nerdy posters but not a single Star Trek one to be found I know that this review crazy late but I\u2019ve been dealing with some stuff that I might write about later so\u2026 c\u2019est la vie, mes chers amis! There isn\u2019t much in this world that I love […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[28,11,12,13],"tags":[1128,158,1129,1130,1131,442,1132,1133,551,878,885,1134,1135,1032],"class_list":["post-5912","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-movie","category-reviews","category-sci-fi","category-star-trek","tag-bones","tag-captain-kirk","tag-carol-marcus","tag-chekov","tag-dr-mccoy","tag-hot-nerd-girl","tag-jj-abrams","tag-khan","tag-kirk","tag-spock","tag-star-trek","tag-star-trek-into-darkness","tag-sulu","tag-uhura"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hotnerdgirl.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5912","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hotnerdgirl.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hotnerdgirl.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hotnerdgirl.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hotnerdgirl.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5912"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.hotnerdgirl.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5912\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hotnerdgirl.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5912"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hotnerdgirl.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5912"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hotnerdgirl.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5912"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}