Letterboxd — Your life in film

Right off-the-bat, compared to the first one this had a weaker story but a way better villain.

Visually this thing is impressive. All of the action is awe-inspiring and the cinematography is similarly so. I can't think of better space action in a film..maybe Armageddon or Moon, but the latter isn't quite the same.

Zach Quinto is really good. His deadpan delivery and mannerisms are spot-on to what I imagine his character should be like. I haven't seen any of the Voyager films or the old television shows but I didn't think Spock was a badass. In the first film of this series it puzzled me as well. I guess it is more cinematically engaging to have him kick ass. Or am I wrong? Chris Pine also still bothers me. Something about him rubs me the wrong way. The dynamic between the two is hilarious and provides great comedic moments.

Adding on to those comedic elements is Simon Pegg. I'm pretty certain this guy is one of my favorite film comics out there right now (along with Will Ferrell and Nick Offerman). As Scotty he is equals parts brainiac and clown, and is a highlight of the film.

Much like Charlize Theron in Prometheus Alice Eve's character is utterly useless. She serves no purpose. In fact, the plot lines of both are very similar.
(Wow, when I wrote this I had no idea the films shared a principal writer...)

Benedict Cumberbatch not only has an awesome name but he was an awesome villain. I remember first seeing him in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and thinking he was tres peculiar. Now, all of a sudden, this guy is everywhere. His mouth movements caught my eye and drew me in; they were very accentuated. Great performance and awesome character. He kicks so much ass. The scene in which he is wielding the futuristic equivalent of a machine gun and a bazooka and single-handedly owning those Klingons was incredibly cool.

The story was a tad lacking:
-The origins of Cumberbatch's character were sorely underdeveloped and, while not crucial, wouldve been nice to know. His whole character motivation and arch did stump me for awhile and only after talking it out was I able to connect the dots.
-Then, Admiral Marcus's involvement in the latter portion of the film is jumbled and not very clear--or not as much as I'd have hoped.
-Finally, the whole ending was very predictable; granted, I do not see a way around this pitfall but I still have to mention it.
-The entire film seemed to be a number of incredibly entertaining and visually stunning action scenes tied together by some loose plot.

Rewatched as preparation for seeing the sequel tonight

Here's what I know about the "Star Trek" universe:
A. There is a Captain named James Tiberius Kirk
B. There is a race called the Vulcans and the most prominent one is Spock
C. The flagship......ship...is the USS Enterprise
D. "Beam me up Scotty"

When I first saw this film I saw it with my father who is a less intense version of a Trekie. However, I do not think it is important to know anything about Star Trek before seeing this film--I didn't and I felt completely in the loop. JJ Abrams and the screenwriter did a fine job of educating all types of viewers and leaving no man behind.

I don't really like Chris Pine. There is something weird about him that bothers me. After seeing this two times now I don't think I feel that Pine IS Cpt. Kirk; I can easily see someone else coming in and taking over Meanwhile, Zach Quinto seems like he is the new Spock.

Seeing Simon Pegg and John Cho in dramatic roles is pretty weird. Sure, Pegg also did MI:3 and MI:4 but it is still weird to me to see hilarious comedians in dramatic roles. That being said, both carried themselves well enough and didn't disappoint.

Eric Bana seemed like the weak link of this film. His role is too underdeveloped in my opinion. Additionally, aside from Black Hawk Down and maybe Troy (I dont remember Munich), I can't recall a film where I enjoyed Bana's presence. He doesn't seem to be a developed enough actor to be in this film as the villain (it looks like Abrams addressed this issue and upgraded the sequel with Cumbercabbagepatch).

As I am not a huge Star Trek fan I had no horse in this race. I wasn't going to examine every single minute aspect of it to see if Abrams did it justice or whether I should flame the hell out of him. As far as I am concerned, Abrams did wonderfully here and this is a great film. It is witty, appropriately paced, engrossing, entertaining, and visually glorious at times.

Michael Giacchino's main theme is astounding. It is epic and huge. It fits perfectly.

I am looking forward to the sequel.