I've discovered the key to enjoying every movie you see in the theaters: lower your expectations. I mean REALLY lower the bar, to the point where even Thumbelina would get stuck trying to limbo under it. Before going to see the latest addition to the Star Trek family, I lowered my expectations to just such a point- I prematurely expected myself to be miserable and trying to inconspicuously check the time on my cell phone without everyone in my immediate vicinity noticing. I could not have been so pleasantly surprised.
I see it as a Hollywood cop-out when film companies recycle material and it seldom works to their advantage. The new Star Wars series, for example. But this latest Star Trek broke this moldy cliche. The script was smart and sassy, with witty humor and hardly any gag-reflex-inducing one liners. The plot moved right along and never felt too draggy, which is an applaudable accomplishment given the two-hour-plus running time. As is inevitable in today's sensationalist cinema, the amount of action on the screen was enough to induce an epileptic seizure. The main issue with the film for me was simply a technical fault of the theater itself- the volume was cranked to the point where the screeching noises could easily have shattered a glass or two.
The plot wove together elements from a garden variety of the previous Star Trek episodes and movies. No offense to actor Benedict Cumberbatch, but his slightly snake-like eyes, stark-black hair and pasty complexion perfectly equip him to play the ultimate villain. I mean, this guy creeped me out more than a pack of clowns on Halloween. Juxtapose that with eye candy Chris Pine as Captain Kirk, and you really can't go wrong. I am indifferent about the guy who plays Spock, to the point where I am not going to bother looking him up. The way I see it, if you take any expressionless, pale, black-haired male and give him uppity eyebrows and a Beatle's haircut, you have created Spock. Oh, I guess he has to be able to make that Vulcan salute, which is actually a challenge for some.
I hate movie review conclusions. Just go see it.
I see it as a Hollywood cop-out when film companies recycle material and it seldom works to their advantage. The new Star Wars series, for example. But this latest Star Trek broke this moldy cliche. The script was smart and sassy, with witty humor and hardly any gag-reflex-inducing one liners. The plot moved right along and never felt too draggy, which is an applaudable accomplishment given the two-hour-plus running time. As is inevitable in today's sensationalist cinema, the amount of action on the screen was enough to induce an epileptic seizure. The main issue with the film for me was simply a technical fault of the theater itself- the volume was cranked to the point where the screeching noises could easily have shattered a glass or two.
The plot wove together elements from a garden variety of the previous Star Trek episodes and movies. No offense to actor Benedict Cumberbatch, but his slightly snake-like eyes, stark-black hair and pasty complexion perfectly equip him to play the ultimate villain. I mean, this guy creeped me out more than a pack of clowns on Halloween. Juxtapose that with eye candy Chris Pine as Captain Kirk, and you really can't go wrong. I am indifferent about the guy who plays Spock, to the point where I am not going to bother looking him up. The way I see it, if you take any expressionless, pale, black-haired male and give him uppity eyebrows and a Beatle's haircut, you have created Spock. Oh, I guess he has to be able to make that Vulcan salute, which is actually a challenge for some.
I hate movie review conclusions. Just go see it.
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