Star Trek Into Darkness
Dir: J.J. Abrams
2013
*
I gave the first film a 2 star rating. I'm a Trekkie and I didn't think they respected the original idea or found what made it special. I liked it for its special effects and not much else. So, here we are at the sequel. The trailers looked good so I thought why not. I'll put the fact I thought they short-changed the fans to one side, I'll overlook that J.J. Abrams was quoted as saying that he wasn't a fan of the original and that he changed the time-line purely so he wouldn't have to bother with any continuity and I will try to forget the fact that it is all nothing but an uncreative exercise in making money from an old and much loved series that was a revolutionary idea that changed opinions and television forever (Star Trek was the first and only TV program to have an Asian, a Black and a Russian as main characters, and it had all three - and this was at the height of race riots and the cold war). Anyway, like I said, I'll put that to one side, you can't take away the original, let's just see what they do with the story/characters. Guess what. I didn't like it. Firstly, there was so much hype and speculation that Benedict Cumberbatch was going to play fan favourite Khan. Sacrilege to the fans but this was rebuked by Abrams, Cumberbatch and producers. Phew! So imagine my surprise then halfway through the film when Cumberbatch declares "My name is Khan". Okay Mr, Abrams, which is it, a new and fresh take on the story and characters or just a rehash/remake of the original films? Stick your internet hype up yer bum. You can't say one thing and do another and not expect people, especially the fans, to be just that little bit upset. You do not mess with The Wrath of Khan! That is probably the worst thing you could do. Surely he wouldn't try to recreate that scene would he? Yup, you bet he would! Utter sacrilege. Trekkie or not, that scene at the end of Wrath of Khan is a beautiful moment, it works because Shatner's Kirk and Nimoy's Spock had history, real history, they had put the hard work in and they earn't people's love and respect, you can't just copy them and expect the same love and admiration in return. There is plenty you could do though, new stories and ideas to explore but they don't. A tribble scene is not enough to satisfy the hardcore. What about the Klingons? Their reintroduction into the franchise could have been brilliant but it was rubbish. Characters are used for a bit, thrown to one side and used again just before you forget they're still around. How about writing an original story? Any story! People running around in circles is not the same as having a story. The original TV shows and films explored new ideas and pushed the boundaries of the human imagination. Here we just have a bunch of people in Star Trek fancy dress running around a bit and occasionally falling over. Rubbish. The SFX were good but that again is about all I enjoyed. Why does Scotty have that stupid small alien thing with him anyway? Is Deep Roy going to be the new R2-D2 by any chance? Good luck Star Wars, you're going to need it. I honestly think 1998's Lost in Space has more credibility. This is the worst kind of remake, pretending to be something original when it clearly isn't and sadly the way things are now. I look at it and think, 100 really good films could have been made for the money it cost to make this crap and that makes me sad.