As the most recent blast from the past hits the cinema, is it more of the same – or something new?
Chris Pine is back as James T. Kirk
Director Justin Lin and co-writer Simon Pegg give the USS Enterprise an overhaul in attitude. With humour and a “to hell with it” attitude, the script is snappy and fun. We follow Captain Kirk and his crew to an unknown nebula on a rescue mission. At the end of a long stint in space, the crew of the enterprise are feeling the strain and emotions are running high, even for Spock! This allows us to look at the realistic effects of their lifestyle, providing an interesting diversion between visceral explosions and one-liners. The story feels much more episodic and true to its original roots, with missions given and completed, self-referential jokes and plot developments. I am sure this will be a boon to lots of the hardcore fans, however; the style of the Into Darkness may have made for a better stand alone film.
The main story develops on an unknown planet; complete with a dangerous civilisation hell bent on destroying the United Federation of Planets. This and a modernist death star designed for good gives an inverse Star Wars feel to the plot. Kirk finds himself stranded with only a few of the crew and a near impossible task of saving the rest, and the whole of humanity. It is at this point that the plot seems to stray ever closer to convenient placement of technology and insane luck. This is a shame, as the position they find themselves in could be an opportunity for clever tactics; but instead, Scotty’s Santa-sack of delights never fails to solve every problem.
The cast performs well and the new take on Sulu is tastefully carried off. The glimpse into Sulu’s private life makes his reasons for protecting the Federation believable and gives a much-needed bite of reality. As a result, the affinity the audience feel with Sulu is stronger than most of the other characters. Bones provides dry humour and insight into the crew’s sensitive side, playing an important emotional fulcrum to open up the story. Idris Elba plays his role as nemesis well, but doesn’t grip the audience or generate a sense of adversity even close to Cumberbatch’s Khan.
The cinematography, as always, does not leave us wanting; however, the setting for the majority of the film is not the trilogy’s most exotic location by far. The emphasis seems to be on references to the past, with relics from Starfleet’s early days and a classic rocky alien planet. The battle scenes, while on a visually galactic scale, were perhaps a tad on the chaotic side, and always very one sided. The real star of the show, however, is Yorktown in all its glory. It inspires the imagination and epitomises science-fiction.
As a rookie Star Trek fan caught up by the new films, it feels like the goal posts for the movie changed; had I been a hardcore fan I may be kicking the ball in the right place, but for now my expectations are set from the recent two predecessors. The movie was a success and the ball went in the net, but perhaps after being fumbled a little by the keeper.
Author: Joe, Bath store
