by MouthForWar » Sat May 18, 2013 2:45 am
First off, let me know I'm not a big Trek guy. Aside from some episodes of the original series and the last Abrams film, I'm a total n00b. Now, I actually DID watch Wrath of Kahn earlier tonight (FOR THE FIRST TIME AND IT WAS AWESOME). I kind of took a crash course in Trek before going.
So that being said, on with my thoughts...
I really liked it but the last act is god awful.
Now I wasn't a huge fan of the last movie... I think overall, I did enjoy this one better, but it is plagued with the same problems. The pacing is super fast with something awful happening to the crew and some deus ex machina constantly saving the day. We get it, Abrams, you love Spielberg, but don't ape the worst things about him. And why was Carol Marcus in this again? Another character crowbarred in just for familiarity... "oh, she's only there to deliver exposition about how her dad might be crooked because there's no way any other character could have figured that out?" Ok, so she's just a plot device and an excuse to have a girl in her underwear? Also, the Spock and Ohura (sp?) is still pretty pointless.
-What was up with New Spock skyping in old Spock for no reason?
Anyway, the last act of this movie was simply awful. ESPECIALLY that fake "death" scene that was so pandering that it became insulting (especially when a certain line is uttered). Right down to the dialogue, it was pretty much exacrtly the same. Only it has no impact because 1. Unlike Spock in part 2 (who was actually supposed to stay dead until the studio decided to bring him back), you KNOW Kirk is going to live, especially when the way to save him is telegraphed like 40 minutes into the movie. Secondly, why couldn't they have just taken blood from some of Kahn's frozen crew instead of him?
Its like the whole movie went on doing its own thing and the last thing they wanted to do was remind you of Trek 2, then they realized "HEY WE GOTTA HIT THESE BEATS FROM TREK 2 ONLY THIS TIME IT DOESN'T MEAN ANYTHING.." Like I said, I just found it to be something they just crowbarred in for familiarity's sake. Up until that point, I was pleasantly surprised at how much it was doing its own thing.
I did enjoy the movie, but like the first one, its not something I see myself going back to. The cast is great, they nail the Kirk/Spock dynamic, but its sudden baffling reliance to imitate a classic film and the lazy writing in the end really drags it down.
The stuff that works REALLY REALLY works... in spades... but the stuff that doesn't work really sh*ts the bed.
I think they really just needs to drop Kurtzman and Orci. These guys couldn't write their way out of a paper bag and I'm of the opinion that they're practically Ehran Kruger levels of bad. The rumor that these clowns might direct ST 3 is downright terrifying.
Last edited by
MouthForWar on Sat May 18, 2013 10:19 am, edited 1 time in total.
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