★★★★☆
I do wish more films were filmed with IMAX cameras.
Yes, IMAX screens are huge and the sound is loud. So many people I know hate IMAX because the screen is so large. I had only seen a handful of films in IMAX prior to 2008, with most of them being Harry Potter films, but when I heard that "The Dark Knight" was being filmed with IMAX cameras, I was intrigued.
The quality of IMAX cameras is absolutely beautiful. The quality, both audio and video, is crystal clear. The images fill up the entire screen, leaving no black bars on the screen. I feel immersed in the movie as I watch these scenes that are filmed with IMAX cameras.
I was very happy when I heard JJ Abrams was using IMAX cameras to film "Star Trek Into Darkness". He was very happy with how the IMAX scenes in "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol" turned out (he produced that film), and he loved the format.
Anyways, enough about my love of IMAX (though it will be brought up again in this review, but pertaining to those scenes in this film)...
[spoilers ahead]]
Before I get too into this review, let me just say this: I am not a full-blown Trekkie. Apart from growing up watching "The Next Generation" and seeing all those films numerous times, I really don't know much about the Star Trek universe.
I follow quite a few film lovers on Twitter, and a lot of them were griping at the fact that many other countries got to see this film at least three weeks before the US [legally] got to see it. I didn't gripe about it, though, as someone who's used to getting films first or around the same time as the rest of the world, I was a bit confused by the three week wait. I knew it had something to do with helping grow Star Trek's popularity around the world, and while this movie got good reviews (and I agree, it is a good movie)... I don't think this will really boost Star Trek's popularity.
Don't get me wrong, J.J. Abrams (Super 8, Star Trek (2009)) did a wonderful job directing this and making it into a universally-appealing movie. This movie is action-packed, but also filled with enough drama and comedy without going overboard. (Pun intended? No pun intended.) Of course, like all sequels/franchise movies, if you've didn't see the previous movie or don't know anything about the Star Trek universe, you're going to probably be left a bit confused by some of the events of this movie.
This is a movie of redemption, rising to the occasion during life or death situations. There's also a bit of revenge in this movie. After the bombings in London and San Francisco, James Kirk (Chris Pine) must rise to the occasion and lead his team, including Spock (Zachary Quinto), Uhura (Zoe Saldana), and Sulu (John Cho), to the Klingon planet, Kronos, which is normally forbidden territory. They are on the hunt for the man responsible for the bombings, John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch).
This movie is action-packed. While the action is spread-out, those scenes aren't just short and sweet a la Transformers, etc. Those sequences are well thought-out and well-written; each are tense and will leave you on the edge of your seat (unless you're like me and see this in IMAX, where you'll still be pressed up against the back of your seat). Benedict plays an amazing villain, his tone dark and his actions truly villainous. (Anything that has to do with breaking bones and crushing skulls always leaves me cringing.)
The acting in this movie is very good. It's not a movie that requires you to be on your A game for acting, but during the emotional scenes, these people really put on their acting chops. This movie required a range of emotions, from being stoic (in Spock's case) to anger to sadness, and each actor was able to pull off those emotions, plus some.
I know a lot of people online were, to put it bluntly, freaking out over Cumberbatch's character being revealed as the iconic character Khan. Like I mentioned above, I've only seen the "The Next Generation" series and corresponding films. I've seen bits and pieces of various series, usually through movies, other television shows, award shows, etc. I've heard of Khan, I've heard of Kronos and the Klingons, but none of this really excited me or even made me "freak out". I will tell you, during the ten minutes that James Kirk was dead... Well, when he first died, I almost shouted expletives in the theatre. (I feel like I could have gotten away with it, only because people were crying during that scene, and then when Khan was revealed, people were gasping and clapping in shock.)
Do I recommend this movie? Yes. I know Star Trek isn't exactly universally appealing, but this is actually a good film. It's more than just a science fiction, fantasy-esque film. The only science fiction/fantasy element of the film is, besides the fact that this mostly takes place in outer space, is when we meet the indigineous people at the beginning, and when we encounter the Klingon on Kronos. It's the human emotion that's conveyed, the determination and the fight, that sets this apart from other action/sci-fy/fantasy movies.
Watch the trailer here:
Don't get me wrong, J.J. Abrams (Super 8, Star Trek (2009)) did a wonderful job directing this and making it into a universally-appealing movie. This movie is action-packed, but also filled with enough drama and comedy without going overboard. (Pun intended? No pun intended.) Of course, like all sequels/franchise movies, if you've didn't see the previous movie or don't know anything about the Star Trek universe, you're going to probably be left a bit confused by some of the events of this movie.
This is a movie of redemption, rising to the occasion during life or death situations. There's also a bit of revenge in this movie. After the bombings in London and San Francisco, James Kirk (Chris Pine) must rise to the occasion and lead his team, including Spock (Zachary Quinto), Uhura (Zoe Saldana), and Sulu (John Cho), to the Klingon planet, Kronos, which is normally forbidden territory. They are on the hunt for the man responsible for the bombings, John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch).
This movie is action-packed. While the action is spread-out, those scenes aren't just short and sweet a la Transformers, etc. Those sequences are well thought-out and well-written; each are tense and will leave you on the edge of your seat (unless you're like me and see this in IMAX, where you'll still be pressed up against the back of your seat). Benedict plays an amazing villain, his tone dark and his actions truly villainous. (Anything that has to do with breaking bones and crushing skulls always leaves me cringing.)
The acting in this movie is very good. It's not a movie that requires you to be on your A game for acting, but during the emotional scenes, these people really put on their acting chops. This movie required a range of emotions, from being stoic (in Spock's case) to anger to sadness, and each actor was able to pull off those emotions, plus some.
I know a lot of people online were, to put it bluntly, freaking out over Cumberbatch's character being revealed as the iconic character Khan. Like I mentioned above, I've only seen the "The Next Generation" series and corresponding films. I've seen bits and pieces of various series, usually through movies, other television shows, award shows, etc. I've heard of Khan, I've heard of Kronos and the Klingons, but none of this really excited me or even made me "freak out". I will tell you, during the ten minutes that James Kirk was dead... Well, when he first died, I almost shouted expletives in the theatre. (I feel like I could have gotten away with it, only because people were crying during that scene, and then when Khan was revealed, people were gasping and clapping in shock.)
Do I recommend this movie? Yes. I know Star Trek isn't exactly universally appealing, but this is actually a good film. It's more than just a science fiction, fantasy-esque film. The only science fiction/fantasy element of the film is, besides the fact that this mostly takes place in outer space, is when we meet the indigineous people at the beginning, and when we encounter the Klingon on Kronos. It's the human emotion that's conveyed, the determination and the fight, that sets this apart from other action/sci-fy/fantasy movies.
Watch the trailer here:
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