Star Trek into Darkness follows the crew of the Enterprise once again as they find themselves in a manhunt chase for a mysterious figure a one man weapon.
With the world left in a state of chaos and on the brink of war, Kirk, and his crew set off to track down their target into a war zone infested territory.
So it's a Star Trek film which we all know what were in for, as one of the most standout franchises of the Sci-fi genre, it isn't any surprise to feel prepared for what's about to ensue throughout the two hours ahead.
First things first you have to give a massive applause to the visuals on display here, Abrams and his crew know what it takes to make a blank canvas of space, an alive battleground or graveyard of ships.
Mise en scene hits you in the face, the very opening Planet of the film being the highlight with its lush jungle-like environment and vibrant use of colours, it's a beautiful and thrilling opening to the film it's another big hitter from JJ Abrams who is pretty much becoming somewhat of an Auteur of the Sci-Fi Genre from a visual perspective fast digital pans from the camera along with boat load of post FX baked into every shot.
Speaking of the opening of the film, much like the 2009 Star Trek we are thrown right into the action with a fast and well-shot chase sequence with Kirk (Chris Pine) and Bones (Karl Urban) on foot on the lush planet being hunted by the species that inhabits it.
The chase while you don't get too drawn by it's thrills as you all but nobody will come to harm, as the Star Trek formula all but makes you sure that no character you see will die or come to any harm.
Some can say it's a trope of the Sci-fi Genre, but it's a fun and eventful opening that kicks the film into a high note right out the gate, and the film throughout its two hours running time will keep earning it's right to thrill with more daring stunts performed by our favourite crew.
The highlight coming later in the film with a daring space jump through a derelict ship graveyard way out in the depths of space.
Moving onto a stand out performance that I couldn't help but talk about it Benedict Cumberbatch playing Kahn, the almost eerie and intimidating nature that he is given through his lines.
His performance and the reactions of characters around him is the stand out of the film's cast, even shadowing the likes of Simon Pegg as Scotty.
There is always one moment of a film and an actor's performance where everything about the character just clicks, and for Kahn, it is his revealing of his own name, the intimidating and sly look heightens an already top-notch cast.
While some may say that his performance hits too much of a theatrical nature, with the embellished words and body language I see this as the unique nature and intricate social stature of the character of Kahn, a person who truly sees them self as better than those around him.
The perfect human and the right to boast and exaggerate his every move, as if he is something to watch to behold of those lower around him.
However, I must bring this up, one part that has spiked heat before is the scene with Carol Marcus (Alice Eve) something that felt rather unnecessary to the film and seems to exist for the sake of a sci-fi trope that does not suit this film's tone.
Midway through the film Bones and Carol are sent to a planet to defuse a bomb, and they require a change of clothes to defuse said bomb.
So a couple of seconds we are shown a shot of Bones turning around to a half naked Carol, nothing valuable came from the shot, it was a waste of time, and a trope that brought back the running joke from Galaxy Quest with Sigourney Weavers character.
While most will watch Star Trek for its action set pieces and the sake of following the crew of the Enterprise on their next adventure, the true stand out for this film, the one surprise in stock was the performance of Benedict.
Yes the action is great from what you would expect, Yes the visuals are Jaw dropping, Yes the film gives a sense of adventure, but this time around Star Trek can be commended on its top quality cast.
No comments:
Post a Comment