Review: Star Trek - Into Darkness

[jade_dragoness]

Review: Star Trek - AOS 2 - Into Darkness

I just came back from the theaters. The movie was... AWESOME!!! *twitches with glee*

I love it! I plan to watch it again.

Things I Liked/Loved (in no particular order)

1. That scene. You know. THAT scene. Kirk dying from radiation and Spock absolutely losing it... *gah* I was crying like a baby while trying desperately to stay quiet even though I KNEW that Jim wouldn't stay dead. Just... Spock's reaction. Spock not being able to control his emotions. *flails*

2. Spock in the volcano was so gorgeous. And I couldn't help but think that as he stood up and extended his arms that he was indulging his human side to enjoy the beauty of the heaving lava since he was fully expecting to die. Even later when he said he'd been stopping from feeling fear, I still think that because it was such a whimsical thing to do.

3. Spock calling Jim 'Captain' even though he had to KNOW that Jim had been demoted to first officer. Really, if he knew he'd been reassigned than I can't believe he didn't know about that. And considering how precise in his speaking Spock has to be, then it just proves to me how much 'Captain = Jim Kirk' in Spock's mind. *flails*

4. Smart!Jim, and the way he's the only one who points out the incongruity of the attack on a 'library' and then the way he defeated Khan.

5. The way Spock totally lost it when Jim died. LOST IT.

6. Spock!Prime showing up! I totally clapped. And outed myself as a geek to the rest of the audience who didn't. *doesn't care one whit*

7. The silent story/explanation of the Starfleet guy who sold his soul to Khan to save his daughter. That entire sequence was so elegantly done. I have no words to express how much I enjoyed it.

8. Sulu in the captain's chair and how he's clearly going to be AMAZING at it. "Sulu, remind me never to make you angry" - McCoy.

9. Is it just me? Or was Spock seriously jealous at the idea of Jim getting a new Science Officer who wasn't him, because that's how the scene read to me. Spock looking her up and her transfer orders later, just reinforced that initial impression.

10. Spock chasing Khan through the streets of San Francisco. I was totally on the edge of my seat and chanting under my breath: “Get him! Get him!”

11. Khan lives! Okay, he's frozen asleep in stasis but considering I was fully expecting him to die by the end of the movie, I was really pleased that he got to live.

12. The 'enemy/bad guys' were all human. Sure, one was a genetically engineered super-human but the other was a normal jingoistic Starfleet Admiral who's gone war-crazed. I really enjoyed this because too often the opposition is 'other', non-human or non-organic or an external threat. Having the danger to the Federation come from an internal source? From within Starfleet, itself? Made me very happy.

13. All the non-humans on the bridge! Way more non-human on the Enterprise this time around. Yay!

14. That Jim turned to look at Spock when he changed his mind about using the torpedoes on the Klingon home-world because of how it was a moral issue instead of giving in to his desire for revenge.

15. Jim's pride that he hasn't lost a single member of his crew since he became captain. This theme of what Jim's willing to do to take care of his crew comes up multiple times and I really liked how it's capped off by Jim welcoming Carol to the family. Yeah, the crew is totally Jim's family. *sighs happily*

16. Everyone! And Khan. KHHHAAAAAN!

Things I Found Hilarious:

1. Uhura's and Spock's fight and Jim's incredulity that they were doing this now. And sucking him into it.

2. When Jim told Spock he'd miss him (when they were still thinking they'd end on different ships) and how he waited for Spock's response but the guy had none.

3. “Don't trust Vulcans.” - Jim. LOL, Jim that wasn't the lesson Pike was talking about.

4. Spock's bedside manner is terrible!

5. Jim inability to let it go that Spock submitted a truthful report to Starfleet especially when it seems to come out of the blue.

6. The way that Pike sat down just as Jim was going to get his flirting game-on in that dive bar. And Jim's expression right afterward.

7. Jim asking Uhura how a fight with Spock works because it totally boggled his mind, and then Spock being right in front of the turbolift doors when it opened to the bridge. “Are your ears burning?”

8. “Take that off my face!” - Jim. Ah, never let Bones stop performing medical procedures/tests on Jim against his will.

9. McCoy ragging on Jim for being such a drama queen when he wakes up in the hospital bed. And then his protests that he and Uhura helped save Jim too.

10. Jim's constant name calling of Spock made me snorfle with amusement. Jim, you are so 12 years old, aren't you?

Things I Didn't Like:

1. Umm.... wait...hold on... I think I have one... umm... okay... I kinda do. Sometimes those close-ups were a little too close for me. But that's just a visual issue for me and nothing to do with my enjoyment of the overall story.

Things I Didn't Expect / Or Hit Me Right in the Feels
1. Spock's explanation as to why he was controlling his emotions. Just gutted me.

2. Jim's face when Pike explained how he'd gotten Jim merely demoted to first officer as opposed to Jim getting sent back to the Academy. Oh Jim... I can't help but think that he rarely ever heard such deep faith from anyone in his life. My feels! *clutches chest* Gah.

3. Pike... T.T Poor Pike. Christopher always gets shafted, poor guy. And I was happy he was out of that wheelchair. *sniffles*

4. That scene. *sniffles* Spock totally losing his logical reasoning and trying to open the door when there was too much radiation and Scotty had to talk him out of it.

5. Jim begging Admiral Marcus for the life of his crew. And then his apology. *squints* I will not cry. I will not cry... okay, even know I'm tearing up.

6. Scotty's face when Jim accepted his resignation. *sniffles* Poor Scotty. Although when his friend went with him I may have clapped.

7. Everyone knowing Spock!Prime is Spock. There were no surprised faces on that bridge. Plus: Spock!Prime.

8. McCoy's face when he unzipped Kirk from the body/contamination bag. And then the faces on the rest of the crew.

9. How much that Klingon looked badass with those cranial piercings.

10. So many of the crew dying... T.T I can't even begin to think of how devastated Jim must have felt when it finally sunk in.

Babble:

I know there's a bunch of things I'm forgetting to write out (another reason to watch the movie again). I really enjoyed how they continued the arc of Jim's immaturity and his rebellion with authority (even though he is an authority) into this movie. That everything from Jim's character wasn't completely changed just because he's the captain (he's still such a man-slut) and how he had more growing and maturing to do thorough out this movie, and probably even more afterward. It really pleased me. I even like how Starfleet Command had begun to wonder if they'd promoted Jim to the captain's chair too early which addressed one of my biggest nitpicks from the previous film and it reinforced one of my ideas that Jim's promotion was mostly a publicity stunt and they were now regretting it because of Jim's blatant flaunting of the rules.

Gah. There are so many things I just flat out enjoyed about the movie, I was kinda worried that the film would suffer from the infamous Sophomore Slump that a lot of sequels get but this was so well done. I truly believe it's on par and at times even better than the first. I adored how Jim became more mature, more respectful of being the Captain, of learning how important it is to make the sort of choices which Spock would make in his place, of learning how ignoring the rules could leads you down the same path as Admiral Marcus and how important it is to listen to your conscience (aka Spock) and your crew's opinion even when you don't agree (Spock & Scotty!). Seriously, this entire movie reinforces how I feel that Spock and Jim NEED to be together (not necessarily as a couple although I'm hardly about to take off my slash-goggles) because they make each other stronger and better. *flails*

I will watch Into Darkness again, and I have no doubt my love of this movie will just get stronger.

Now, fandom is already writing fic based on this movie, right? *wants like woah*