My ST XII reactions
I don't think very many people look at my LJ, but just in case I should say -
WARNING -- SPOILERS for STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS
I saw it at the Wednesday midnight showing with my stepkids; I think I might have been the oldest one in the theater. It didn't sell out, probably because many people hadn't heard that Paramount moved up the release one day. I go again with the rest of my family tomorrow afternoon.
I'm glad I rewatched STXI before I went to Into Darkness, because it reminded me that even though I loved the fan community that developed from the movie, and it had some great scenes and performances, that it also had a lot of flaws. As such I wasn't expecting perfection from Into Darkness, and was just hoping for some fun scenes that could inspire good fic. It far surpassed my lowered expectations, and in fact at this point I think it is a much better movie and one of the best of all the trek movies.
I was so happy that the characters had all matured significantly. Except for Pike and MCoy, in STXI they were all adolescents -- very talented adolescents, but excitable and unprofessional and really not in any way wise leaders. Uhura is so much better -- she is confident in her skills and doesn't have to be obnoxious about putting herself forward and respects leadership like you need to on a starship. I didn't hold her youth against her in the last movie like many others did -- I thought she would grow up -- and she has. Amazing scene for her with the Klingons. Chekov the same, x 1000 -- nice to see him as a competent engineer rather than one big funny Russian accent joke. Sulu is so matured he is positively scary -- by far the most BAMF character. Unfortunately, I think he got less total screen time this movie than the last one. Scotty also got the chance to be more competent and less of a joke -- though he was funny while being competent, the best option.
I thought Bones got a lot of good scenes. Of course many people are complaining that there wasn't enough of him, and of course I would have liked even more, but there is limited time in a film. Love that he got to flirt and show more of a range than just how he interacts with Kirk and Spock.
Pike -- Amazing. Perfect in his two major scenes. The bar scene especially with Kirk was essential and he did it just right. I totally loved the idea that the movie might be him as captain with Kirk as first officer, for the 5 minutes I was able to entertain the thought. Then I realized that he was going to have to die for the plot to work about 2 minutes before it happened, so I wasn't too devastated by it.
People are also complaining that there was too much time spent on action scenes. On the one hand I agree -- I would happily trade action for more interpersonal and thematic development. However, in the context of modern Hollywood and what is expected of an action movie, I thought it wasn't overdone. All of the trailers that played before ST started -- for summer blockbuster SF / action films like Ender's game, Elysium, whatever it is that Brad Pitt is in where the world is getting destroyed -- showed huge action epics. The belief (and maybe reality) is that you need to have tons of action to get huge audiences and make tons of money. In this context, I thought at least all of the action scenes developed the plot and weren't extraneous.
Admiral Marcus wasn't a very good character. Benedict Cumberbatch probably was -- but I find I don't have a lot of memories of his performance.
I think I was really focused on the characters I already know. When I rewatch on Saturday I know I will be spending a lot more time watching him.
Glad they didn't waste time on more villains -- it would have just taken away from the main characters. Carol Marcus is fine -- good to have a new intelligent female character for future movies, glad there wasn't a big romance with Kirk. Showing her in her underwear seemed unnecessary though certainly non unpleasant.
As for the Khan / revisiting of Space Seed and STII -- I am not sure yet what I think. I certainly was able to accept it as I was watching the film, and thought the inversion of the Kirk/Spock roles was clever. I'll see how it holds up on rewatching.
WARNING -- SPOILERS for STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS
I saw it at the Wednesday midnight showing with my stepkids; I think I might have been the oldest one in the theater. It didn't sell out, probably because many people hadn't heard that Paramount moved up the release one day. I go again with the rest of my family tomorrow afternoon.
I'm glad I rewatched STXI before I went to Into Darkness, because it reminded me that even though I loved the fan community that developed from the movie, and it had some great scenes and performances, that it also had a lot of flaws. As such I wasn't expecting perfection from Into Darkness, and was just hoping for some fun scenes that could inspire good fic. It far surpassed my lowered expectations, and in fact at this point I think it is a much better movie and one of the best of all the trek movies.
I was so happy that the characters had all matured significantly. Except for Pike and MCoy, in STXI they were all adolescents -- very talented adolescents, but excitable and unprofessional and really not in any way wise leaders. Uhura is so much better -- she is confident in her skills and doesn't have to be obnoxious about putting herself forward and respects leadership like you need to on a starship. I didn't hold her youth against her in the last movie like many others did -- I thought she would grow up -- and she has. Amazing scene for her with the Klingons. Chekov the same, x 1000 -- nice to see him as a competent engineer rather than one big funny Russian accent joke. Sulu is so matured he is positively scary -- by far the most BAMF character. Unfortunately, I think he got less total screen time this movie than the last one. Scotty also got the chance to be more competent and less of a joke -- though he was funny while being competent, the best option.
I thought Bones got a lot of good scenes. Of course many people are complaining that there wasn't enough of him, and of course I would have liked even more, but there is limited time in a film. Love that he got to flirt and show more of a range than just how he interacts with Kirk and Spock.
Pike -- Amazing. Perfect in his two major scenes. The bar scene especially with Kirk was essential and he did it just right. I totally loved the idea that the movie might be him as captain with Kirk as first officer, for the 5 minutes I was able to entertain the thought. Then I realized that he was going to have to die for the plot to work about 2 minutes before it happened, so I wasn't too devastated by it.
People are also complaining that there was too much time spent on action scenes. On the one hand I agree -- I would happily trade action for more interpersonal and thematic development. However, in the context of modern Hollywood and what is expected of an action movie, I thought it wasn't overdone. All of the trailers that played before ST started -- for summer blockbuster SF / action films like Ender's game, Elysium, whatever it is that Brad Pitt is in where the world is getting destroyed -- showed huge action epics. The belief (and maybe reality) is that you need to have tons of action to get huge audiences and make tons of money. In this context, I thought at least all of the action scenes developed the plot and weren't extraneous.
Admiral Marcus wasn't a very good character. Benedict Cumberbatch probably was -- but I find I don't have a lot of memories of his performance.
I think I was really focused on the characters I already know. When I rewatch on Saturday I know I will be spending a lot more time watching him.
Glad they didn't waste time on more villains -- it would have just taken away from the main characters. Carol Marcus is fine -- good to have a new intelligent female character for future movies, glad there wasn't a big romance with Kirk. Showing her in her underwear seemed unnecessary though certainly non unpleasant.
As for the Khan / revisiting of Space Seed and STII -- I am not sure yet what I think. I certainly was able to accept it as I was watching the film, and thought the inversion of the Kirk/Spock roles was clever. I'll see how it holds up on rewatching.