Review - Star Trek: Into Darkness

At The Theater - "Star Trek: Into Darkness" - Although it moves at too fast a pace for it's own good and there's a few notable logistical flaws to pick at, "Star Trek: Into Darkness" is mostly what BIG, fun summer movies should be all about. The movie LOOKS expensive- grand-scale action scenes are impressive to the say the least, with some of the sharpest, most detailed effects work you may see this year (courtesy of Industrial Light & Magic).  A sequence involving a free-falling Enterprise is absolutely thrilling. The film borrows a highly memorable scene from "Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan" (still my favorite of the franchise), the nature of which may divide fans- some may recognize it as an homage, while others may feel it's a blatant ripoff (I thought it worked and effectively tugged at my nostalgic side). Get used to the name Benedict Cumberbatch (BBC's Sherlock)- you've seen him before in other films, but not like this. 

Director J.J. Abrams continues to display a firm understanding of the necessary ingredients for a quality, involving adventure film- he's in tune to what works for the genre and it's audience, something that escaped George Lucas entirely for all three of the most recent Star Wars films.  I'm pleased that Abrams has taken the reins of that franchise, as well, and find myself confident that fans can expect a return to greatness. He handles the action scenes with respectable clarity (lens flares, be damned) and verve while utilizing some awesome, tangible/practical set pieces- those involving the interior of the Enterprise are absolutely stunning. I do believe the script-by-committee for this film (Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman and Damon Lindelof) could have used another polish with special attention given to fixing a few glaring plot holes that a youngster could point out.  I wish this particular story had been more centered and straight-forward- it's a little too layered and contrived, possibly too expansive for one film.  In contrast, the dialogue is first rate- expect a wealth of sharp, quick-witted and outright funny give-and-take exchanges.

The cast portraying the primary crew of the Enterprise in 2009's Star Trek reboot returns, with Chris Pine's (Unstoppable) "Captain Kirk", Zachary Quinto's (NBC's Heroes) "Spock" and Simon Pegg's (Shaun of The Dead) "Scotty" being this particular entry's standouts. Zoe Saldana's (Avatar) "Uhura" is given a bit more to work with than the first film and does a commendable job. I was a little disappointed to find Karl Urban's (Dredd) "Bones McCoy" relegated to little more than several one liners (however true to the nature of DeForest Kelley's long-running turn of the pessimistic Doctor), while other popular characters have been updated, so to speak. Urban's considerable presence goes largely underutilized here, he's as athletic and as capable an action star as anyone in the film, so why not take advantage of that?   Anton Yelchin's (Terminator: Salvation) "Chekov" and John Cho's (the Harold & Kumar films) "Sulu" fall victim to the film's overly complex story- their respective characters are given painfully little screen-time or purpose in this sequel.  Strangely, Scotty's vertically challenged alien engineer/sidekick, "Keenser" (played by Deep Roy), conspicuously disappears from the film's third act with no explanation. 

I'll go ahead and let the Mountain Lion (or Gorn) out of it's cage- Benedict Cumberbatch plays "Khan" here- fans of Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan (1982) should find themselves pleased with Cumberbatch's commanding villainous performance and how the character is handled.  The British Actor is making more of a name for himself with every role he takes on and he's excellent here.  That said, Ricardo Mantalban's Melville-quoting Khan in the '82 film remains firmly amongst my all-time, top 10 favorite screen villains. 

It's cool to see Peter Weller (Robocop) back in a larger-budgeted film and in a substantial role as "Starfleet Admiral Marcus".  Bruce Greenwood (Below) is back as "Rear Admiral Christopher Pike"- he's often referred to as one of the nicest guys in Hollywood and it comes across onscreen.  Brit Actress Alice Eve (MIB 3) is "Dr. Carol Marcus", a potential love interest for Kirk- fans know where their relationship is going...

Leonard Nimoy once again provides a cameo while Trekkies should be delighted with one helluva confrontation involving those nasty Klingons.  Overall, this is an excellent Summer crowd-pleaser that delivers the goods- needless to say, it's Highly Recommended.  It's a notch below the 2009 reboot but still well worth checking out in theaters.  Those inclined should shell out several more clams to see it at the IMAX.  The visuals are just that good...

8.0 out of 10

***Of Note*** It would help to have seen Wrath of Khan beforehand as those who have not will probably miss out on the many references to that film which add to the overall dramatic effect of Into Darkness.

FWIW-

Star Trek: The Motion Picture - 6.5
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan - 9.0
Star Trek III: The Search For Spock - 6.0
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home - 8.0
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier - 4.5
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country - 7.5
Star Trek: Generations - 5.5
Star Trek: First Contact - 8.5
Star Trek: Insurrection - 5.5
Star Trek: Nemesis - 6.0
Star Trek (2009) - 8.5

Review - Iron Man 3

At the Theater - "Iron Man 3" - Essentially a patchwork of half-baked ideas pulled from the cutting room floors of the first two volumes of this franchise- it's subplot heavy and often difficult to follow, all barely held together by Robert Downey Jr.'s performance and Co-Writer, Director Shane Black's signature witty dialogue.  It's a rickety, merely passable sequel that had me asking questions and picking at plot holes in it's script throughout, with most going unanswered or unresolved.  The whole affair, and it's many problems, reminded me of Spider-Man 3- too many villains, too much "face time" for it's lead and outright too "layered" for it's own good.  Oh yeah, the Mark 42 armor's color scheme (primarily gold) just plain stinks.

This post-Avengers entry is strangely devoid of other Avengers- I understand it's a stand-alone Iron Man flick, but none of the other team members making so much as a cameo when our hero is immersed in so much conflict is a bit ridiculous and short-sighted. So much for having each others backs.

It appears the entire Shield Agency was also too busy, off filming a new TV show for ABC with no time or concern for the world-wide reach of a maniacal, terrorist/bomber killing indiscriminately and making personal threats against the President of The United States. Not one of their agents (not even a fresh-faced newbie) is to be found here.

For better and worse, there's far more Robert Downey Jr. as "Tony Stark" than there is the suited hero, Iron Man here- it's primarily a more character-driven, personal tale as Stark battles some form of PTSD that's befallen him as a result of the events of the Avengers scuffle, all-the-while trying to piece together the mystery of "The Mandarin" in some kind of MacGyver meets Bond fashion.  It's a bit of a tonal shift for the series and I couldn't quite buy into it's reasoning or execution.  Downey is as game and as entertaining as ever, the strongest aspect of the film being his often hilarious dialogue- that said, I'm one of those simpleton knuckle-draggers who went to see Iron Man wreak kick-ass havoc.  The nature of the conclusion of this film coupled with an end-credits montage of scenes pulled from the trilogy leads one to believe that this may be the final stand-alone Iron Man film featuring Downey in the titular role- I'm thinking the overwhelming box office returns might force Marvel/Disney to reconsider that...

Ben Kingsley's (Gandhi) "Mandarin" is by far the biggest misfire of Marvel's current crop of celluloid super-villains, obviously a victim of Disney's highly publicized effort to secure (and not offend) a highly coveted Chinese market.  I was fine with Kingsley being cast (a British Indian) as he's a great actor and highly capable, though the ultimate nature of his role and how the character is "utilized" should be considered some kind of shameful, cinematic crime.  Marvel/Disney had a chance to do something special and highly memorable with the character and they promptly shit the bed, so to speak. It's PC garbage.

Guy Pearce (L.A. Confidential) is solid as "Aldrich Killian", a fellow scientist and rival of our hero that has co-created Extremis, a virus with regenerative healing qualities.  Expect a substantial turn for the Australian actor that has been successfully kept under wraps by the many trailers.  The lovely British Actress Rebecca Hall (The Town) is "Maya Hansen"- a botanist and former flame of Tony's that suddenly pops back into his life.  Hall is good in an underwritten role- I've got a "thing" for her...

Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda) returns as "Colonel James Rhodes", though fans may find themselves disappointed to find that his War Machine, now a repainted Iron Patriot (complete with red, white and blue color scheme), is given literally nothing to do in the way of action.  Cheadle is once again fine as Rhodes, and it would be cool to see him in a spin-off.

Gwyneth Paltrow is back as "Pepper Potts"- expect a more "hands-on" Pepper, with the actress displaying a bit of heroic girl power late in the film.  I still don't see her as "The World's Most Beautiful Woman"...

John Favreau (Swingers) ditches Directorial duties yet returns as Tony Stark's security chief, "Happy Hogan", while James Badge Dale (HBO's The Pacific) is Killian's right hand man and enforcer.  French Actress Stephanie Szostak (The Devil Wears Prada) makes a memorable appearance as a scarred, super-powered assassin.

William Sadler (Tales From The Crypt: Demon Knight) makes a few appearances as the POTUS with Miguel Ferrer (Robocop 1987) portraying the Vice President. 

Highlights of the film include a sequence where our hero's cliff-side pad is destroyed by helicopter gunships (it's sharp stuff) and a story arc where Stark crash-lands somewhere in rural Tennessee and befriends a young fan. The stripped-down nature of that aforementioned segment is a welcomed diversion that I wish would have comprised more of the film.

A considerable portion of this installment is shot in darkness, with many of the rapid-fire, effects-heavy action sequences rather numbing and nearly incoherent.  This is by far the most CGI-reliant installment, and I couldn't help but wonder if Director Shane Black was either a little out of his element or wasn't given the go-ahead to tweak Screen Writer Drew Pearce's script.  The climactic, shipyard showdown was just plain gaudy with "anything goes" special effects that play out so fast and edited so choppily that it'll make your head spin while you're trying to scratch it. Black's only other Directorial effort was 2005's Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (highly recommended), which had a relatively low $15 million budget-  Iron Man 3's budget = $200 million.  Black is a talented writer (Lethal Weapon) when he's in his element and I look forward to a more restrained effort from him in the upcoming Doc Savage film.   

In my opinion, Iron Man 3 is a letdown that will probably please most casual movie-goers while disappointing the living hell out of comic book "purists".  Many segments contradict the rules and groundwork laid out so nicely in the first two films- sticklers for detail will have a field day. The Extremis aspect of the story should have been featured as the primary conflict here- it's the subject of my favorite Iron Man graphic novel and I couldn't help but be majorly bummed with how it unfolded onscreen.  It seemed poorly conceived and slapped together haphazardly. Remember the Venom character and story-line  from Spider-Man 3?  Yeah, what could have been...

For those interested, there is a post-credits scene that die-hard fans might want to stay for.

Iron Man 3-   6.5 out of 10



FWIW-

Iron Man - 8.5
Iron Man 2 - 8.0
Captain America: The First Avenger - 8.5
Thor - 7.5
Hulk - 5.0
The Incredible Hulk - 6.5
The Avengers - 9.0