Star Trek Into Darkness Review

 

Star Trek fans have waited four years for this sequel to arrive and it did NOT disappoint.  Weaving together amazing action and special effects sequences with an intricate storyline and character development, J.J. Abrams delivers a first-rate follow up to 2009’s Star Trek.

What most impressed me was how the character of Kirk, played by Chris Pine, matured from a cocksure boy to a responsible, self-sacrificing leader of the Starship Enterprise.  Pine did a startlingly sincere performance that lent much to his interpretation of Kirk as a believable captain.  Even viewers that initially harbored reservations about Pine as Kirk will now walk away with full assurance that he could get the job done.

Into Darkness introduces the crew’s ultimate arch nemesis in the character of Khan brilliantly played by Benedict Cumberbatch.  As someone who has never been interested in Star Trek until 2009, I thought Cumberbatch was excellent.  However, true Trekkies may have a problem with him as an accurate parallel to the original Khan played by Ricardo Montalban in 1982.  However, I felt that what Benedict lacked in Spanish flare he more than made up for with kick-ass fighting and a role that oozed utter evil.  I was on the edge of my seat the entire time and you will be too. 

Flanked by an all-star supporting cast including Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, and John Cho Into Darkness is definitely worth seeing in the theaters and specifically in IMAX 3D.  It’ll be a great way to kick off your summer moving-going. 

5/5

The Great Gatsby Review

 

Right off, you should know that I’m totally in to modern cinematic spins on the classics that include a soundtrack using music and artists from today.  Think Romeo + Juliet the 1996 version (which also starred Leonardo DiCaprio).  I love the movie, I own the soundtrack, and I’m a fan.  Plus, I absolutely LOVE Leonardo DiCaprio.  Not just because he’s a fox but also because he is one of the most brilliant actors in Hollywood history.   From The Basketball Diaries to What’s Eating Gilbert Grape to Shutter Island the man is an acting genius. 

All that being said- I hated The Great Gatsby.  Like a lot.  DiCaprio gave a characteristic excellent performance as Gatsby.  You felt his character’s desperation and could identify with his quest for love and acceptance.  When I first saw the trailers for this movie I thought this is the role that will finally get Leonardo the Academy recognition he deserves and though I did not enjoy the movie, I still think he’ll get an Oscar.

I wanted to slap Carrie Mulligan as Daisy.  I thought her character shallow and selfish and shallow and surface and shallow, lacking any personality or interesting traits.  Did I mention she was shallow?  But, I’ve heard that only good actors make the audience have strong feelings towards the characters they interpret.  So I guess Mulligan did a great job when you consider how much I wanted to throw a shoe at the screen. 

At first I thought it’s the story I don’t like so I should blame F. Scott Fitzgerald and not the production.  But, upon further reflection, I hated the way Baz Luhrman made the movie too.  Was everything computer generated?  The whole set looked so grand and ornate in the trailers and in the actual movie it looked fake.  What was up with that?  And the soundtrack was forced.  To imagine Jay Z songs on the radios of people in the roaring 20’s is too much of a stretch to be ignored.  Some of the songs had relevance but when the hard rap came on I felt more like I was watching a mobster movie than a dramatic romance or whatever genre this film annihilated.

All in all I was pleased with DiCaprio’s performance; I hope the Academy recognizes him for it.   But save your theater bucks for a movie that you won’t be pissed about when you leave.

2/5 Stars 

Iron Man 3

The eagerly anticipated third installment of Iron Man was by far the most poignant.  Displaying a more sincere and emotional Tony Stark who, in reaction to the extraterrestrial army he faced in The Avengers, finds himself battling severe anxiety attacks and a compulsive desire to keep himself and Pepper safe.  Work becomes therapy for Tony and as a result confines himself to his laboratory building an army of Iron Man suits.  When a new, more menacing enemy enters the scene terrorizing America and striking at Tony’s best friend, Happy, Stark makes it his mission to bring him to justice.   This IMAX 3D movie is full of adventure, special effects and, of course, the snarky comedy that has become synonymous with the brand.  It will not disappoint, unless you are hung up on details.  I initially walked away from the movie satisfied.  Then I thought about it and here is my conclusions- be warned- this is wrought with spoilers:

Item 1- from the trailers I thought the Mandarin was going to be BAD.  I mean, B-A-D, take no prisoners, kill your whole family, snatch a toy from a toddler playing in a sandbox-type bad.  I was just a bit disappointed that he was a harmless fun-loving actor fronting for the glow in the dark fire guy who reminded me more of a character from M. Night Shyamalan’s Unbreakable than a superhero villain.   

Plus, I was made aware that one trailer for Iron Man 3 indicated that the Mandarin was going to have some kind of tie-in with Captain America as it showed his shield was tattooed on the super villain’s neck.  AND the Mandarin was supposed to have a special power with some rings… neither detail was explained or addressed in the final cut of this movie.

Item 2- Tony gets his heart fixed!  Can he even still power an Iron Man suit?  My comic book fiend friends say yes and that this twist is true to the original story line but I have got to say that I’m still a little hesitant to believe.  Particularly since the ending scene, you know the one after the credits, did not allude to Tony Stark returning.  Which leads me to Item 3…

Item 3- the final scene was funny but not what I waited all the way through the end credits to see.  I’m certain there is going to be an Avengers 2 so why didn’t the writers use this opportunity to start piquing our curiosity?  This was nothing like the endings of Iron Man 1 or 2. 

So, while the movie was worth seeing in the theaters with great effects, funny lines, and amazing actors, the story lacked the cohesiveness of a franchise and to me, lent very little, if anything, to the next Avengers movie. 

3.5/5