Movie Review - Star Trek Beyond

Star Trek Beyond

Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Zoë Saldana, Simon Pegg, John Cho, Anton Yelchin, Idris Elba, Sofia Boutella, Joe Taslim, Lydia Wilson, and more.

Directed by: Justin Lin Written by: Simon Pegg and Doug Jung Based on the series by: Gene Roddenberry Cinematography by: Stephen F. Windon Music by: Michael Giacchino

Premise: Three years into their five year mission, Kirk is wondering if he doesn't need a change. While visiting the new Yorktown space station, the Enterprise gets an unexpected mission. They are tasked to go rescue a stranded crew in an uncharted nebula. But the mission turns out to be something else entirely. (Rated PG-13)

Review:

1) Acting - Total Thumbs Up: The gang is back! And Karl Urban is too awesome. lol. I do love me some Dr. McCoy and he is so good at it! lol. Chris Pine does a nice job showing Kirk's drifting as he internally loses his way. Zachary Quinto continues to deliver those great flat line punche. And also we get some surprises from him as well. Anton Yelchin truly puts his stamp as Chekov this time around, which will make us miss him all the more. Sofia Boutella adds a nice extra layer as Jaylah. 

2) Special Effects - Total Thumbs Up: Some amazing stuff this time around with the special effects. Yorktown is super cool. Though I wish they'd slowed down the fast panning when we get our first look - it went way too fast. Which is a pity since it was so awesome! Let us enjoy your work! 

Kudos on making the bad guys' blasters/energy discharges look different. The energy had a funky shape, which was neat. The buildings and machinery of the ancient dwellings were rather neat. They definitely spoke of it being a different culture.

Though they were all still humanoid, we did get to see a whole range of new species in the film, which was awesome. I could not take my eyes off of Tyvanna and her cauliflower like layered head.

The swarm ships were rather nifty and looked cool. They way they were employed was rather brilliant. The Federation needs to get ahold of this metal!

If you see the film in 3D, the credits are a super treat as they show different planets, nebulas, and other gas fields. (Keep your eyes peeled for the giant green hand! I kid you not! lol) Lots of lovely work throughout the film.

3) Plot/Story - Thumbs Up: I've pretty much given up on the science making sense in this franchise anymore, so I don't even try. So if you can turn that part of your brain off, the film can be quite enjoyable. 

This is the film that bridges the old with the new. It's like we are at the cusp of them being at the point where we first meet them in the original series. They merge the new theme music with the old theme music even more than in the past. Snippets and lines get thrown in that are well known and even in-jokes allude to the old series. And at the end they wrap it up with those words we all know so well.

Kirk and Spock finds themselves at a cross-roads. It is for different reasons, yet the decisions they are poised to make can change everything. Kirk's ends up resonating as a recurring theme for several characters and even the main plot. There are some unexpected layers to why things are happening. So some things will seem odd until the explanations finally reveal what is not yet known. 

4) Stunts - Total Thumbs Up: Lots of phaser combat on the ship and on the planet. Explosions, gravity shifts, and more get people thrown all over the place. Nice job!

5) Locations/Cinematography - Total Thumbs Up: As I mentioned earlier, they took the pan views of Yorktown way too fast. For the rest of the shots, however, you get some great views of the areas. The shots in space of the hive, the station, and the general mayhem in the first attack were fabulous.

Conclusion: Star Trek Beyond ties the old and new together. They still have issues with bad science. But if you can ignoring those, the film moves well and has plenty for audiences to enjoy. Some lovely in-jokes too!

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Worth Full Price to See Again)

Movie Review - Star Trek Into Darkness

(I have Dallas Comic Con this weekend. So we went to the movies last night! Yay)

Star Trek Into Darkness

Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, John Cho, Anton Yelchin, Benedict Cumberbatch, Bruce Greenwood, Peter Weller, Alice Eve, Leonard Nimoy, and more.

Directed by: J J Abrams Written by: Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, and Damon Lindelof Based on the TV series "Star Trek" by: Gene Roddenberry Cinematography by: Daniel Mindel Original Music by: Michael Giacchino

Premise: An act of terrorism followed by an unexpected attack on Star Fleet Headquarters sets James T Kirk on a path to hunt down the man responsible. Armed with new top secret, untrackable torpedoes, he's to follow John Harrison into Klingon space and destroy him before the Klingons discover them and drag the Federation into a full interstellar war. (Rated  PG-13)

Review:

1) Acting - Thumbs Up: I believe this is probably one of Chris Pine's best performances. The great chemistry between the characters comprising the core of the crew is definitely there and a lot of funny moments come from Zoe Saldana's and Zachary Quinto's interactions. While Karl Urban was one hundred percent Dr. McCoy and funny as always, it was Simon Pegg who pulled off the most comedic bits this time around. The only real disappointment in the acting area was the lack of use by the scriptwriters of Benedict Cumberbatch's awesome range. (If you've not seen the fabulous series "Sherlock" with Benedict Cumberbatch and  Martin Freeman, go do it now!) Peter Weller also did great, but lacked support in the script for his motivation.

2) Special Effects - Total Thumbs Up: From the belly of a volcano to the crashing of spaceships, all the special effects work was 'top notch'. I especially liked the work on the mini-story at the beginning of the film - it truly felt like an alien world. The Klingon Birds of Prey actually flew like a bird when in atmosphere, which I found fascinating. This made the appearance of the dreadnaught and its almost 'cookie cutter' appearance to other Federation ships, despite its being a totally different class, rather odd.

There was also something they did that I couldn't figure out if it was on purpose, mostly because it wasn't consistent. John Harrison looked bigger than a standard human during the brig sequences and a couple of other places, but when standing next to Kirk or other characters, he was normal sized. Totally odd.

Lots of new aliens show up in this film. All humanoid, but definitely interesting. Watch for them in the background and not just inside the ships.

3)  Plot/Story - Neutral: There was some great stuff, there was some awful stuff.

For some of the bad - the science got in the way, so it was pitched out the window. Even traveling at maximum warp, it takes more than five minutes to reach the Klingon Empire, let alone their main planet of Cronos. The same applies for the trip back.

Transporter beams cannot beam you onto something that's moving. Since regeneration of the person on the other end is not instantaneous, it wouldn't move with the object being beamed onto. Also if the person you're trying to transport tries to run for it, the beam would not be able to keep a lock as it does not move.

Earth does have stations and other ships in orbit. They also have sensors. (This will make sense when you see it in context.) (There's more, but I will restrain myself.)

Another major issue was the motivation for one of the characters (not John Harrison). The total turn around of said character had nothing to substantiate it whatsoever. Not to the extreme used - it just wasn't believable. And with such a flaw, it took away from pretty much everything else that happened after, at least to me.

On the good side - lots and lots of in-jokes and acts of homage for the second of the original Star Trek movies. They even took several familiar scenes and twisted them for the new timeline. (Some worked really well, others not as much.) They also snuck in a "Damn it, Jim, I'm a doctor not a 'insert occupation here'!" which made my hubby very, very happy. A lot of the little moments were a lot of fun. Watching Spock being befuddled by the actions of those around him and vice versa, never gets old.

There were actually a few unexpected twists and surprises. One I'd told hubby my suspicions on six months or more ago after seeing the first trailers, so it made me giggle when he looked over at me in surprise when my guess did come to pass. Loved that Uhura got more screen time and was pivotal more than once. You go, girl!

I still want to know why the heck McCoy had a dead Tribble sitting around in sickbay.

4) Stunts - Total Thumbs Up: The hand-to-hand fight on Chronos was great! Wonderful intro for the Klingon race into the new universe.

5) Locations/Cinematography - Total Thumbs Up: From the futuristic city of London to the ruins on Cronos, everything looked pretty amazing. The cloud field shot when Enterprise goes back to Earth was lovely.

Strangely, the only place that seemed not to fit was the Enterprise's engine room. The style and how it was set up clashed with the look of every other section in the ship. Very odd.

6) Costuming/Makeup - Thumbs Up: Overall the costuming and makeup departments did a marvelous job, especially with the new aliens, and giving Klingons a new yet old look. No green tinting at all on Spock's skin, making him less Vulcan, though Kirk got plenty of it in a scene towards the end.

The uniforms on ship were reminiscent of the original TV series uniforms, and they even had a few 'red shirt' jokes, but they clashed with the new gray and black uniforms worn Earthside. For Starfleet and the Federation being dedicated to peace, the hats and dark clothes gave the opposite impression and made Starfleet members look very militant. Seemed very out of place.

Conclusion: A fun thrill ride as long as you turn your brain off and not look at anything too closely. Lots of jokes and homage to the original series and movies, so in that respect, it was a lot of fun. The very end before the credits will make many very nostalgic.

Rating: 3.75 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Worth Paying Full Price To See Again!)

Movie Review - Dredd

Dredd

Starring: Karl Urban, Olivia Thirlby, Lena Heady, Rakie Ayola, Warrick Grier, Wood Harris, Domhnall Gleeson, and more.

Directed by: Pete Travis Screenplay by: Alex Garland Based on the Comic Strip developed by: John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra Cinematography by: Anthony Dod Mantle Original Music by: Paul Leonard-Morgan

Premise: The world is a nuclear wasteland, yet humanity survives in the confines of Mega City-One. Due to overcrowding and lack of resources, the legal system has become rigid and intolerant of deviation of the law. Dredd is a 'Judge', one of the lawmen enforcing the rules where all is chaos. When he's asked to take a rookie with him for evaluation as a possible Judge candidate, no one expected the triple murder they are sent to investigate to be anything but routine. Unfortunately, they arrest the one man clan leader Ma-ma can't afford for them to take in and interrogate. So she sets a plan in motion to contain the situation. A plan which  means death to Dredd and the rookie. (Rated R)

Review:

1) Acting - Total Thumbs Up: Karl Urban was fantastic as Judge Dredd. I loved all the feelings and emotions he was able to get across merely by his voice, his stance, and the set of his mouth. Olivia Thirlby did a great job as the psychic and evaluated rookie Anderson. Lena Heady is definitely making a name for herself as a bad woman. Ruthlessness and self interest poured from her in waves.

2) Special Effects - Total Thumbs Up: I truly have to commend the special effects team for the Mega-City One setup. When the story begins and they are doing an overview of multi state spanning city everything looked like any other city in the 20th century until you notice the highways are bigger, with more decks and roads, and then the huge towering structure additions. What made this sequence so amazing was that unlike most movies where these mostrous buildings would have seemed out of place, or super futuristic, they actually blended in with their surroundings and looked real.

The effects for the Slow-Mo drug were awesome. The beauty experienced by the users was such a total contrast to the dreary, ugly lives around them, it was easy to see why it was in such high demand. The way several scenes were woven in from the point of view of those experiencing the time slowing effects were fantastic.

3) Plot/Story - Thumbs Up: I'd had some minor exposure to the "Judge Dredd" comic series years ago, so I knew the few details that must be had for this film rendition to fit with the comic's established patterns - and they were there! The iconic golden symbol for the Judges, the telltale uniform/armor and helmet, and the biggest requirement, which they met, being the fact that the audience would never see Dredd without his helmet on.

The future in which all the comics take place is very dark and the film definitely shows it. (The R rating needs to be taken very seriously with regards to younger viewers due to the dark nature of the world and the ample servings of graphic violence.)

The plot takes a couple of twists and turns but overall is straightforward and pretty solid. There's also a hint towards the end (when Anderson sees something on the floor) that shows Dredd might have had a little unexpected help to make his theory with Ma-ma actually work.

4) Stunts - Total Thumbs Up: Some of the routines had CGI help, but there were still plenty of physical action done by the experts. The film has a ton of gun play as well as explosions and fights. The body count is high.

5) Locations/Cinematography - Total Thumbs Up: Like I mentioned in the special effects section, the city scape was excellently done and was also introduced quite nicely with the sweeping views generated for the audience. Even more impressive were the shots of the Peach Trees building with its huge central shaft area and hundreds of floors (the building holds 75,000 people - it's humongous!). This was made even more impressive when the shielding protocols were activated.

Conclusion: "Dredd" was a very satisfying film full of action and gun play. Parents, however, should take the R rating seriously as the violence is graphic and dark subjects are explored. I think fans of the comics will be very pleased with this rendition.

Rating: 4 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Worth Full Price of Admission)

Movie Review - Priest

Priest

Starring: Paul Betany, Karl Urban, Can Gigandet, Maggie Q, Lily Collins, Stephen Moyer, Christopher Plumber, Alan Dale, Madchem Amik, and more....

Premise: After a very long war almost destroys the world those living on it, peace is achieved at last. Unfortunately those who brought this peace about are set aside as antiquated tools. Yet the war against those who live in darkness might not be as finished as previously believed.

Review: Loads of actors/actresses I enjoy were in this sucker! I hadn't realized how many till we were watching the film. So that was cool.

Story begins with a punch then we get some background in the form of animation as to the thousand years plus war, which actually fit quite well, especially since the film is based on a Korean comic of the same name. (From the info I read about the comic, however, the movie strayed way off the path.)

Lovely dystopia setting. With the world mostly ruined, most of humanity now cowers inside walled cities run by the Church.  Pollution is everywhere. What little we see of everyday life there paints a bleak existence. The sidewalk confessionals manned by armed guards spoke volumes. Worse, your confession session is presided by a pre-recorded and prompt edited session with Mosignor Orelas rather than a real, caring human being.

Though they bandy the word vampire all over the place, these are not your usual undead. These vamps aren't human, but a whole other race. They even ooze a goo they use to build hives and are born from a queen. We get to see a large hive and vampire eggs and other things, so we do get a little depth on these others. The creatures themselves were also nicely done.

The towns and outposts out in the wastelands have a hard western feel to them. I kept thinking I was shifting from Firefly to Blade Runner and back again. Not saying it's a bad thing, just stating the flavor they used.

The cycles the Priests and the Sheriff use kick buns! And I loved the train. (You'll know it when you see it.) The Priests also have some cool toys for combat that were a lot of fun.  One particular fight with blade extending cross shaped shurikans were kick-ass.

All sorts of possible plots strings are thrown out there, giving depth and the tingle of possibilities and things to come...except...they don't end up using most of them. The ending was also rushed. Closure was not really given to several items. And some of the attitudes displayed by those in power, even with proof, didn't make much sense. (Actually several things didn't make sense - like why did they even have camps for the vamps if they were abominations?) I kept getting the feeling that there was more coming on several subjects but they never came.

So while off to a great start and decent middle, the end and wrap up were not as satisfying as they should have been.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 (Hubby's rating: Matinee pricing)