I'll admit that I remember fondly watching Star Trek as a youngster Sunday mornings before shuffling off to church (I'd miss the last 15 minutes resolution of any episode, which was quite frustrating). I remain charmed by the spirit of that show, and maybe it colors my outlook on Hollywood's latest spectacular.
As the movie progressed, I chuckled at some fun bits, stared in shock at others (although I knew Khan was the villain, it was still a 'holey shit' moment for me), and felt numb by the relentless 'action'. As the credits rolled, I couldn't figure out if I actually liked the movie.
Mulling it over, I find that Star Trek: Into Darkness is a typical 'modern' blockbuster, throwing everything and the kitchen sink at the viewer relentlessly. Larger than life characters! Do-or-die situations! Over-the-top villainy!
Interesting story with characters I care about?
Not so much.
It's probably just me. Maybe I'm dumb, but I didn't get the whole story. It seemed that things happened just to prod the plot conveniently forward. Stuff was mentioned that probably should've been shown to dramatic effect; and time was spent on scenes that missed the mark for me.
Characters spouted off lines, but I just didn't believe them, nor did I really care.
The Kirk I 'know' is brash, arrogant, and takes calculated gambles to defy the odds; Pine's version is frantic, reckless, and doesn't seem to deserve the rank he's been given (as he himself states). His dynamic with Quinto seems like a hollow echo of the Shatner/Nimoy banter, and the entire movie's mirroring of Wrath of Khan only serves to demonstrate how superior that latter film actually is to it.
Consider: WOK uses pace to incredible effect; events happen gradually, leading to a dramatic crescendo. ID is loud, explosive scenes threaded together haphazardly. The former film has a clear theme with intense emotional pay-off by its climax; the latter seems unfocused and weighed down by too many ideas crammed into it. Of course, critics feel that flawed characters doing questionable things makes them 'believable', but I found the ethics lesson distracted from the pulpy adventure.
I did enjoy Cumberbatch, although I wish he'd displayed actual 'brilliance' in addition to suave menace. I guess that's my main complaint overall, now that I mention it: I wish the plot would've depended on 'smart' folk making clever, strategic decisions to save the day, rather than attractive characters punching and kicking their way to a fireworks resolution.
Comparing this hyperactive action movie to those low-budget episodes filled with heart just serves to remind me: less can indeed be more.
No comments:
Post a Comment