Star Trek Into Darkness (Post-release)

[mynameschris]

Ironic really, but the acting on the bridge kinda reminded me of Galaxy Quest in places.
Started off badly too - Prime Directive stuff. What were Kirk and McCoy up to with that scroll?
If Spock was so concerned about the PD and the planet's inhabitants seeing the Enterprise, then why was he breaking the PD in placing the device in the volcano to prevent its eruption?
Some great visuals, some interesting character interplay, but ultimately average.

True which is why they get busted for it, Spock was open to saving the species but didnt want them knowing anything about the Enterprise.

You tend to see 2 polar opinions with Trek fans when it comes to the PD, one side who thinks Starfleet should help any and every planet suffering a natural or evolutionary event and the other side who thinks we should stay out and let what is going to happen happen.

The costume designer should be shot for the dress uniforms at Starfleet command. Those are the most god awful, colorless, things I've ever seen.

I actually liked the dress uniforms, they seemed much more formal than any that we had seen in the past... but its all personal preference.

Why does Scotty still have a communicator after resigning from Starfleet AND that Kirk can reach it from across the galaxy like a cell phone in the same coverage area?

He resigned his post on the Enterprise not from Starfleet which is the same reason hes flying a Starfleet shuttle and in uniform later in the film. When I saw that I assumed the communicator on Kirks end tapped into the ship and communicated with Earth which relayed the signal to Scott. It was an interesting use of the communicators the whole way through as Pike even got what would be a 23rd Century text message calling him to the briefing.

 

[Jeyl]

It's a fools errand to try and take William Shatner's Kirk and make it jibe with Chris Pine's.

Difference being that Kirk is in more ways like the classic Kirk than this new Khan was to the original. The more you keep pressing the point that Khan is a new character, the more I'm convinced that he didn't need to be Khan at all.

 

[The Mad Professor]

Now he's just some war criminal who was "banished" and was willing to be some guy's puppet. Khan ain't no puppet.

Who said he ever was?

Do you think Khan would have helped Marcus develop the Vengeance, a ship that is bigger, faster, more powerful than anything Starfleet had (including their newest ship, the Enterprise), and designed to run with a minimal crew, if he DIDN'T have a secondary agenda? I think his plan all along was to steal the Vengeance, retrieve his other super-people, and then use it to wreak havoc across the Federation. There was never any desire to let Marcus command it. He wanted the Vengeance for himself and his people.

As to why he had Mickey blow up that Section 31 facility... I think it served two purposes...

1) The explicitly stated reason: It forced the top brass to meet in a single place, allowing him to strike the head from the snake, as it were.

2) Do you think Starfleet knew of the Vengeance? I don't. I think it was a Section 31 Black Project, and the destruction of the research facility made his eventual offer of help to Kirk be the only option left, ensuring that he could get aboard the Vengeance.

 

[tubachris85x]

Saw this on Friday. I was actually quite happy with it. Reading this thread shows a lot of animosity towards to the new series..while I didn't grow up watching the original trek, I've seen all the original films and got pretty into TNG.

I think people are forgetting how Abrams is going about this new series. He's making his own trek while still openly acknowledging in the film's themselves that all the original films of the past are still recognized as a part of the new trek's timeline (in the sense that the original films "happened" in the new trek universe)

This is supposed to be a representation of a completely different timeline then the original films. The characters are the same. If anything, this new Kahn came off as a badass and a more legit threat to Kirk and starfleet. Something Kahn in the TWOK could not do for me...sorry to the purists, but that's how I feel. He could have a "weaker" backstory or reasoning behind his desire to kill, but in the end, he was more of a threat IMO in this film then he was in TWOK

 

[Bryancd]

Difference being that Kirk is in more ways like the classic Kirk than this new Khan was to the original. The more you keep pressing the point that Khan is a new character, the more I'm convinced that he didn't need to be Khan at all.

?
That's an entirely different consideration. We have the film in front us and it is Khan, the question is does he function well as a new character or do we try and make comparisons to what has cone before. Debating if it could have been someone else is pointless.

 

[Cody1138]

I too was at the special Wonderfest showing with Kerr and here are my comments:
I kept trying stop myself from making connections to the prior Trek universe, because this is so obviously it's own thing, it would not be fair to judge the new against the old, the new would just lose. So without that interference, the film was fun and fast. Great characters, especially McCoy, and great interaction. The plot was a bit thin, but again it was fast so you don't really notice. I really don't understand all the accolades for Cumberbach (Khan) as being such a great villain. He was fine, but look at Loki in the Avengers, sooooooo much better. Khan was a bit two dimentional and while lines like "I think we are helping him" that Kirk says seem to indicate that Khan is being manipulative and has a big plan that no one is in on, was not convincing to me. Khan was just driven by anger and was acting upon it in superficial ways.
One thing that greatly confused me. The screening was late night and maybe I was more tired than I thought, but didn't Khan crush Scotty's head? They were all fighting on the bridge and I could swear that Khan had Scotty in the death grip and you heard the big snap and Carol Marcus (really hot BTW) screamed. It confused me because within minutes the away team was beamed off and there was Scotty without a bruise. Did Khan kill someone else? I thought maybe I got Scotty confused with Adm. Marcus somehow, but I don't believe so.

 

[The Mad Professor]

I thought maybe I got Scotty confused with Adm. Marcus somehow, but I don't believe so.

You did. I did too, at first.

 

[The Mad Professor]

When I watched the movie, I found Spock's "KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!" to be a bit of bad writing.

Then I stopped and thought about it.

Remember that Spock told Uhura that he deliberately shut off his emotions because he cared too much (and was scared of them, in many ways). In my opinion, with all that had gone on (the destruction of Vulcan, the death of his mother, nearly dying himself, his fight with Uhura, and now the death of someone he considered to be his closest friend), perhaps his emotions reached critical mass and he simply exploded in rage and grief, the target of which was Khan. Remember that after this emotional outburst, he went on a one-man crusade against Khan and would have very likely killed him in anger if Uhura hadn't stopped him.

Also remember that, according to Vulcan history, their past is one of intense emotion. Apparently, their emotions were so powerful that they nearly destroyed themselves before Surak brought forth the idea of suppressing emotion in favor of logic. It is entirely possible that, given Spock's half-human lineage, he had a much more difficult time controlling his emotions than full Vulcans.

 

[Jeyl]

?
That's an entirely different consideration. We have the film in front us and it is Khan, the question is does he function well as a new character or do we try and make comparisons to what has cone before. Debating if it could have been someone else is pointless.

How is it pointless when comments like "being someone else" and "a new character" can mean the same thing?

 

[Howard]

I see very little of TOS Kirk or Spock in the new characters.
I choose to watch these films without a slavish devotion to what has come before. And considering the amount if time Trek has been part of my life that's no mean feat.

With respect, certainly a contradiction in terms, Bryan?

 

[third3ye]

'Star Trek Into Darkness' Can't Hit Warp Speed at Box Office | The Wrap Movies

Someday the studio executives will realize that Star Trek just does not have the widespread appeal they want it to have. Turning it into something it is not will not change that fact.

That article failed to mention that STID with 3D sales couldn't surpass ST without 3D. The box office numbers for STID are really a disappointment. Maybe it'll pick up steam over the next few weekends but with competition ramping up, I really doubt it'll do big enough numbers for Paramount to pat themselves on the back.

If you ask me, I think to the general moviewatching public, Star Trek is no longer a relevant franchise, whether it's Paramount, Abrams, CBS, or whoever you want to blame. I personally wouldn't be surprised if this were Abrams' last Star Trek, I think he'll find a much more lucrative and publicly well-received home with Lucasfilm/Disney than he ever could with Paramount.

 

[Mola Rob]

That article failed to mention that STID with 3D sales couldn't surpass ST without 3D. The box office numbers for STID are really a disappointment. Maybe it'll pick up steam over the next few weekends but with competition ramping up, I really doubt it'll do big enough numbers for Paramount to pat themselves on the back.

If you ask me, I think to the general moviewatching public, Star Trek is no longer a relevant franchise, whether it's Paramount, Abrams, CBS, or whoever you want to blame. I personally wouldn't be surprised if this were Abrams' last Star Trek, I think he'll find a much more lucrative and publicly well-received home with Lucasfilm/Disney than he ever could with Paramount.

J.J. and Star Trek aren't exactly a match made in heaven anyway. He makes entertaining summer action movies featuring fan pleasing echos from Star Trek past but he doesn't make great Trek.

I still think Star Trek is valid as a movie franchise but with more moderate goals. Star Trek is not blockbuster material and if Paramount would accept that and make smaller Trek movies without the expectations of hitting Batman or Iron Man box office numbers it might make for better movies and less frustration on the part of the fans and the studio. Paramount needs to remember it's not Star Wars, it never has been Star Wars, it never will be Star Wars.

 

[TheRealMcFly]

That article had a link that bounced me over to one about marketing issues...

I had no idea CBS still holds rights to Trek TV series and all merchandise. No wonder I couldn't find any action figures from STID.

Seen the film three times now. Still enjoyable, but all nitpicks and rehash aside, I really don't like being left with the same feeling I had at the end of the last one. Okay, lets go explore some space... five year mission, starting... Now?

 

[third3ye]

I still think Star Trek is valid as a movie franchise but with more moderate goals. Star Trek is not blockbuster material and if Paramount would accept that and make smaller Trek movies without the expectations of hitting Batman or Iron Man box office numbers it might make for better movies and less frustration on the part of the fans and the studio. Paramount needs to remember it's not Star Wars, it never has been Star Wars, it never will be Star Wars.

Before I posted that I also thought about Paramount going to a smaller scale with future ST movies as well but with tentpole sci-fi movies generally demanding big $$$ budgets these days, I don't see that happening, least not with a major studio and not with a franchise like Star Trek. Nobody in the biz really expected STID to do IM3 or TDKR numbers, but it's still gotta do better than $400M global (rounding up ST 2009's global BO draw) to even be considered a moderate success; probably gotta do over $500M if Paramount is thinking threequel. $400M is achievable... $500M is a stretch target.

 

[Hedjii72]

I really don't like being left with the same feeling I had at the end of the last one. Okay, lets go explore some space... five year mission, starting... Now?

Yup. It's sort of like the end of Skyfall. "Okay NOW, we've set everything up for you to enjoy the missions you though you were paying admission to see. Come back next time!"

 

[Caveneau]

That article had a link that bounced me over to one about marketing issues...

Yeah, I read that as well.
Personally, I was quite pleased to hear about Bad Robot being denied licensing and merchandising rights.
All Abrams cares about is slapping his name on the brand.

 

[kialna]

Maybe the box office numbers would've been less 'bad' if they didn't decide to spread the release over the year. We have to wait until June, but Japan until SEPTEMBRE! I'm sorry, but that's a very long wait and could possibly put people off....because the mass hysteria and marketing is done already. The press conferences are over, all is done, and there are countries still waiting.

This is something I don't really understand. Is it so the money flows steadily instead of one big leap and then suddenly it stops? Or is it just because it has to be translated or dubbed or...other technical difficulties that delay it?

 

[SmilingOtter]

Did Khan kill someone else? I thought maybe I got Scotty confused with Adm. Marcus somehow, but I don't believe so.

No, Khan pushed Admiral Marcus' ears together. Later Kirk, Carol Marcus and Scotty all get beamed to the Enterprise's brig.

 

[Hedjii72]

Yeah, I read that as well.
Personally, I was quite pleased to hear about Bad Robot being denied licensing and merchandising rights.
All Abrams cares about is slapping his name on the brand.

I may be inferring a bit, but the articles about Abrams wanting more merchandise control really make him come off as looking greedy.

 

[Bryancd]

This is really funny...

http://io9.com/star-trek-into-darkness-the-spoiler-faq-508927844