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[inm8num2]

I think Quinto's Spock is fantastic in that it's a younger version with a different history. I can see them as two sides of the same core personality. As with many things, though, moreso when you just look at TOS. TOS Spock was a bit of a dick, but much more in control. By the movies and especially the TNG era he had become far far more mellow and less snarky.

True. Perhaps I was a little harsh. I certainly know what they're going for in playing up certain aspects of the character, to start him at point A and take him to point B.

But I think having those aspects in TOS worked because the show was fundamentally different in style and storytelling. In JJ Trek there really aren't moments where you can truly appreciate Spock's philosophy, scientific knowledge, etc. That's why we grow to like him in TOS and the older movies.

In the new ST it's just Spock being hyper logical and having a hard time breaking rules. In my opinion, taking out the "science-fiction" and cerebral aspects of ST makes the character of Spock a much more difficult sell, if that makes sense. It essentially limits the playground in which you can play with the character.

 

[Phat Michael]

just saw this movie. fantastic especially in imax 3d. cumberbatch is the most bad ass actor of the present. his voice especially is so damn hardcore. really liked it, the action scenes were great.

 

[lexi]

Just back from this movie, I actually really, really enjoyed it.

I don't know where I stand in Trek fandom. I've only seen TOS and TNG and love them both, but I also really like the new movies.

Am I just too easy to please?

 

[LegendofJoe]

I've been really busy the last week and I still haven't had time to go see this. I probably won't be able to go until next weekend in fact, the wait is killing me. It's not every day you get to see a big budget sci-fi flick in theaters, even if it is penned by Lindelof.

 

[Dead Man]

Just back from this movie, I actually really, really enjoyed it.

I don't know where I stand in Trek fandom. I've only seen TOS and TNG and love them both, but I also really like the new movies.

Am I just too easy to please?

Damn it, after your FO3 statement I thought you had good taste

 

[Chezzymann]

I really enjoyed the moral dellima in the movie surrounding the militarization of the federation, really brought up some social critique that made it feel a lot more like star trek.

Also, the engine seen wasn't just a complete copy of Wrath of Khan. That's just nitpicking and it REALLY annoys me when people say this movie is a Wrath of Khan ripoff. It was detrimental to the plot of the movie. Kirk sacrificing his life for his crew basically mirrored how his dad sacrificed his life for his crew. Also, Kirk finally lived up to Pike's dare that he could do better than his dad. This wraps up Pike's character and also sets up kirk's character as finally a decent captain.

Also, the reason spock got so angry was because after Kirk died he finally realized what it was like to have a friend and what he had just lost. Spock also learned why Kirk did what he did in the opening scene, and why emotions are so important. That scene was a HUGE amount of character development. Sure, it was also a blatant copy of Wrath of Khan when it comes to cinematography, but why does that matter when it has completely different character developments and motivations associated with it? Why does that take away from the movie?

 

[Grisby]

Saw it the other night. Was alright. The first one is leagues better though. The principle actors are still good but the main story just didn't do it for me.

So cheesy when they finally revealed the villain. I mean, the way he emphasized that scene and the music had me rolling. Not much enterprise combat at all which kind of sucks.

The film actually would have went up a couple of notches if they had (major ending spoiler)

Spoiler

kept Kirk dead. That twist took me by surprise.

Wish they would have had the balls to end it like that.

One last note, the song for the enterprise is so awesome.

 

[maharg]

The film actually would have went up a couple of notches if they had (major ending spoiler)

Spoiler

kept Kirk dead. That twist took me by surprise.

Wish they would have had the balls to end it like that.

I'm so glad they didn't.

Spoiler

The Search For Kirk

would have been taking it about ten steps too far.

 

[amishpriest99]

I really enjoyed the moral dellima in the movie surrounding the militarization of the federation, really brought up some social critique that made it feel a lot more like star trek.

Also, the engine seen wasn't just a complete copy of Wrath of Khan. That's just nitpicking and it REALLY annoys me when people say this movie is a Wrath of Khan ripoff. It was detrimental to the plot of the movie. Kirk sacrificing his life for his crew basically mirrored how his dad sacrificed his life for his crew. Also, Kirk finally lived up to Pike's dare that he could do better than his dad. This wraps up Pike's character and also sets up kirk's character as finally a decent captain.

Also, the reason spock got so angry was because after Kirk died he finally realized what it was like to have a friend and what he had just lost. Spock also learned why Kirk did what he did in the opening scene, and why emotions are so important. That scene was a HUGE amount of character development. Sure, it was also a blatant copy of Wrath of Khan when it comes to cinematography, but why does that matter when it has completely different character developments and motivations associated with it? Why does that take away from the movie?

All well said and agreed on all points, especially your second paragraph. Additionally, I thought that for the screen time he had Bruce Greenwood (Pike) was fantastic, just as he was in the first film.

 

[GDJustin]

Loved it, just like I love Trek 2009.

There's plot holes, sure. But it's impeccably shot and directed, well cast, great/interesting production design, etc.

 

[Grisby]

I'm so glad they didn't.

Spoiler

The Search For Kirk

would have been taking it about ten steps too far.

I'm really not the biggest trek fan but I get what your saying. I just think it would have been neat to

Spoiler

carry on the series without him.

I don't know what they could do but man, it would have gotten me interested right off the bat in a third film.

 

[fluffydelusions]

I really liked it. Better than the first one and Cumberbatch was amazing.

 

[XiaNaphryz]

For anyone else playing the Star Trek Rivals iOS card game, feel free to add me on Gamecenter, same nick as here on GAF.

Alternatively, you can enter my friend code from the app I guess: KLMJJS

Looking for more opponents!

 

[wenis]

It was alright. Saw it in IMAX 3D and it wasnt worth the ticket price. I'd have preferred seeing it at a matinee in 2D.

Cumberbatch was great tho and the most sympathetic villain this year (I was actively rooting for him for most of the movie). Giacchinno came at the score hard. 2 positives in an otherwise forgettable movie

And Karl urban is my forever man crush.

 

[Davey Cakes]

Just saw it in IMAX 3D.

Fantastic visuals, especially with 3D.
Better story and action than ST 2009, and just an overall better movie.
Some good fanservice that goes too far in parts and not far enough in others.
LOL at the two seconds of Alice Eve's body.
The ending was a bit more abrupt than I'd prefer. An extra five minutes worth of epilogue would have been nice.

Peter Weller is awesome.

So yeah, I liked it. Didn't LOVE it but I'm certainly glad I went to IMAX 3D. Definitely boosted the overall experience.

Hopefully now we can see some actual "trekking" in the third film. This one sets it up so hopefully we see little or none of Earth next time.

 

[Gvaz]

I really enjoyed the moral dellima in the movie surrounding the militarization of the federation, really brought up some social critique that made it feel a lot more like star trek.

Also, the engine seen wasn't just a complete copy of Wrath of Khan. That's just nitpicking and it REALLY annoys me when people say this movie is a Wrath of Khan ripoff. It was detrimental to the plot of the movie. Kirk sacrificing his life for his crew basically mirrored how his dad sacrificed his life for his crew. Also, Kirk finally lived up to Pike's dare that he could do better than his dad. This wraps up Pike's character and also sets up kirk's character as finally a decent captain.

Also, the reason spock got so angry was because after Kirk died he finally realized what it was like to have a friend and what he had just lost. Spock also learned why Kirk did what he did in the opening scene, and why emotions are so important. That scene was a HUGE amount of character development. Sure, it was also a blatant copy of Wrath of Khan when it comes to cinematography, but why does that matter when it has completely different character developments and motivations associated with it? Why does that take away from the movie?

Because everything they did and their reasons behind it didn't have 3 tv seasons of development behind it, as wrath of khan did. So everything was compressed and because of that everything felt petty or whatever.

That's what I got from it. It made me mad.

 

[Anticitizen One]

Just saw the movie. I thought it was great and i'm glad it wasn't like what most of neogaf thought

Spoiler

having the villian be a guy named gary mitchell was fucking stupid

 

[elostyle]

Someone enlighten me just how close to earth exactly Kronos is supposed to be. Judging from this movie it' in teleporter and cell phone range and takes all of 30 seconds to get to at warp speed.

 

[The Librarian]

Someone enlighten me just how close to earth exactly Kronos is supposed to be. Judging from this movie it' in teleporter and cell phone range and takes all of 30 seconds to get to at warp speed.

Distance doesn't really matter, apparently, in the Abramsverse when it comes to traveling. This should give you a pretty good idea.

 

[raindoc]

I'm really not the biggest trek fan but I get what your saying. I just think it would have been neat to

Spoiler

carry on the series without him.

I don't know what they could do but man, it would have gotten me interested right off the bat in a third film.

rebooting the franchise with the original characters so you can

Spoiler

kill off the main character in the 2nd movie

?

i'd still be head-palming.

 

[Dawg]

In the cinema right now... hope it's not as bad as some people told me.

 

[Electrocats]

abhrams trek would make a much better TV series than a big budget movie. 2 hours and a major villain per movie doesn't give us any time to see the chemistry between the characters

it's always these one liner snap backs and while it makes for entertaining screenplay, it leaves no room for normal conversation .
most of the screentime is spent showing how BIG AND CRAZY AND EVIL the next villain is.

plus it would ease up on time constraints during warp travel and stupid things like being near the moon and then suddenly near earth which they obviously couldn't explain because of time.

 

[G-Fex]

I didn't like it as much as I was hoping I would.

 

[F0rneus]

My only experience with Star Trek is basically the two Abrams movies and so, I really enjoyed this. The cast is likable and fun, the villain was seriously great (never seen Cumberbatch in anything before this, and he rocked it), a great soundtrack and jawdropping visuals all over the place. The action had a lot of umph too. I seriously dug all the mano a mano bits.

It just never had any sense of urgency. The

Spoiler

Klingon showdown scene

had more tension than the whole finale of the movie to me. Shocking moments with some great acting chops sure, but the solution to a lot of things was telegraphied from a mile away which distracted somewhat.

Nonetheless, these movies are seriously classy and quality sci-fi actioners. The visuals themselves are the worth the asking price here. Flaws be damned.

 

[TylerD]

Saw it in IMAX 3D after successfully avoiding trailers and spoilers all this time. What a fantastic experience. Thought the 3D really added a lot. It was visually stunning, aurally moving (dat score), really enjoyed all the characters and the humor. Weren't any slow parts and the 2+ hours flew by leaving me wanting more. I was surprised at the Alice Eve scene but only because I was expecting something so much more heinous based on the reaction of the internets.

I saw very little of the original show but did see all the movies and thought this was a very well done continuation of ST 2009. Thought it was a lot better than Iron Man 3 and I thoroughly enjoyed that flick too.

 

[FeD.nL]

Just saw it, it came out yesterday over here.

It's Skyfall all over again. Great to look at, but the need for the director/writers to reference everything from past movies and in the process trying to be 'smarter' than the original kinda kills it. It is a visually stunning movie, the soundtrack is sublime but the rest is just so mediocre in it's execution.

 

[red731]

The movie had great pacing and I liked it very much.
First Imax 3d experience. Holy shit I've already missed so much movies there.

 

[Brandon F]

Meh.

Pretty let down by it. Even trying to turn my brain off, I just didn't have much fun watching this film. Shame as I utterly adored the first.

 

[RedShift]

Just got back... It was funny, but there were some things that made me groan

Spoiler

'How many torpedoes do you have?' '72' 'I surrender' 'Well that isn't suspicious, welcome aboard!'. To be fair I was expecting him to launch them at the Klingons or something but still come on. Did they not watch the Avengers? Or the Dark Knight? Or Skyfall? At least Kirk started to catch on towards the end. This tired cliché of a villain planning to be captured needs to die.

Then

Spoiler

Oh here let me just inject this thingy with magic blood, definitely not foreshadowing anything. When he sat down next to it later I just turned to my friend and shook my head in disgust. That's some Disney style shit.

Still it was OK I guess. It's Sherlock in Space, what more could you want?

 

[maharg]

Spoiler

'How many torpedoes do you have?' '72' 'I surrender' 'Well that isn't suspicious, welcome aboard!'. To be fair I was expecting him to launch them at the Klingons or something but still come on. Did they not watch the Avengers? Or the Dark Knight? Or Skyfall? At least Kirk started to catch on towards the end. This tired cliché of a villain planning to be captured needs to die.

That's not what was happening. I mean obviously he wanted to get them back and it gave him an opportunity to, but he surrendered because not surrendering would have killed them. It wasn't some grand plan.

 

[GameplayWhore]

Distance doesn't really matter, apparently, in the Abramsverse when it comes to traveling. This should give you a pretty good idea.

That image, however canonical it might be, is a load of crap. Betazed, Trill, Bajor and Cardassia are closer to Earth than the nearest Klingon world? Deep Space 9 is closer to the center of Federation space than Deel Spaces 2, 3, 4, 5, and a crapload of conventional starbases? Hah!

No way, this is not a good source to use to show why it's bad that they can pretty much take a commuter bus to Qo'nos.

Granted, it is bad, but more for the reason that it's extremely hard to see two large civilizations, one highly aggressive, both highly armed, that have been adding worlds for a long time, being next door neighbors without regularly going into full out war.

edit: And, hah, didn't realize I was replying to a post a week after the fact.

 

[SRG01]

That's not what was happening. I mean obviously he wanted to get them back and it gave him an opportunity to, but he surrendered because not surrendering would have killed them. It wasn't some grand plan.

Spoiler

Yes, because Khan has a huge devotion to his crew and family

That image, however canonical it might be, is a load of crap. Betazed, Trill, Bajor and Cardassia are closer to Earth than the nearest Klingon world? Deep Space 9 is closer to the center of Federation space than Deel Spaces 2, 3, 4, 5, and a crapload of conventional starbases? Hah!

No way, this is not a good source to use to show why it's bad that they can pretty much take a commuter bus to Qo'nos.

Granted, it is bad, but more for the reason that it's extremely hard to see two large civilizations, one highly aggressive, both highly armed, that have been adding worlds for a long time, being next door neighbors without regularly going into full out war.

edit: And, hah, didn't realize I was replying to a post a week after the fact.

Spoiler

That brings up something else: A huge chunk of the Klingon fleet got destroyed in ST2009. Would that change the course of the Klingon-Federation War?

 

[GameplayWhore]

That's not what was happening. I mean obviously he wanted to get them back and it gave him an opportunity to, but he surrendered because not surrendering would have killed them. It wasn't some grand plan.

I am getting increasingly confused on that point. 'Batch really didn't have a plan to begin with, did he? I mean, it's starting to feel like he was betting on a continuous series of really big long shots, including betting that the

Spoiler

torpedos

would be used, betting that

Spoiler

Robocop would trust the guy who went "traitor" on him and not think to inspect said weapons

, betting that the

Spoiler

Big Scary Ship

would be brought out at that particular time, that when

Spoiler

shooting up that building

he'd be effectively

Spoiler

stopped in a way that would give him enough time to escape

instead of incinerating him instantly.... It's just starting to feel really convenient.

Spoiler

That brings up something else: A huge chunk of the Klingon fleet got destroyed in ST2009. Would that change the course of the Klingon-Federation War?

Yes, but

Spoiler

a huge chunk of the Federation fleet got destroyed in ST2009, too

, so at least there's balance. Hey, why are we spoiler tagging a four year old movie?

 

[maharg]

That image, however canonical it might be, is a load of crap. Betazed, Trill, Bajor and Cardassia are closer to Earth than the nearest Klingon world? Deep Space 9 is closer to the center of Federation space than Deel Spaces 2, 3, 4, 5, and a crapload of conventional starbases? Hah!

No way, this is not a good source to use to show why it's bad that they can pretty much take a commuter bus to Qo'nos.

Granted, it is bad, but more for the reason that it's extremely hard to see two large civilizations, one highly aggressive, both highly armed, that have been adding worlds for a long time, being next door neighbors without regularly going into full out war.

edit: And, hah, didn't realize I was replying to a post a week after the fact.

To be fair, the Klingons are basically the second civilization humans went to war with after the Romulans, afaik. I think it's actually pretty reasonable to think that they're relatively close to each other, warp-wise.

I am getting increasingly confused on that point. 'Batch really didn't have a plan to begin with, did he? I mean, it's starting to feel like he was betting on a continuous series of really big long shots, including betting that the

Spoiler

torpedos

would be used, betting that

Spoiler

Robocop would trust the guy who went "traitor" on him and not think to inspect said weapons

, betting that the

Spoiler

Big Scary Ship

would be brought out at that particular time, that when

Spoiler

shooting up that building

he'd be effectively

Spoiler

stopped in a way that would give him enough time to escape

instead of incinerating him instantly.... It's just starting to feel really convenient.

You are very confused since none of what you said is what was going on at all.

Spoiler

Khan high tailed it because he believed he had lost all chance to get his fellow augments, so he prioritized his own revenge, freedom, and survival

. Everything after that was just him taking advantage of opportunities. I'm pretty sure this is all explicitly said in the movie.

 

[GameplayWhore]

To be fair, the Klingons are basically the second civilization humans went to war with after the Romulans, afaik. I think it's actually pretty reasonable to think that they're relatively close to each other, warp-wise.

Relatively, yes. But just a few days away seems downright cuddly, especially since it seems like Humans got their warp capability well after the Klingons did. Ah, I guess it could just be that they were giving Vulcan space a general wide berth, and that includes Earth pretty much. Now I'm curious to know if any of this was hinted in the Enterprise premier.

But I'm getting too bogged down by nerdery and details here. What was it that they said at the end of the MST3K intro? "Just repeat to yourself, it's just a show, you should really just relax". ;D

You are very confused since none of what you said is what was going on at all.

Spoiler

Khan high tailed it because he believed he had lost all chance to get his fellow augments, so he prioritized his own revenge, freedom, and survival

. Everything after that was just him taking advantage of opportunities. I'm pretty sure this is all explicitly said in the movie.

It makes sense from that perspective. I think I was skewed by seeing people comparing this film to recent movies involving "It's all part of the plan" style villains.

So you're saying that

Spoiler

he hid his compatriots in the torpedos but was unable to extract them and therefore blew stuff up and left town for good

. I'm not content with that, but it is less confusing.

 

[maharg]

Relatively, yes. But just a few days away seems downright cuddly, especially since it seems like Humans got their warp capability well after the Klingons did. Ah, I guess it could just be that they were giving Vulcan space a general wide berth, and that includes Earth pretty much. Now I'm curious to know if any of this was hinted in the Enterprise premier.

Well, once the Vulcans stopped being assholes about sharing more advanced warp tech human tech would catch up pretty quick. And in the new universe it's presumed to have gotten another hundred or so year leap from whatever they gleaned from the Nerada and Old Spock.

 

[The Technomancer]

It makes sense from that perspective. I think I was skewed by seeing people comparing this film to recent movies involving "It's all part of the plan" style villains.

So you're saying that

Spoiler

he hid his compatriots in the torpedos but was unable to extract them and therefore blew stuff up and left town for good

. I'm not content with that, but it is less confusing.

Spoiler

He thought they were actually dead and snapped. Not just that they were out of his reach (he probably wouldn't have stopped trying then) but, and I forget the exact line explaining why, he very much says that he thought the Admiral had discovered his ruse and killed them (or maybe didn't discover it and used the torpedoes)

 

[GameplayWhore]

Spoiler

He thought they were actually dead and snapped. Not just that they were out of his reach (he probably wouldn't have stopped trying then) but, and I forget the exact line explaining why, he very much says that he thought the Admiral had discovered his ruse and killed them (or maybe didn't discover it and used the torpedoes)

*accesses Star Trek Into Darkness transcript*

Hm. This seems not entirely accurate, but I will use it as an authoratative source to verify what you stated.



edit: But seriously, my new strategy of only watching one movie a year is making me completely oblivious to plot details. I am amazing myself in how much I've gotten the story basics wrong. Or maybe while I was watching I wasn't interested in the technicals but now that I am I don't retail enough memory of what happened because I was focused on the running and explosions.


edit:

Spoiler

ZACHARY QUINTO

Okay, now that we're not going to die immediately, we can call Earth and tell them everything. I mean, they're literally right there. It would solve all of our problems.

...heh.

 

[Blinck]

Just saw it !

Pretty good overall. Not as good as the first one IMO, but I guess that's because the "awe" is gone this time around obviously.

I think the movie had too much filler, and some of the action sequences were a bit messy, but I really enjoyed my time.

Spoiler

The scene where Kirk "dies" was absolute shit garbage. It was obvious that he wasn't gonna die, it was obvious the blood was the cure, it was too long, and it was extremely cheesy.

Still waiting for the next REALLY amazing sci-fi movie. Hurry up Nolan !!!

 

[ToyMachine228]

Just got back from seeing this and my first thought was...Abrams' Star Treks do not inspire much hope for his direction on Star Wars. The characters are all very cliche and almost parodies of themselves. Something else that bothered me was that the movie takes place almost entirely on a very select few sets, inside the ships. It seemed really weird to me.

 

[maharg]

Just got back from seeing this and my first thought was...Abrams' Star Treks do not inspire much hope for his direction on Star Wars. The characters are all very cliche and almost parodies of themselves. Something else that bothered me was that the movie takes place almost entirely on a very select few sets, inside the ships. It seemed really weird to me.

Because Star Wars is a sober examination of deep characterization.

 

[ToyMachine228]

Because Star Wars is a sober examination of deep characterization.

I'm not even a Star Wars fan. I've seen them all, but that's it. What I'm saying is, I'm hoping for something more from new Star Wars films than we're getting out of the new Star Trek films. Like I said, the lack of imagination is what gets me the most about Into Darkness. There's an entire universe out there to show off and all we really saw in Into Darkness was the opening scene planet, the fight on Kronos, the stereotypical future earth and the inside of ships.

 

[K-19]

San Francisco was pretty impressive, I could easily live there.

 

[inm8num2]

San Francisco was pretty impressive, I could easily live there.

You'd have to deal with crashing starships and surprise attacks on a daily basis, though.

 

[Makoto]

The scar on his cheek is shaped like the Starfleet insignia. #poetry #jjnolan

 

[WyndhamPrice]

I'm not even a Star Wars fan. I've seen them all, but that's it. What I'm saying is, I'm hoping for something more from new Star Wars films than we're getting out of the new Star Trek films. Like I said, the lack of imagination is what gets me the most about Into Darkness. There's an entire universe out there to show off and all we really saw in Into Darkness was the opening scene planet, the fight on Kronos, the stereotypical future earth and the inside of ships.

The faults in this movie are in the writing, not the direction. The new Star Wars' script is being penned by Michael Arndt, who is a rather great screenwriter (and I guess Lawrence Kasdan, who penned The Empire Strikes Back, has a hand in it too). JJ shot what he was given (which was merely okay material), and he shot the fuck out of it. I was certainly never bored watching this movie.

 

[andthebeatgoeson]

I loved it. Put it on my must watch in theater summer movie list.

 

[Dysun]

My only knowledge of Stark Trek is limited to the 2009 movie. I didn't think it surpassed that one, the novelty has worn off somewhat but it was still great.

Spoiler

Although Kirk's death and revival was a bit forced, and extremely predictable. The 72 torpedoes thing was also odd and jarring to me, I looked up some Khan back story afterwards so it looks like that would have made more sense to me if I had some prior knowledge. The bra scene was good, it needed to be longer!

 

[Xun]

I saw it yesterday morning and I was impressed, great film!

Spoiler

It has probably been talked about, but when exactly was Khan meant to have been genetically enhanced/frozen? They said it was 300 years, so that would mean about 1959?

My only knowledge of Stark Trek is limited to the 2009 movie. I didn't think it surpassed that one, the novelty has worn off somewhat but it was still great.

Spoiler

Although Kirk's death and revival was a bit forced, and extremely predictable. The 72 torpedoes thing was also odd and jarring to me, I looked up some Khan back story afterwards so it looks like that would have made more sense to me if I had some prior knowledge. The bra scene was good, it needed to be longer!

Spoiler

I had a feeling the torpedoes were going to contain people in them, it all just felt like it was building up to it in my eyes.

 

[kharma45]

I saw it yesterday morning and I was impressed, great film!

Spoiler

It has probably been talked about, but when exactly was Khan meant to have been genetically enhanced/frozen? They said it was 300 years, so that would mean about 1959?

Spoiler

1996 going by this http://goo.gl/ZGTsU might have helped if the film had given it some context with this http://goo.gl/aiA2V