All right, let me start this off with a little of my Trekkie background: I have never seen The Next Generation or The Original Series, so my knowledge of Star Trek-related information is limited. I know only what has been mentioned in these two movies and therefore will not be criticizing the movie from a picky, way-back fan as many people have and will.
Let's recap a little, shall we?
Last time we were all huddled together eating butter-soaked popcorn in dirty movie theaters that charge $10.25 for a 13 year-old to see a damn movie on a Sunday night, Jim Kirk was just an ordinary guy who liked to hit on women and wasn't particularly ambitious about his career. Oh, but we all know how his father sacrificed his life for the lives of his crew on the U.S.S. Enterprise. His wife subsequently made his son a living tribute to her husband in naming him Jim as well. Seriously, mom, way to up the expectations.
Admiral Markus stops by on a particularly bloody scene in a bar where Kirk got his ass beat on and decides to convince young Kirk to join Starfleet, the exploratory organization meant to gather observations on extraterrestrial lifeforms and other space-based things. Long story short, he hates Spock, a Vulcan, who watches his planet burn to pieces, and then loves him. We see old Spock and our Spock and Kirk is the captain of the Enterprise, Starfleet's biggest and baddest ship. The end. Why did I decide to sum up the first one? Oh well.
Back to my Fast forward a little bit and now we're on a planet that "hasn't so much as invented the wheel yet." (I was going to fact check that quote but instead I found an angry rant about how this movie sucked. Now I feel like I've gotten myself in too deep.) The first time I saw the trailer was at the midnight premiere for The Hobbit. I thought I had come into the wrong movie because the clip lasted a full ten minutes, covering the entire beginning of the movie. But the colors were vivid and beautiful, something I would've loved to see in IMAX 3D if I didn't throw up after The Hobbit. I was excited.
I've never been a fan of Benedict Cumberbatch. Cue all the teenage girls on Tumblr with their Sherlock and Doctor Who shirts screaming "DALEK" at me (still have no idea what that is). Tried watching an episode of Sherlock and was honestly freaked out by how fast Cumberbatch spoke. But in this sequel, he was fantastic. A true villain. Ruthless, well-spoken, manipulative. The guy you love the hate. We spent the entire movie battling internally whether or not Harrison (aka Khan) was the bad guy. Was Markus the bad guy? Was the right decision made?
Thematic undertones of morality really created dimension for these characters, and as a fiction writer that is something I truly admire. At the end of the film, just as Captain Kirk's systems failed and his hand slipped from the glass, you could see Spock finally feeling the way people have been hoping to have their guards up for all eternity. I adored it.
For those of you who have watched it, what are your thoughts? Did you expect the end? Will there be another? Leave your comments below!
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