I've decided to cover both J.J. Abrams Star Trek movies in one post because I want to rap up Star Trek Month quickly.
In the first Abrams Star Trek film, the original Enterprise crew is re imagined as a group of young Starfleet Academy cadets trying to stop an evil Romulan from destroying Earth. Overall, I actually like this movie, despite the fact that there's a fair amount of hate for it amongst the Trekkie community.
In Star Trek: Into Darkness, Kirk goes after a terrorist who assassinated a Starfleet admiral. I like this movie too, although I don't care much for the ending. Basically (Spoiler Alert) the terrorist is Khan and Kirk sacrifices himself to defeats him, resulting in Spock shouting "KHAAAAAAAN!!!". Don't worry, Kirk gets revived at the end, but that doesn't change the fact that the the end of this movie is basically a rehash of the end of Wrath of Khan, only not as good.
Overall, I've got to say that I like the recast actors, and the special effects, but I honestly would have preferred more Next Generation films.
Showing posts with label Star Trek. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Star Trek. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 26, 2016
Friday, July 22, 2016
Star Trek VIII Movie Review
Ok folks, in case you're wondering why I've skipped from Star Trek VI to Star Trek VIII, I've got some bad news for you. I don't have Star Trek VII, Star Trek IX or Star Trek X on DVD or Netflix, so we are going to have to skip a few of the films unfortunately, so sorry about that. I really should have checked that before starting these reviews. Oh well. On the bright side, we've maTde it to my favorite Star Trek movie of all!
Before I talk about the plot of this movie, I'm gonna have to give some backstory. Back in the Star Trek: The Next Generation TV series, there was a two part episode where Picard got assimilated by the Borg. (For those who aren't familiar with Trek lore, the Borg are a hive mind race of cyborgs who seek to absorb other life forms.) Although he was rescued eventually, the incident clearly traumatized him, and by the time this movie takes place he seems to be suffering from shell shock. Notice how, like Star Trek II, this movie is basically a sequel to some of the TV episodes, and I think this is a great way of expanding on previously established stories.
Anyway, in this movie the Borg travel back in time to before humanity made first contact with the Vulcans, in an attempt to prevent the Federation from ever being formed, and Picard and his his crew have to stop them.
As I mentioned earlier this month, I prefer Picard over Kirk for a number of reasons, and this movie is a great example of one of the biggest ones: acting. Patrick Stewart is really top notch here. Can anyone really say they prefer the Price Line Negotiator over Hamlet with a straight face?
So yeah, this is by far my favorite Star Trek movie.
Before I talk about the plot of this movie, I'm gonna have to give some backstory. Back in the Star Trek: The Next Generation TV series, there was a two part episode where Picard got assimilated by the Borg. (For those who aren't familiar with Trek lore, the Borg are a hive mind race of cyborgs who seek to absorb other life forms.) Although he was rescued eventually, the incident clearly traumatized him, and by the time this movie takes place he seems to be suffering from shell shock. Notice how, like Star Trek II, this movie is basically a sequel to some of the TV episodes, and I think this is a great way of expanding on previously established stories.
Anyway, in this movie the Borg travel back in time to before humanity made first contact with the Vulcans, in an attempt to prevent the Federation from ever being formed, and Picard and his his crew have to stop them.
As I mentioned earlier this month, I prefer Picard over Kirk for a number of reasons, and this movie is a great example of one of the biggest ones: acting. Patrick Stewart is really top notch here. Can anyone really say they prefer the Price Line Negotiator over Hamlet with a straight face?
So yeah, this is by far my favorite Star Trek movie.
Thursday, July 21, 2016
Star Trek VI Movie Review
Ok, here we are. The last of the Star Trek movies featuring the original cast, and thankfully, they went out with a bang.
In this movie, Kirk and his crew attend treaty negotiations with the Klingons to finally end the cold war between the United Federation of Planets and the Klingon Empire, and have to stop a plot to assassinate the Federation and Klingon leaders.
This movie came out in 1991, so as you probably guessed, this movie was based on the real life Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, which had only recently ended at the time of the movies release, and I'd say this movie makes for pretty good political/historical commentary. Even today, I think this movie still has a good pro-peace message.
Over all, this movie has good acting, good writing, and a good story. I give this one an A.
In this movie, Kirk and his crew attend treaty negotiations with the Klingons to finally end the cold war between the United Federation of Planets and the Klingon Empire, and have to stop a plot to assassinate the Federation and Klingon leaders.
This movie came out in 1991, so as you probably guessed, this movie was based on the real life Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, which had only recently ended at the time of the movies release, and I'd say this movie makes for pretty good political/historical commentary. Even today, I think this movie still has a good pro-peace message.
Over all, this movie has good acting, good writing, and a good story. I give this one an A.
Sunday, July 17, 2016
Star Trek V Movie Review
If I had to pick a phrase to describe this movie, I think it would be "William Shatner's Mid-Life Crisis: The Movie!!!" because it really does come across as Mr. Shatner trying to boost his own ego at the expense of the rest of the cast, which is more than a little off putting.
This movie is about Shatner... I mean Kirk, trying to stop a crazy cult leader from meeting God. (Surprisingly, Mr. Shatner chose not to play the role of God himself.)
...
... Yeah, it's just as stupid as it sounds.
Bottom line, the thing to take away from this movie is that William Shatner should NOT have power.
This movie is about Shatner... I mean Kirk, trying to stop a crazy cult leader from meeting God. (Surprisingly, Mr. Shatner chose not to play the role of God himself.)
...
... Yeah, it's just as stupid as it sounds.
Bottom line, the thing to take away from this movie is that William Shatner should NOT have power.
Saturday, July 16, 2016
Star Trek IV Movie Review
Ok, now we're back on the good side of the Star Trek movies.
In this movie a weird alien probe shows up over Earth and demands to speak to the blue whales... Just go with it... Who apparently went extinct 100 years ago in the Star Trek Universe, so Kirk and crew go back in time to the 1980s to save the whales!!!....
...
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!... Ok, I'm sorry, it's just... That plot is just so hilariously stupid, I love it! That being said, it's also pretty simple, and after the overly complex mess that was Star Trek III, it really is a breath of fresh air.
This movie is also definitely more comedy oriented than most of the other Star Trek movies, which was a fun and interesting direction to take the franchise in.
Tomorrow, we'll be tackling one of the worst Star Trek Movies ever though...
In this movie a weird alien probe shows up over Earth and demands to speak to the blue whales... Just go with it... Who apparently went extinct 100 years ago in the Star Trek Universe, so Kirk and crew go back in time to the 1980s to save the whales!!!....
...
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!... Ok, I'm sorry, it's just... That plot is just so hilariously stupid, I love it! That being said, it's also pretty simple, and after the overly complex mess that was Star Trek III, it really is a breath of fresh air.
This movie is also definitely more comedy oriented than most of the other Star Trek movies, which was a fun and interesting direction to take the franchise in.
Tomorrow, we'll be tackling one of the worst Star Trek Movies ever though...
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
Star Trek III: The Search For Spock Movie Review
Ok, I normally try to avoid spoilers in these reviews, but to explain the plot of this movie I kind of have to spoil the end of Star Trek II. So, to put a long story short, Spock dies at the end of Star Trek II, and this movie, as it's name implies, is about searching for Spock, who apparently could potentially be revived because apparently Spock's soul has possessed Dr. McCoy. Oh, and there's a planet that can revive people. Oh, and the Klingons are after them.
As you can probably tell, this movie has a really complex plot. In fact, I would say that if Star Trek I had too little plot, and Star Trek II had just the right plot, this movie has too much plot. It's just too complicated, and it's also kind of boring, so I honestly had kind of a hard time following it. It's still miles better than Star Trek I, (because at least stuff is happening) but it's no where near as good as Star Trek II.
As you can probably tell, this movie has a really complex plot. In fact, I would say that if Star Trek I had too little plot, and Star Trek II had just the right plot, this movie has too much plot. It's just too complicated, and it's also kind of boring, so I honestly had kind of a hard time following it. It's still miles better than Star Trek I, (because at least stuff is happening) but it's no where near as good as Star Trek II.
Star Trek III: The Search For Spock Movie Review
Ok, I normally try to avoid spoilers in these reviews, but to explain the plot of this movie I kind of have to spoil the end of Star Trek II. So, to put a long story short, Spock dies at the end of Star Trek II, and this movie, as it's name implies, is about searching for Spock, who apparently could potentially be revived because apparently Spock's soul has possessed Dr. McCoy. Oh, and there's a planet that can revive people. Oh, and the Klingons are after them.
As you can probably tell, this movie has a really complex plot. In fact, I would say that if Star Trek I had too little plot, and Star Trek II had just the right plot, this movie has too much plot. It's just too complicated, and it's also kind of boring, so I honestly had kind of a hard time following it. It's still miles better than Star Trek I, (because at least stuff is happening) but it's no where near as good as Star Trek II.
As you can probably tell, this movie has a really complex plot. In fact, I would say that if Star Trek I had too little plot, and Star Trek II had just the right plot, this movie has too much plot. It's just too complicated, and it's also kind of boring, so I honestly had kind of a hard time following it. It's still miles better than Star Trek I, (because at least stuff is happening) but it's no where near as good as Star Trek II.
Monday, July 11, 2016
Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan Movie Review
Ok, today we're going from the worst Star Trek move to one of the best.
This film was sort of a sequel to Space Seed, probably the best episode of Star Trek: The Original Series. Without spoiling too much about that episode (because I plan to talk about it a bit more later this month) that episode had Kirk meeting a war criminal named Khan whom he defeated by marooning him on a desert planet. And now, about 20 or so years later in universe, Khan is back and wants revenge on Kirk.
Like the first film, the plot here is pretty simple. Unlike the first film though, it's also interesting enough to carry an entire movie without having to pad out the run time with long and pointless scenes showing off their crummy special effects.
Over all, I think this movie deserves it's reputation as one of the best Star Trek movies, and I strongly recommend it.
This film was sort of a sequel to Space Seed, probably the best episode of Star Trek: The Original Series. Without spoiling too much about that episode (because I plan to talk about it a bit more later this month) that episode had Kirk meeting a war criminal named Khan whom he defeated by marooning him on a desert planet. And now, about 20 or so years later in universe, Khan is back and wants revenge on Kirk.
Like the first film, the plot here is pretty simple. Unlike the first film though, it's also interesting enough to carry an entire movie without having to pad out the run time with long and pointless scenes showing off their crummy special effects.
Over all, I think this movie deserves it's reputation as one of the best Star Trek movies, and I strongly recommend it.
Sunday, July 3, 2016
Kirk or Picard?
As the great man Al Jancovic once said "Only question I ever thought was hard, do I like Kirk or do I like Picard?" I however, do not find that question hard. I deeply, profoundly prefer Picard. Why? Because, frankly, I think Picard is a better captain and a more interesting character over all.
Why do I think Picard is a better captain? Because he's much less reckless and more cautious. Kirk would pretty much break the rules whenever he wanted, and while Picard was sometimes known to bend the rules in order to do what was right, he was usually a lot more reasonable about it. Basically,if I were in Starfleet, I think I'd be a lot more likely to survive on Picard's Enterprise.
So yeah, Picard wins for me.
Why do I think Picard is a better captain? Because he's much less reckless and more cautious. Kirk would pretty much break the rules whenever he wanted, and while Picard was sometimes known to bend the rules in order to do what was right, he was usually a lot more reasonable about it. Basically,if I were in Starfleet, I think I'd be a lot more likely to survive on Picard's Enterprise.
So yeah, Picard wins for me.
Saturday, July 2, 2016
Star Trek: The Motion Picture Review
Hey y'all, and welcome to the first review of Star Trek Month! Today we're gonna get the worst Star Trek film out of the way first: Star Trek: The Motion Picture. This movie sure is... Something... Actually, you know what, no, this movie isn't something. It's literally nothing. There is nothing of substance in this movie. This movie is literally so boring that me and my siblings spent most of it talking about Scooby Doo for some reason.
The "plot" of this "movie" (and I'm using both terms VERY loosely) is that there's some weird space anomaly (I believe "thingie" is the scientific term) approaching Earth, and the Enterprise is sent to investigate. Yup, the plot is weak with this one. Oh, there are some subplots about getting the old crew back together, Spock searching for logic, Kirk having a rivalry with the new captain, even a love story between the new captain and some bald chick, but none of it seems to go much of anywhere.
But the plot isn't the biggest problem with this movie. That would be the special effects. They're really not that impressive, even for 1979 when this movie was made, and what's worse, the filmmakers feel the need to show them off with long sequences where we see the effects, with basically NOTHING of substance happening, not even dialogue most of the time. I feel like they were trying to make this movie kind of 2001: A Space Odyssey, you know, a movie without much in the way of story or dialogue, but that makes up for it with really impressive visuals. The problem is that, like I said, this movie just doesn't have impressive enough visuals for that.
Basically, the only good thing about this movie was that it relaunched (Get it?) the Star Trek franchise after a 10 year hiatus. Oh, and also the music was so good that it was later used as the theme song for Star Trek: The Next Generation, my personal favorite Star Trek series ever. But other than that, this movie was a huge waste of time, and I recommend giving it a miss.
...
... Captain Kirk: SPOOOOOCCCCKKKKK!
The "plot" of this "movie" (and I'm using both terms VERY loosely) is that there's some weird space anomaly (I believe "thingie" is the scientific term) approaching Earth, and the Enterprise is sent to investigate. Yup, the plot is weak with this one. Oh, there are some subplots about getting the old crew back together, Spock searching for logic, Kirk having a rivalry with the new captain, even a love story between the new captain and some bald chick, but none of it seems to go much of anywhere.
But the plot isn't the biggest problem with this movie. That would be the special effects. They're really not that impressive, even for 1979 when this movie was made, and what's worse, the filmmakers feel the need to show them off with long sequences where we see the effects, with basically NOTHING of substance happening, not even dialogue most of the time. I feel like they were trying to make this movie kind of 2001: A Space Odyssey, you know, a movie without much in the way of story or dialogue, but that makes up for it with really impressive visuals. The problem is that, like I said, this movie just doesn't have impressive enough visuals for that.
Basically, the only good thing about this movie was that it relaunched (Get it?) the Star Trek franchise after a 10 year hiatus. Oh, and also the music was so good that it was later used as the theme song for Star Trek: The Next Generation, my personal favorite Star Trek series ever. But other than that, this movie was a huge waste of time, and I recommend giving it a miss.
...
... Captain Kirk: SPOOOOOCCCCKKKKK!
Friday, July 1, 2016
To Boldly Go Where No Month Has Gone Before
Hello ladies, gentlemen, and assorted aliens and androids! I just wanted to let y'all know that, in honor of Star Trek's 50th Anniversary being this month, (and the fact that the new Star Trek film will also be coming out this month) I've decided that July will be Star Trek Month here at the Database! I'll be reviewing all of the Star Trek films, culminating in a review of the new film towards the end of the month, and I'll also probably doing a lot other Star Trek themed posts too. Set phasers to geek out!
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