Star Trek Into Darkness Hollywood Premiere
1 min read
Last night, one night ahead of the U.S. IMAX release of Star Trek into Darkness, the Hollywood premiere for the movie was held.
In attendance were: J.J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof, Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, Bryan Burk, Michael Giacchino, Leonard Nimoy, Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, John Cho, Bruce Greenwood, Peter Weller, Nanzeen Contractor, LeVar Burton, Rod Roddenberry, and Jennifer Morrison.
The event was held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, and those in attendance shared their enthusiasm about the movie. “It was just great to walk back onto the bridge of the Enterprise and say, ‘Buckle up, here we go again,’ said Lindelof.
“The action does not stop,” said Saldana. “The suspense challenges you as well. It’s not one of those films that the plot is so easy that you know how it’s going to go.”
Click on thumbnails for larger images. More images can be found at The National, Oh No They Didn’t!, UPI, StarTrek.com, Chris-Pine.net, and Just Jared.
About The Author
Blah blah blah… it came out in the UK first and I’ve already seen it twenty-three times… blah blah blah.
Ah. Some smart-A mimic me again. How utterly childish.
Yet even this dipstick cannot get things right. It was release in Australia first, not the UK.
BTW. I have seen the film three times.
Also it is good that Leonard Nimoy was at the movie opening in the US, considering his appearance in the movie is a great surprise.
One question though. Why do they need the sponsorship of Micros&#t here?
Surely the electronic displays are more advanced than the almost unusable Windows 8.1?
“I didn’t see the twist coming near the end, but my husband did. So I’m dumb. I also was unspoiled about everything other than Harrison’s identity. And who the hell know Nimoy would be in it, however briefly?”
– T’Bonz
Actually, that’s ‘who the hell KNEW that Nimoy would be in it’. As a journalist, T’Bonz should have known better and used a spellcheck. Yeah, she was dumb alright for not using that.
All that aside, I’ll be going to see the film tomorrow. It should be interesting.
Oy. Is that the sound of an axe on a grinding wheel I hear?
As for who knew…. well… he was spotted on the set, and after was cagey about why he was there, so an inevitable eye-rolling cameo was anticipated.
All that aside, here is my review of Star Trek Into Darkness. There are some SPOILERS so read at you own peril.
It’s been said that two wrongs don’t necessarily make a right.
It has always been said that some issues are not always one sided. That there is fault on both sides, when it comes to clashing ideologies.
It has also been said that in various issues things are not always in black and white. There is always a gray area.
The storyline behind Star Trek Into Darkness can be best described as a gray area, and what was mentioned above.
And that is what makes the sequel to the 2009 Star Trek prequel/reboot just as interesting, if not entertaining. In this latest Star Trek adventure, there is no typical good guys versus the bad guys. A theme that was similarly explored in the 2009 film when the crew of the Enterprise confronted the ill-fated Nero and his Romulan crew.
Most of all, like any well written Star Trek adventure, Into Darkness was certainly a social commentary/allegory on the social, political, and religious issues of the times mankind lives in, whether it is the past or now concurrent. A morality play written under the clever tracking of science fiction writing.
That is what has always separated Star Trek from other science fiction that has come after it. Let alone why it has had such a powerful longevity.
In this latest Star Trek film entry, a series of terrorist attacks on Earth places Captain James T. Kirk on a mission to deal with the culprit. An unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization that has committed an act of terrorism against the Federation and everything it stands for, leaving our world in a state of crisis. With a personal score to settle, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to the Klingon Empire’s home world to capture this one man weapon of mass destruction. Nothing is as it seems, as the Starship Enterprise is entangled in covert machinations to ignite a war between the Federation and the Klingon Empire, with an ancient enemy in the mix.
As our heroes are propelled into this epic chess game of life and death, love will be challenged, friendships will be torn apart, and sacrifices will be made for the only family Kirk has left: his crew. With alliances tested, relationships strained and differing motives clashing, how costly will the thirst for vengeance prove?
I will admit, after hearing some mixed reviews and certain information released about the film, I was almost afraid that what J.J. Abrams breathed new life into back in 2009, would also be snuffed out this year. As a result, I was apprehensive in going to see the film.
Thankfully, those fears(like the ones I had when I first attended the 2009 prequel/reboot opening)were cast aside when I saw the film on its new opening day.
And like the 2009 prequel reboot, there were some things that I did like and did not like about this latest film, despite the fact that this is set within an alternate timeline.
For starters, the things I did not like:
1. The Enterprise submerged under the cover of an alien ocean. Uh, the last time I looked, a Constitution class starship could not land on a planet. Let alone fly through the atmosphere(unless seriously damaged)of a planet. Granted there was something similar like that depicted in the episode ‘Tomorrow Is Yesterday’, but rising out of a planet’s ocean?
My wife pointed out that it is a new timeline and there may have been new advancements that differ from the original timeline. I hate to admit it, but she does make a valid point in her argument concerning this issue. I’ll keep an open mind and leave it at that.
2. Spock filing a report about the mission that gets both him and Jim in hot water with Starfleet over issues concerning the Prime Directive. I mean, Kirk just saved Spock’s life for Christ’s sake! Kirk made a valid point where ‘if you save a person’s life, you don’t backstab them’. With friends like that who needs enemies? Better to have left Spock in the volcano.
3. Starfleet Officers wearing military hats. The last time I looked, Starfleet cadets and officers do not wear hats like the military did in both the 20th and 21st century.
4. Christopher Pike offering Jim to be his first officer after being ‘temporarily’ demoted. If I had been Jim, I would have told Pike to take his offer and shove it.
5. After the death of Pike(something that I knew would probably happen), Kirk recommending that Spock be also reinstated as his first officer. Uh, Spock filed a report that got Jim temporarily demoted and him transfered to the U.S.S. Bradbury. I would have left Spock transfered and brought in another first officer.
6. The warp core looks like something out of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Like the issue with Main Engineering looking like a beer brewery, this doesn’t make much sense. I really wish Paramount Studios would bring back the designs of engineering from Star Trek – The Motion Picture and at least upgrade them a bit.
7. As far as the new look of Klingons are concerned, I think the make up was inspired by Chris Walas’ design for the Drac in the classic science fiction epic Enemy Mine(FOX, 1985). It could have been better.
8. The revelation that John Harrison(played brilliantly by British actor Benedict Cumberbatch)is none other than Khan Noonien Singh, himself. Uh, correct me if I’m mistaken, but Khan was Indian. A Sikh warrior played by the late Mexican actor Ricardo Montalban(who certainly looked like the part). Unless Alexander Marcus(played brilliantly by Peter Weller – who is a fan of Bill Shatner and a close friend of Leonard Nimoy no less)had Khan surgically altered to appear as a Caucasian Englishman(a concept that was used in the episode ‘Journey To Babel’ – remember Thelev the Orion spy who was altered to appear as an Andorian?), this doesn’t make much sense. Maybe J. J. Abrams, Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman and Damon Lindelof should have thrown that idea into the screenplay. That would have been a more plausible explanation.
9. The design of Admiral Alexander Marcus’ superweapon. The U.S.S. Venegance. Nick J. Cook(who is the lead actor of the Star Trek fan film series Star Trek – Intrepid)certainly hit the nail on the proverbial head with his description of the Vengeance’s design. Not only was the ship ugly looking, it was ugly as sin as far as look and feel is concerned.
10. The fact that Admiral Marcus used Khan’s followers as a bargaining chip to create new weapons for the Federation…well, I can honestly say that Marcus should have read up on his history concerning Khan and his violent past. He could have spoken with Spock from the original timeline and realized that Khan could not be blackmailed.
11. The scene that could be described as a mirror homage or a role reversal from Star Trek II – The Wrath Of Khan, iself. Even though Kirk did not die after exposure to radiation(he came awfully close), I don’t think that scene was really necessary. That was a little too much in my opinion. Even watching Spock nearly bawling his eyes out and Kirk confessing that he was scared, was a little bit of overacting on the parts of Christopher Pine and Zachary Quinto. Especially when Spock screamed “KHAANNNNNN!!!!” The only good thing that came out of that scene was the confirmation of the friendship that really came to life between Jim Kirk and Spock. And the fact that Spock was going to kick Khan’s ass really hard!
It could have been worse. It could have been Vic Mignogna’s own version(ham sandwhich, belch from a bad Onion-like)of Kirk, nearly dying. Though I will admit, if it meant Vic Mignogna never acting as Kirk again, I would have made an exception. .
12. The fact that after Kirk’s life is saved, Khan and his 72 followers are encased in their cryotubes. After all of that mindless destruction, one would think that the cryotubes would have been detonated, along with Khan’s. Something that(as much as I hate to say this)Spock should have done after trying to negotiate with Khan, after he had taken over the U.S.S. Vengeance. Or what was left of Admiral Marcus’ Dreadnaught-class starship.
Okay, and now to what I truly liked about the film.
For starters, the multi-level deck on the Enterprise.
Alice Eve as Carol Marcus. Need I say more?
The 23rd Century night club that Scotty and his friend was visiting.
I must confess, the idea of Khan working with Kirk to stop Marcus was brilliant and enjoyable on some levels. Especially when Khan was crying while telling Kirk and Spock about his ‘family’. It certainly gave new meaning to the phrase ‘The enemy of my enemy, is my friend’. Despite the fact that Khan had an ulterior motive…well, as Kirk pointed out in ‘Space Seed’, “We can be against Khan, but we can admire him at the same time.”
It was also nice to see Hikaru Sulu sitting in the center seat and voicing his demands to Khan on Quonos. McCoy’s one liner about hoping he never gets Sulu pissed off was brilliant. Even Sulu’s confession that the title of captain had a nice ring to it was an excellent nod to the original timeline’s Sulu and the destiny that awaited him.
Leonard Nimoy’s cameo as Spock Prime and his reflection of what Khan did in the original timeline certainly spoke volumnes. Especially when he confessed that Khan’s defeat was at a great cost.
Speaking of cameos, Christopher Doohan’s cameo was also enjoyable. It’s a terrible shame that he is wasting his talents as his father’s famous character in Farragut Films’ upcoming pile of steaming cow turd known as Star Trek Continues.
The rest of the film looked really awesome in terms of the SFX. especially when it came down to the cityscaoe shots of both London and San Francisco. Especially the space station that the Enterprise was docked at. The Jupiter shots I really enjoyed the most. In some ways, they were kind of a reminder of the shots of the gas giant used in both 2001: A Space Odyssey and 2010: The Year We Make Contact.
The final fight scene between Spock and Khan was very powerful. Both Vulcan and superman were brutally beating and brusing the hell out of each other to the point where either one or both were going to get killed. I loved it when Nyota Uhura beamed in and phasered Khan several times. The look on Khan’s face was priceless. Even watching Spock pummel Khan into a bloody pulp within an inch of Khan’s life was explosive. Hell hath no fury like a pissed off Vulcan. Uhura telling Spock to go get Khan was a huge understatement!
I know some fans, especially some of my friends on Star Trek-New Voyages/Phase 2 may be surprised and shocked by this, but I can understand where Admiral Marcus was coming from and why he did what he did concerning Khan and the creation, institution, and implementation of new weapons. I can understand his motives and his reasoning behind them. In this post 9/11 era, sometimes it is necessary to resort to such methods in order to prevent another catastrophe such as that from ever happening again. Even to the point where you have to stoop down to your enemies way of thinking, or even lower than that. Granted it is not a cool thing(quite honestly it is distasteful), but when the chips are down and you are dealt with the only hand available such as that, then you do what you have to do in order to protect innocent lives. However rotten that dealt hand is.
Loosely translated, you either kill your opponent first before he kills you. A simple if not realistic equation as that.
Marcus learned the hard way in a death scene that is obviously a homage to the one in Blade Runner between Roy Batty and Eldon Tyrell.
It’s the same with Khan’s situation, as well. The flip side of the same coin if you will. Khan did what he did to protect the only family he had ever known. And judging by Cumberbatch’s performance, one can also feel sympathy for Khan and his plight. It’s the same with any family dynamic and situation. How far would you go to save and protect your family? How far would you cross the line that is both immoral and unethical?
A question that even the most very caring, if not the most over-protective of parents would ask concerning their children and their family.
Despite its flaws. Star Trek Into Darkness is an entertaining thrill ride. One that is explosive, brutal, violent, and yet still enjoyable to watch. Hopefully, in time, the purists will accept the fact that the alternate timeline of Star Trek is not quite as bad as they have made it out to be.
Instead of pre-judging it on hearsay or second information, just give it a chance and go watch it for yourself. Then make your own conclusions. If you like it, then great. If you don’t, then you don’t.
For better or for worse, you might be surprised.
Alright, alright. It’s back up to “Redbox it” from “Netflix it, unless something better is on the Food Network or something”.
BBS post, not news, and I don’t spellcheck those. Why bring that in here? Bite me. 😉
Thanks, but no thanks. I’m already spoken for. To quote the conversation between Ardra and Captain Picard in the episode ‘Devil’s Due’, I prefer my women to be that of the ‘prim and proper’ type. Not those of the potty mouth variety.
I’ll be going to see it this week and the week after,