Star Trek Into Darkness

 

 

I am going to start out by saying that I have never really been a "Trekkie" as I have always been more of a fan of Star Wars instead of the old Star Trek series and movies. Yet when they did the reboot in 2009 with J.J. Abrams at the helm, I saw it and really enjoyed it. So from the moment that I heard that they were doing a sequel I was excited to see what they would do and my excitement only grew when I saw the first trailer for Star Trek Into Darkness. I am very pleased to be able to say that even with such high expectations going in it did not disappoint me in the least. Abrams has truly set the bar high in the world of Sci-fi movies for not only all other directors, future directors , but himself as well. Star Trek Into Darkness had a little bit of everything and I want to go and see it again only this time in the IMAX 3D.

 

Chris Pine reprises his role as Captain James T. Kirk. He showed a lot more growth with Kirk's character from the first movie. While I am sure there are some out there that have not liked his portrayal, personally I enjoyed the brash, cockiness he has had to go along with his learning what it truly takes to Captain a starship as a part of Starfleet. Zachary Quinto as Spock was great and it was nice to see him be able to give more emotion to the role. Quinto showed a lot of range and I thought it was even great to see that they gave Spock a couple of great one-liners that had me laughing throughout. The friendship although fragile at times between Kirk and Spock really worked and the success of the two of them together is due to the chemistry that Quinto and Pine had together. While they are key aspects to Star Trek Into Darkness, it is really Benedict Cumberbatch in the role of Khan that makes this film so strong. Where in the previous installment I felt like the villain was just okay. Cumberbatch gives a performance that any actor playing a villain ought to study. His character has such a cold calculating aspect that you almost pity and feel sorry for what Khan went through because of Starfleet and the path that led him down to being the antagonist for the story. Yet, even with all of this I was simply in awe with his presence onscreen and some of the jaw dropping things that his character does throughout the movie. The rest of the supporting cast all do admirable jobs and it is nice that all of the subsidiary characters seemed to get their own moments of character growth. Bones and Scotty got their great comedic moments throughout, the analogies that Bones had throughout had me cracking up throughout the film.

 

The story that is brought to the screen for Star Trek Into Darkness was a simple yet layered story. Unlike some of Abrams past movies where nothing is as it seems, Star Trek Into Darkness while it still has some of that to some extent, but I found that the story was full of layers, but not one where the layers are out to confuse me. Star Trek Into Darkness is truly a fast paced action blockbuster with moments of slowing down to give the compelling human element that is vital for the character development and it is what makes the audience care about all of the different characters. Yet, part of what makes the story work is that the intense action makes the characters bond as almost a baptism by fire aspect. The other aspect that makes the story work so well is the soundtrack that Michael Giacchino brings once again. The music captured the essence of everything that Abrams was trying to bring about in the Star Trek world. The music is the perfect mixture of original Star Trek music with updated sounds for today.

 

The action and set pieces are pretty awe inspiring I can only imagine what all of this would look like on an IMAX screen. Abrams has a great ability to film action sequences with such a flair that it only makes these action sequences put me more on the edge of my seat. The cinematography and visuals worked so well on this film, I loved the futuristic look of the cities and the sweeping views we get through these cities were just awesome to see. the first shot of seeing the Enterprise as it rises from underwater only shows from the beginning what visually stunning film the audience is in for. The smaller comedic aspect that takes place throughout the movie was great for the action and only made everything all the better in my opinion. While I love the edge of your seat aspect that comes from the intensity in edge of your seat movies, without the comedic aspect to help lighten the movie throughout from time to time allows for everything to not completely overwhelm the viewer with the intensity.

 

Star Trek Into Darkness is a movie that not only met my expectations going in, but went above. The acting worked well together, but it was really Benedict Cumberbatch as the antagonist is what truly made Start Trek Into Darkness to work so well. J.J. Abrams continued to show that as a director he is definitely a top tier director particularly in the Sci-fi genre. He has definitely raised the bar with his combination of story telling ability with action and visuals that really put the audience on the edge of their seat throughout the film. I am giving Star Trek Into Darkness four and a half buckets of popcorn out of five. Star Trek Into Darkness is a movie that I would definitely say is well worth the price of a movie ticket and is one that I even want to go see again only to see it in the whole IMAX experience.

 

-The Movie Man

Oblivion

 

 

Oblivion is one of those Sci-fi movies that I was very intrigued to see after seeing the first trailer. Sci-fi movies dealing with post-apocalyptic life on Earth are movies that are simply done a ton, and so while I wanted to see Oblivion I believed that I knew how the story line would go and that nothing in this movie would surprise me. I loved the concept and I think the softly spoken afterword by Tom Cruise's character ends up giving this Sci-fi epic a true hum heart beat that you do not always get from movies. It is always interesting how the marketing for films with the trailers seem to give us great action sequences with blockbuster explosions, yet Oblivion ends up being a movie that is completely different from that in that it gives a human story and characters that are driven by a common purpose. Oblivion is another one of those movies that is visually stunning and gives some amazing effects that place Oblivion in the same realm as a lot of the movies that are known to be visually stunning and a treat to watch because of that.

 

Overall the cast for Oblivion is fairly small and because of that it makes the roles all that more important. Tom Cruise plays Jack Harper, our main character. He is a veteran who is assigned to extract Earth's remaining resources and yet he starts to question who he truly is and the dreams about himself he is experiencing that feel a lot like memories even though he had gone through a mandatory memory wipe as part of his mission. Cruise is definitely extremely talented and he is able to really be an amazing action star. For me I am a fan of Cruise as an action star simply because of his great ability to be completely locked in on a role. Andrea Riseborough in the role of Victoria, Cruise's mission partner is a great counter with Cruise. Where Cruise's character is questioning everything she follows every regulation in the rule book to a "Tee." The chemistry between Cruise and Riseborough works well as one is questioning his life the interaction for the two of them has an uneasy awkwardness that just works. Morgan Freeman in his supporting role was semi-memorable even though he may have been under utilized in the end. Based on the trailer I believed Freeman's character to play a much larger role and so I was wanting more of his character because I found him to be an intriguing character. The rest of the cast are there and really just serve the purpose as truly this film is carried by Cruise's charisma.

 

The plot for Oblivion is really one that was thought out very well and that is truly apparent as everything is woven together very nicely. This is one of those Sci-fi movies in which I will not share much of the story because I do not want to give away anything. Oblivion ends up being a powerful journey into the unknown and just when you think you know where everything is going, it takes a turn and nothing is really as it seem. I loved how the explosive set pieces took a backseat to a character driven Sci-fi movie which is something that is not seen very often. Kosinski's direction just worked very well in Oblivion. The visuals I saw on the big screen are awe-inspiring, it was great as how this visuals gave a similar futuristic visual feeling that was in Tron: Legacy, so it did not surprise me at all when I found out that Kosinski also directed Tron: Legacy. Kosinski is definitely a director for everyone to keep their eye on as he continues in his directing skills and he is one that will continue to impress.

 

The action sequences work very well with the CGI in Oblivion. With a Sci-fi movie I never know what to expect in the CGI as they do not always get the budget one needs for a Sci-fi movie to not only be successful, but also for it to meet the quality one expects on the big screen. The action sequences were simple and not overly done, which helped keep the story moving and still allowed the movie to be the non-usual character driven movie. The music used in Oblivion was perfect for the tone and feel of a strong Sci-fi movie without overtaking everything else.

 

Oblivion is a Sci-fi movie that in the end was nothing like I expected and nothing was what it seemed throughout the movie. Tom Cruise gives another strong performance and the charisma he has onscreen helped to get through some of the slower moments. I did feel like the movie was a little too long and had they simply cut a little here and there it could have helped tighten the movie up some. With the story being character driven for a Sci-fi movie was fairly unique. I am giving Oblivion three and a half buckets of popcorn out of five. The visuals for Oblivion are well worth seeing in the theater so I would definitely recommend any movie goer especially Sci-fi fans to see it on the biggest screen they can find.

 

-The Movie Man

Iron Man 3

 Well I have to start this review simply by stating that everyone needs to know that there is a good chance that my view on this movie may have some bias, simply because I am a huge fan of the Super Hero movies. Simply I must state that Robert Downey Jr. embodies Tony Stark/ Iron Man perfectly and he really has been a key component with the revival and setting a benchmark for what people expect in Super Hero movies. While the entertainment value of this installment does not meet what I got in the first Iron Man, I did find this installment to be enjoyable and really gave anther level to the character of Tony Stark. I enjoyed how this new formidable foe who is terrorizing the U.S. has also been able to get Tony Stark to question himself and how can he protect those he loves from harm. With his world torn apart it was great to see him work to not only rebuild, but he also works to get over his own inner conflict of Anxiety that had been controlling Tony since the events that transpired in The Avengers. And it is because of the Iron Man franchise that everyone for the big blockbusters sits through all the credits waiting to see if there is an after the credits scene. Iron Man 3 ends up being not exactly what I was expecting going in as I left the theater not feeling like I had seen a big huge summer action blockbuster, but instead a movie that is focused on both the character development with the action.

Robert Downey Jr. dons the Iron Man suit for the fifth time and he is simply the role. Downey Jr. once again adds another layer to his character and the development through the films has been perfect. The delivery and comedic timing is absolutely spot on once again. Guy Pearce as Aldridge Killian our secret antagonist that I doubt anyone was surprised in that reveal, yet Pearce was decent in the role. He is out to get Stark because Stark shunned his idea in 1999.  Pearce is a good bad guy to go against Downey Jr. well and his presence is definitely one of strength. While I do not want to give much away, but Ben Kingsley as The Mandarin was under used. When you have an actor in a villain role that has a great ability to command his roles, I just wanted more out of his character and I feel like they really missed out on a great opportunity. The supporting cast do an admirable job and while I would have like to see more from some of the characters in the end, it worked well for the most part. I think Don Cheadle as Rhodes/Iron Patriot is one character that has really gone nowhere in the last two movies and it would have been nice to see a lot more growth, purpose and development from his character.

The story for Iron Man 3 was one that worked at times, but I struggled with at other times. The aspect of the story that I was the most disappointed in was the change of who The Mandarin is from the comic books. The Mandarin is meant to be the exact opposite of Tony Stark and so between the two of them it is meant to be the ultimate showdown of magic versus science. Yet, instead they take The Mandarin and give him the simple antagonist back story and drive of the terrorist combating the great evil of America. While this make him accessible for audiences to root against, I was disappointed where the entire character goes in the end. Where I was disappointed with the story we are told for The Mandarin, I was really impressed with the story that is woven with the action for the development of Tony Stark. The glimpses into the inner dilemma's that Tony is battling from the desire to protect those he loves and the best way to accomplish that. Along with his struggle to handle the anxiety that he is feeling as he has not fully worked through everything he went through pertaining to the events the year before in New York with The Avengers. The feelings of anxiety are brought to the screen so brilliantly that you feel the anxiety Stark is experiencing and the complete paralyzing effect it holds over Tony. Because of this it really gave a great depth and made Iron Man 3 a great character driven action blockbuster. Granted this may simply be the bias I have because of my enjoyment in the super hero movie genre.

The action sequences for Iron Man 3 are very blockbusterish and were enjoyable the complaint I have is there are a few moments in which the CGI looked terrible. Aside from that I enjoyed the battles and the air rescue that was shown in the trailer with Air Force One was pretty cool to see on the big screen and made for a very unique rescue. While they kind of spoiled by showing it in the trailers it was definitely truly cool to see a whole bunch of Iron Man suits come to the rescue against a bunch of  super soldiers. Also, the climax in the final battle sequence was slightly underwhelming for me and after three previous movies featuring Iron Man he came out being a little less super. Although it was nice to see him go toe to toe with a villain that was not in an armor suit as well. The music felt the entire vibe for the Iron Man franchise and worked well. The pacing was a little up and down at times, yet it still worked. While they strongly tied everything up well, I would have liked it to not have been tied up so perfect because it gives the feeling like this will be the last Iron Man specific film, which in turn is kind of sad simply because I have enjoyed the Iron Man films as much as I have.

Iron Man 3 was an enjoyable movie that gave the audience a strong look into what the weight of the experiences a super hero goes through. Robert Downey Jr. is simply Tony Stark and with the way they tied everything up so neatly, if they ever go back to reboot whoever gets cast in the role will definitely have a high benchmark to meet if they wish to see the continued success. Like all these super hero movies there is an after credit scene which while it does not hint to an other movies gives a funny back and forth between Tony Stark and Dr. Bruce Banner. the story for Iron Man 3 had its ups and downs, I am giving Iron Man 3 three and three quarter buckets of popcorn out of five. Iron Man 3 is one of those movies that is well worth seeing in the theater to have the whole movie going and watching experience.

-The Movie Man