Star Trek Into Darkness

ACTION/ADVENTURE, SCI-FI/FANTASY

Wrath

8.5 out of 10 | MOVIE, DVD

---

Rated: PG-13  Intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence
Release Date: May 16, 2013
Runtime: 2 hours 12 minutes

---

Director: J.J. Abrams
Writers: Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, Damon Lindelof, based on the characters and television series created by Gene Roddenberry
Cast: Chris Pine, Zachry Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, John Cho, Benedict Cumberbatch, Anton Yelchin, Bruce Greenwood, Peter Weller, Alice Eve

---

Watch Trailer

SYNOPSIS:  After the crew of the Enterprise find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction.

REVIEW: J.J. Abrams (Super 8) returns with his highly anticipated follow-up to his grand re-imagining of the Star Trek universe. With fans clamoring for the next installment, Roberto Orci (Cowboys and Aliens), Alex Kurtzman (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen), and Damon Lindeloff (Prometheus) draft a retelling of, perhaps, the most beloved Star Trek big screen tale that doesn't involve whales.

James T Kirk (Chris Pine, Rise of the Guardians) is the captain of the USS enterprise. Ignoring Starfleet Federation prime directive, Kirk and McCoy (Karl Urban, Dredd 3D) steal a religious scroll in order to lure the planet's primitive inhabitants away from danger. When Spock (Zachery Quinto, What's Your Number?) gets into mortal danger, Kirk again ignores regulation to save his friend. With catastrophe adverted, Spock and Kirk face disciplinary action back on Earth, with Kirk losing command of the Enterprise and Spock being reassigned. Their demotions and reassignment are short lived when a terrorist within the Federation bombs a London technology archive and then targets the captains and commanders of all the local Starfleet ships. After the second attack, Admiral Marcus (Peter Weller, RoboCop) declares an all out a manhunt for the man named Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch, War Horse). Armed with a classified payload of photon torpedoes, Kirk is reinstated as captain of the Enterprise and sets off to the neutral zone in pursuit of Harrison. But when he and his crew arrive, their ship is disabled and Kirk's conscious get the better of him against the man who killed so many. Instead of bombing Harrison on the planet with the torpedoes, Kirk decides to arrest him and make him face the charges against him. But there is more than meets the eye as Harrison reveals that there is a bigger conspiracy within the Federation. Kirk and crew must decide whether to investigate Harrison's claims or ship him back to Earth for trial.

J.J. Abrams is a huge fan of the Star Trek universe and deserve the accolades of his reboot/prequel/sequel of the long-standing series. How do you take a 50-year-old franchise back to its roots in a satisfactory way? Abrams took all the time-warping story-twisting that Star Trek is known for to make a phenomenal reboot of the franchise. Many speculated that this second film of Abrams would be similar in scope to the second film of the original cast films with the story of Khan. I believe any fan of the universe will realize that Cumberbatch is the villain as soon as they see any of the trailers or commercials. Abrams must be an encyclopedia of Star Trek lore. He adds in details, Easter eggs, and nuances that may be evident to only the most diehard Trekkie fans. Sure, there are references that any casual fan will recognize, but there are also other references that would not be known unless a true die hard of the Star Trek mythos pointed them out. All add to the familiar, but new, trek universe that the director has created.

Pine, Urban, Saldana (Colombiana), Quinto, Pegg (Shaun of the Dead), Cho (Identity Thief), and Yelchin (Fright Night) fall into their old roles of Kirk, McCoy, Uhura, Scotty, Sulu, and Checkov, respectively, with ease, more natural in their takes of their characters than ever before. The brash young, seemingly infallible Kirk learns the hard way that luck, a cavalier attitude, and a blatant direspect for the rules will not always win the day. Uhura and Spock learn that logic and emotion are not mutually exclusive. McCoy continues to spout out mixed metaphors in the face of adversity. Sulu finds his voice and confidence, seemingly ready to become a star fleet captain himself one day. Scotty, always wary of the shenanigans of his superiors off the Enterprise, puts himself in several picarous situations when his mouth runs too long. And Checkov continues to be a jack of all trades, helping the bridge, running engineering, and figuring out complex formulas. Benedict Cumberbatch, as the infamous Khan, takes a classic original series villainous character and turns the new incarnation on its ear. Still a brilliant warrior with advanced genetics, Cumberbatch is even more savvy and charismatic than that played by Ricardo Montelban. Cumberbatch looks menacing, superior, and self-assured just standing at attention in the Enterprise's brig.

Abrams Delighted with his re-imagined Enterprise in the original Star Trek mythos. He follows up with the story that every fan wanted to see, giving the fans what they wanted in an familiar, but unexpected way. New fans will love this story that was put together, while older die hard fans of the original films may be bothered by the fact that one of their beloved antiheroes has changed so much.

The use of anamorphic photography continues from the first film, adding extra dimension to every frame of celluloid. The CG effects are astounding, the battle sequences are amazing, the story is strong, and the characters are just what you want them to be. For the franchise uninitiated or deeply devoted, Star Trek Into Darkness should be a fun warp ride into the unknown frontier.

---

Flight

Grounded

★ ★ ★ out of 5 buckets | Rental

---

Rated: R  Intense Action Sequence, Drug and Alcohol Abuse, Language and Sexuality/Nudity

Release Date: November 2, 2012

Runtime: 2 hours 18 minutes

---

Director: Robert Zemeckis
Writers: John Gatins
Cast: Denzel Washington, Nadine Velazquez, Tamara Tunie, brian Geraghty, Bruce Greenwood, John Goodman, Don Cheadle, Kelly Reilly

---

Watch Trailer

SYNOPSIS:  After a veteran airline pilot saves a flight from crashing, an investigation into the malfunctions reveals that he may have been at fault.

REVIEW: Robert Zemeckis, one of Steven Spielberg's favored directors, has made a name for himself with the Back to the Future trilogy, special effect spectacles like A Christmas Carol, Beowulf, and The Polar Express, and dramatic triumphs like Cast Away. Real Steel and Coach Carter writer John Gatins takes to the skies with his script as Zemeckis returns to live action for a more grounded film involving a veteran pilot who becomes both a man of heroics and his share of secrets and struggles.

Captain Whip Whitaker (Denzel Washington, Safe House) and flight attendant Katerina Marquez (Nadine Velazquez, War) take in a booze- and drug-filled three days sabbatical before returning to active duty on a flight pushing away from a Miami terminal. Joined on the flight crew are lead flight attendant Margaret Thomason (Tamara Tunie, Missed Connections), new co-pilot Ken Evans (Brian Geraghty, ATM), and co-flight attendant Camelia Satou (Boni Yanagisawa, Bare Knuckles). When the Captain diverts the flightplan due to severe turbulence, he managed to find some calm air and let the co-pilot take over for the majority of the flight while he gets some shut-eye. When the plane starts shuttering, the tail elevator freezes, and the planes goes into a nose-dive, Captain Whitaker does the unthinkable and rolls the plane onto its back, rights it again out of the dive, and glides the bird into an open field for a crash landing that most of the passengers and crew survive. Taken to the hospital with a concussion and bruising, Captain Whip becomes an instant celebrity and hero. But as the investigation starts, the Captain's flight fitness is called into question as a select few find out about his blood alcohol level. Whitaker takes to his father's old farm to get away from the spotlight, desperate to change his ways and gain a grip on sobriety. In his corner are pilots' union rep Charlie Anderson (Bruce Greenwood, Super 8), high-powered attorney Hugh Lang (Don Cheadle, Iron-Man 2), drug peddler Harling Mays (John Goodman, Trouble with the Curve), and a just-recovering heroin addict Nicole (Kelly Reilly, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows) who seems more serious about recovery than Captain Whitaker.

Flight has been touted by most of the critic as 'terrific', 'riveting', and 'inspiring'. The visuals from the trailer of the daring save of the full flight, and the aftermath of a man who risked trusting his instincts to pull off the nigh-impossible save and suffers with his own share of secrets with the risk of exposure to the world media, would seem to make for a superior dramatic film worthy of Denzel Washington's stature and caliber of acting. I thought this could be the next Leaving Las Vegas. And in some ways, it is.

The first act is about the luxury and status that veteran airline pilots enjoy as commanders of their own vessels. Although divorced with a son, Whitaker enjoys copious amounts of booze, hard drugs, and the affections of a beautiful flight attendant. Even so, his experience and calm in flight saves the day and most of the crew and passengers. The visuals are stunning and the minutes leading up to the crash are intense. The rest of the film centers around Denzel's Captain Whitaker recovery, the atfermath of the crash and the ensuing investigation, and the decisions Whitaker must come to grips with concerning his own mortality and sobriety. Can he give up abusing legal and illegal substances for good - or at least as long as the investigation hearing?


With roaring rhythms of The Rolling Stones, Denzel Washington's Whitaker swaggers onto the jetways and tarmacs, exuding the confidence that only the indestructible can have. Even after the crash, his survival just reinforces the fact of his own immortality. Also notable in the film is Kelly Reilly's Nicole as the recovering addict who befriends Whitaker at his worst moments at risk to herself. Don Cheadle and John Goodman steal every scene they touch, whether sharing screen-time with Denzel or not. Cheadle is amazing as the reserved attorney with as much confidence as Denzel's Whitaker. Goodman's turn as Whitaker's drug contact is both hilarious and inspired. Taking a page out of the book of The Big Lebowski, Goodman switches from Walter Sobchak directly to The Dude.

With high hopes for Flight, I was somewhat disappointed. I will never say that Denzel, Reilly, Goodman, and Cheadle are not superior craftsman. They are always brilliant! Their performances are what get this story off the ground. But after the plane crash, the intensity of the story nose-dives into something more akin to a Lifetime Movie of the Week. Zemeckis has proven he has the directing talent with Cast Away and Forrest Gump, but something in Flight is missing that keeps it from completely pushing back from the narrative terminal.

Flight may be touted as a phenomenal film by others, but there is something missing from the flight plan to may it truly soar from beginning to end. A solid film, Flight will win on performances but may end up as memorable a tale as an in-flight movie.