The Cinema Summit: May 2013

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Star Trek Into Darkness Review

Whether our universe began with some big bang or not will be an ongoing debate many wage until their dying day. What is not up for discussion is the fact that “Star Trek Into Darkness” definitely starts with the sort of intensity that beckons one to the edge of their seat. The opener finds our explorers of the Enterprise lodged under an ocean on a planet with a civilization that has “barely invented the wheel,” as one character puts it. Threatened to meet an early end by an erupting volcano, Spock (Zachary Quinto) takes a diffusion bomb to the heart of that volcano, with intentions to freeze it over and eliminate the threat. It is just the beginning, yet sets the tone for a film that does not miss a beat in terms of action sequences.

Next to other 2nd film sequels like the “Empire Strikes Back” and “The Dark Knight,” I think “...Into Darkness” stands rather high. My father used to watch the television shows, but I must admit my interest was never taken by any installment of the television series. Around those times–1997 to be clear–I did, however, fall in love with the Star Wars saga. It has never been a question for me of whether I am a “Trek” fan, or a “Wars” fan, though. For me, I liken the comparison to being a fan of both the James Bond 007 movies, and the Mission: Impossible films, or to liking both Marvel comic book films like “Iron Man” and”Thor,” yet also liking “The Dark Knight” trilogy and the upcoming “Man of Steel” pictures.

Getting back to the point of my lack of admiration for the Star Trek franchise, even up to 2009’s “Star Trek,” I was not as impressed as it seemed the majority of others were, maybe more so because I let fans hype the movie until I thought it would be borderline groundbreaking. It kind of annoyed me how James Kirk, fresh out of the academy, and surrounded by veterans, always seemed to be the smartest person in the room. I can understand being naturally gifted in the form of leadership, but it more akin to seeing Lebron James dominate the NBA in his rookie season, rather than growing into that leadership over countless experiences.

One of my favorite things about “...Into Darkness” is the interaction of the unique cast of characters. The cocky, naturally talented Captain James Kirk (Chris Pine), the brutally honest and morally righteous Spock, the always agitated pessimist Dr. Bones, the beautiful Nyota Uhura, Scotty (Simon Pegg), who would likely describe himself as under appreciated, the insecure genius Pavel Chekov, and Hikaru Sulu (John Cho), give the talented writing team many chances to capitalize by adding humor to various situations. With Kirk as a character, we get to see him humbled, bringing about a maturity that makes him more intriguing than just stringing together a handful of well-placed guesses. Spock, not to be forgotten, also learns to find a balance between what it is to operate by the book, and what it is to be morally right.

As the main villain, Khan (Benedict Cumberbatch) is a character audiences may find themselves sympathizing with, once he tells his own story. A 300-year-old super soldier, he and his people were frozen as a form of imprisonment for crimes against humanity. Now, however, he has been awakened for the purpose of helping to fend off threats to the human race. Though a bad guy, one can definitely like his character, as one of my sisters admitted to, after all he has the best action scene the movie has to offer (see his attack on the Klingon home world).

There are various other reasons and moments for “Star Trek Into Darkness” to receive praise. There is nothing I can really think of to say negatively about it. To state the obvious, I recommend seeing it.

Monday, May 27, 2013

Fast & Furious 6 Review

The resurgence of the Fast & Furious series since 2009 to the present has become a successful definition of a true summer blockbuster. To be truthful I must admit that I have only seen bits and pieces of 2001’s & ’09’s Furious movies, never have I seen ’03’s “2 Fast 2 Furious,” nor ’06’s “Tokyo Drift,” the latter two because they got so far from the cast that make these films so fascinating. Having only seen “Fast Five” before “6,” and all the trailers leading up to the latest, I had a correct assumption of what it would be, which is essentially a torch bearer, building atop the formula of all the past entries to give fans more of what they want to see. It may not exactly be original, but it is a lot of fun to watch.

Since the cliffhanger of “Fast Five,” which has become a signature for the series, it’s been clear that fan favorite Michelle Rodriguez would return after her apparent death in the fourth film. Alongside the faces of the series Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, and Jordana Brewster, and other series mainstays Tyrese Gibson, Christopher “Ludacris” Bridges, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Sung Kang, and Gal Gadot, all of whom give solid, quip-filled performances, the story of the movie becomes about bringing the family of characters back together. Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) offers the international criminals that chance, plus complete pardons. The exchange is to help him catch the film’s villain, Shaw (Luke Evans), a mastermind leader of a mercenary group, whose tracks have shown them racing across 12 countries, committing various heists.

The latest movies include very few actual races, though the writers always manage to sneak in at least one, however, there are a ton of visually pleasing chases to make up for it. Still on the action side, a handful of hand-to-hand fights carry their own weight of entertainment, especially my personal favorite that pit Roman (Tyrese Gibson) and Han (Sung Kang) against Jah (Johanes Taslim), one of the mercenaries, leading to a must-see humorous end. Admittedly, though, all other scenes are trumped by the plane scene the trailers have so famously highlighted.

In the end, I think one of the best things about the film is the way the writers have filled in some past plot holes that had previously marred the story in a way. I found “Fast & Furious 6” to be very enjoyable, and therefore recommend it.