Review: Star Trek Into Darkness

So I finished with my final exams today at 3:30 pm. I went to work, and then saw Star Trek Into Darkness at 7.

I'm sure I enjoyed Star Trek Into Darkness. But I’m not sure I liked it.

I also thought I should let you know that Word does not like the grammar of the title. I think it might like if better if there was some punctuation.

I’m not going to give away everything that happens in the movie. But I am going to give away a few things. So if you haven’t seen it yet, for the love of God, man, stop reading.

Spoilers. Spoilers. SPOILERS. SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOOOOOOOILERS.

The movie opens with Kirk channeling Indiana Jones, running from a pack of indigenous aliens on a ridiculously pre-warp civilization. The aliens are the typical native stereotype, whooping as they chase down Kirk, who has stolen something “they were worshiping.” We find out he had a noble reason to distract them—they were going to stagnate the volcano that was threatening to destroy the planet—but the approach struck me as distinctly un-Treklike (if that makes sense). Thus, my nerd-rage/nerdgasm coaster began with a height of nerd rage. Also, they parked the Enterprise underwater. That does not seem like something you should do with a spaceship.

Following this, though, were some solidly enjoyable portions of the film. I loved Benedict Cumberbatch’s ruthlessness, and I always enjoy a Kirk-is-in-trouble-oh-wait-he’s-the-only-one-who-can-save-the-day conundrum. I was thrilled to see some Klingons, and caught myself fist-pumping when one used a Bat’leth instead of a gun against Kirk.

I had pretty much recovered from the nerdrage from the opening, and was enjoying an amusing scene with Carol Marcus and Bones on a planet surface (Karl Urban is such a great Bones that sometimes I forget he’s not DeForest Kelley). And then they opened a torpedo and found a cryogenically frozen stowaway. And, being a good Trekker, I knew what this confirmed. And I was pissed. Warning: obscene language:

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK.

Of course, if you know anything about Khan, you know that he was a cryogenically frozen superhuman discovered by the Enterprise crew.

Also, if you know anything about Khan, you know that his full name is Khan Noonien Singh.

Does anything strike you about that name? Why yes, you’re correct. The character is of North Indian descent, often described as a Sikh.

In case you haven’t noticed, Benedict Cumberbatch is not.

Let me jump in here and say that I love Benedict Cumberbatch (though I can’t say I love him as much as the next girl, because he has some devoted fans). I do like pretty much everything he does, and I think he did a great job as Khan—especially once he came out as Khan and was able to act like the character. I just don’t think he should have been cast.

Or, if they really wanted Benedict Cumberbatch at the villain, why not have him be Gary Mitchelll or a similarly super-powered character with a great backstory? I know that means they couldn’t have Wrath of Khaned it up in the late quarter of the movie, but they could have done something unique with it. Of course, Khan has been frozen since the 1990s and Gary hasn’t come into his god-like powers in the timeline yet… but they could have changed that. They managed to resurrect without Project Genesis. They could have avoiding white-washing a character explicitly known to be of another race. I thought that they may be avoiding it, tweaking the character a bit so that Cumberbatch could be Khan, but they do address him by his full name. So no tweaking in that regard (though they did tweak the character by having Star Fleet wake him up “early”).

(Edit: I suppose part of why I'm so annoyed about this is that Star Trek is not supposed to be about whitewashing. They had Uhura, they had the first interrracial kiss. It should be better than this. I guess that's Hollywood.)

Sigh. While I’m being bitter and resentful, I might as well express my disdain at the fact that they had Chekhov, they had Klingons, but he never once said “Klingon wessels.”

Another thing: though Carol Marcus's scream during in the trailer kind of annoyed me--horror movie scream much?--when I saw it in the film it completely made sense. I was like "Yup. That would pretty much be my reaction in that situation." Though I might have a little more rage, but I'm just an angry person. 

I did enjoy the last portion of the movie, though. I liked how it mirrored the death scene in Wrath of Khan. I always love seeing Spock show his human side. (And I always love knowing that most bad things are fixed in the Star Trek universe).

For a minute here, before I wrap things up, I am going to diverge and overthink things a little (Gab, this is for you). What are the moral ramifications of keeping Khan frozen, knowing that his blood (and, presumably, the blood of everyone in his crew) can cure disease and bring people back from the dead? We know that the Federation doesn't use the death penalty, preferring incarceration and rehabilitation, and would probably avoid submitting Khan to it. Still, though, could they afford to lock him away with that healing power, especially since the information is bound to get out?

My biggest beef with Star Trek Into Darkness, though, is the feeling I get while watching it. I enjoy it, but it doesn't feel like Trek. It feels like someone took the Wrath of Khan and drained it of everything Star Trek related, and turned it into an action movie. It was entertaining, and Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, and Anton Yelchin are able to make it seem more Treklike, but it ultimately just seems like a generic action movie. An action movie with some of my favorite characters, but an action movie nonetheless.

I remember adoring the first Abrams Star Trek. I don’t remember it being inherently un-Treklike. Maybe it was just the first scene that put that thought into my head, leaving it unable to get out. I’ll probably have to go back and re-watch the first movie. But not tonight.

Tonight, I’m going to immerse myself in the some seriously Trek viewing.

Tonight, I’m watching The Trouble with Tribbles.

(And also The Voyage Home and The Savage Curtain).

My score? 6/10 Tribbles. Fun, entertaining, but not great and not very Trek-like. 

Review: Best of Both Worlds Showing

On Thursday I got to take a break from doing ALL OF THE POLITICAL SCIENCE and go see the screening of The Best of Both Worlds at the local movie theater.

It was excellent. I dragged my boyfriend along with me and, even though he has the bad habit of judging everything that was, is, or ever will be put into visual media form, I think he had fun, too.

The showing began with a LOT of trailers and advertisements for TNG, TOS, Star Trek, and DVD/Blu-Rays for sale. It was cool (though it got a little old), but these ads were full of spoilers--which made me feel bad for people who were talked into going by fans, since they weren't able to experience BoBW as we once did. They went into the episode knowing that Picard was taken by the Borg, assimilated, taken back by the Enterprise crew, and turned back into a human. I felt like they should have flashed "spoiler alert" across the screen. 

They introduced the episode with a retrospective documentary that mostly centered on the making of BoBW, fueled by cast and crew interviews. Once again, it was full of spoilers, but I'm a sucker for this kind of thing. I love hearing what the cast thought about their roles and the storyline. I love hearing about the challenges the crew had to overcome. And I loved, loved, loved the discussion of the creation of the Borg and their ship. When I was a kid, I thought the Borg were some of the most frightening villains of all time (they're still scary, philosophically, but they don't give me nightmares anymore). Now they're some of my favorite villains, and I enjoyed hearing about the evolution of their concept.

The restoration of the episode gave it excellent video quality--the colors were brighter, the objects (and people) were crisper, and even the sound was better than what I get on Netflix. My only quibble with the episode came from the fact that they fused the two parts together so directly. I think removing the cliffhanger so completely robbed the story of some of its power. But that might just be me.

Everyone in the theater had a good time. People laughed together, people were grim together--the feeling in the room was electrifying. There was also a sense of comradery. Everyone was excited to see BoBW. It was like being at a midnight premier or at a con. Overall, it was definitely a great night.

Speaking of cons, the cast of TNG is going to be in Chicago during the last weekend of May/first weekend of June, and I only just found out about it. And, of course, tickets are all sold out. They're going to have tickets available for the vendors/signing area, but they have some strange language on there that makes me wonder if we'll be able to get autographs or photo ops with these tickets. Is there anyone out there with any knowledge regarding this? Has Creation Entertainment ever done this before? Any help would be swell.

Now, it's back to the mines that is the end of the semester...

Etsy Tuesday: Star Trek

I know it's almost Wednesday (and it is Wednesday for some of you), but here is today's trip around etsy.com. Coming off the news from yesterday about Urban's maybe-slip-up, here's some handmade Trek gear for your home and yourself.

Coasters
Jason Barfield of the shop jb2designs has several excellent sets of Star Trek coasters, along with many other geeky goodness themed coasters. Here are my two favorites:

Star Trek Drink Order Mini-set. Clever and cute! ($10.00)

And also:

Star Trek Ships of the Fleet 6 Coaster Set (16.00)

I'm moving into a new apartment next month--maybe I should buy a few sets (and, in my opinion, so should everyone else! The shop also carries coasters based off of Game of Thrones, Doctor Who, and Harry Potter--among other things.)

Poster
Andrew Heath's shop AndrewHeath sells minimalist geeky posters. This would look great in my bedroom, and I'm eyeing a Ghostbusters one for my boyfriend.

Star Trek-inspired Print (18x24 $20.00)

Pillow

For the first time ever, I'm posting something I already own--this Star Trek pillow. I lusted after it and received it as a gift for my last birthday. I love it! It's insanely comfortable, snuggly, and an excellent conversation piece. It's made sold in the shopYellowBugBoutique for $35.00.

Wine Glasses

Etching glassware is something I've always wanted to try but never quite got around to--which is why I am extremely tempted to buy these wine glasses ($25.00). They are etched with the four different Star Trek badge insignias--Medical, Command, Science and Engineering. Not only are they excellently geeky, but they would hep you identify your glass when you have guests over! They're sold at the shop desolationallie by Alyson Trent. They also come in regular glasses.

Necklace

I really enjoy this Enterprise necklace, made out of laser cut acrylic. You can specify what color you want the charm painted and what type of chain you want it on--which I think is awesome. Even more aweosme is the price--a mere $8.50, which means I could buy several of the necklaces from HoraEffect, run by Lara Mogensen. In fact, that's what I am going to do with my next paycheck. 

That's it for today! I'm working on some crafts of my own that I may post later, along with my first DIY how-to. Tune in later!

AWOL and Movie News

I've been gone for a while. Between Master's Exams, graduating, moving, starting a summer job, and going to Las Vegas for my cousin's bridal shower, I've been extremely busy.

However, today there were two news points which prompted me to write: 1) a potential leak regarding Benedict Cumberbatch's role in the new Star Trek movie, and 2) casting for The Wolverine.

Star Trek 2

The internet is a buzz with the news that Karl Urban (Bones) may have leaked the identity of the Star Trek villain in J.J. Abrams's new Star Trek movie, saying that "[Cumberbatch's] Gary Mitchell is going to be exemplary." For those who are not familiar with the original Trek series, Mitchell is a former Academy friend of Kirk who gains god-like powers which kind of go to his head, forcing Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise to maroon him and, ultimately, take more effective actions to stop his path of destruction.

What makes this interesting is that Robert Orci had said Mitchell wouldn't be appearing in the new movie. Of course, he had said the same about characters in Michael Bay's second Transformer's movie. So who's right--Urban or Orci? Is Urban stringing us along? I think it's possible, since I doubt someone as successful as he would forget his contract stipulations and leak something his bosses obviously want to be kept secret.

Still, I think that Cumberbatch would make a much better Mitchell than Khan, so I hope this is good information.

The Wolverine

Hollywood has done something strange here, which I think should be briefly commented on--they've actually cast Japanese actors for The Wolverine. Hollywood too often whitewashes it major features (see The Last Airbender, for an excellent example). Even if it doesn't whitewash, it will cast Asian characters indiscriminately. I'm happy to see the studio trying to do things right, and honoring the source material.

Resistance is Futile

When I first saw this picture online, I thought it was just really awesome fan art.

In reality, it is a picture from a comic cross-over, titled Assimilation^2. Rumor at Huffington Post says that the comic will be released in May and I, personally, cannot wait. The comic features the crew of the Enterprise-D and (obviously) the Doctor and his companions, who are forced to team up when the Borg and the Cybermen collaborate on what is most likely an attempt to assimilate the universe.

Sweet Geek Tattoos

Since I'm saving up for my next, Lord of the Rings, tattoo (and waiting for League of Legends to update), I thought I'd spend some time looking at pretty geek tattoos and share some of my favorites with you.

1) Harry Potter Quote
This tattoo is simple and sweet. I simply love it.

2) Nintendo Controller
Old school nintendo controller--this is my childhood!

3) "You're a Kitty!"
This is one of my favorite xkcd comics--mostly because I've discovered that it's very true since I've adopted my cat.

4) Bioshock
I love the subject and I love the quote--Bioshock is probably my favorite video game. In fact, I'm thinking of cosplaying as a splicer for C2E2 in April. And it's a girl's geek tattoo (so is the first one), which makes me happy on the inside.

5) Uhm...
Spockthulu?

6) Boba Fett
I like this take on the iconic bounty hunter. It's pretty and badass at the same time--and a combination of chibi and classic tattoo styles.

7) Krang
Not really a "pretty geek tattoo" but it made me lol so it's on here with the rest of them!

8) Portal
Short, sweet and to the point--and the artwork on the pictures are pretty cool. I love the shading on the companion cube.

9) Whedon Love
Every good geek girl has got to love Joss Whedon--whether for Buffy, Angel, Firefly, Dr. Horrible, or all of the above. And along with my love for Joss, comes my love for this little fella.

Good night, everyone!

Procrastination = Pretty Sci-Fi Jewelry

It's only a day later and I'm procrastinating again, this time by looking at pretty sci-fi geekery jewelry on etsy. I was a little disappointed by my A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones findings, but this search is proving to be much more rewarding.

First, Annie Nygard of the shop SpiffingJewelry has made several Firefly quote necklaces. This one is my personal favorite, but there are a few to choose from. Of course, if you get this you probably couldn't wear it to class.

I also love her Han/Leia jewelry and I am getting this snitch necklace for my boyfriend's sister, who is graduating college this spring. Or maybe for her birthday, if it's before graduation (I forget when it is. Oops.)

In honor of the upcoming release of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace in 3-D (not that this is really something we should be honoring), here are some pit droid earrings, which I found absolutely adorable. They are made by Sue Clark and available in her OutFromMyAttic store.

However, I would have to buy this AT-AT necklace, which would go excellently with my recently altered AT-AT tank (I'll have to put a picture of it up once I get it just right). I'm a sucker for an AT-AT, and I'm not sure why. Maybe they remind me of giant, mechanical puppies? I don't know. Anyway, this cute necklace is made by cassasstrophe and for sale at her shop of the same name.

I was always a little bit more of a Trek girl than a Wars girl, though, so here's something I actually squealed over when I found it: a bat'leth necklace. Apparently, the artist, Lindsey Woodward, and her boyfriend are regular con venders--here's hoping I see them sometimes. Their store is TwoTree and their business is Two Tree Illustrations. I'd suggest checking them out--their account suggests that the Vegas Star Trek Convetion would be a good place to start! The store looks amazing, and I want this. so. bad.

Also, they have Borg cube earrings. Squeal again.

Like most other living, breathing individuals, one of my favorite sci-fi video games is Portal. And, since it is so popular, that means that etsy is full of AMAZING pieces. The turrets are some of my favorite...characters... in Portal (mostly because they're polite enough not to hold a grudge when I KO them), and these earrings are excellent.

They're made by knil and for sale in the shop, also called knil. The whole shop is definitely worth a look--it's full of Zelda, Skyrim and Kingdom Hearts merchandise.

Also, while it's technically horror, Resident Evil has a definite sci-fi element to it (I mean, the whole premise is based on the horrors of biochemical engineering). YellerCrakka has come up with the perfect way to show a friend how you feel with these T-Virus and anti-virus friendship necklaces. Of course, if you really cared you'd probably have to give them the anti-virus. You could probably just say you really like blue and keep it for yourself, though, just in case. Once again, the entire shop is worth browsing. It's full of wondrous geekiness, plus some steampunk goodies.

I should probably start doing some of my school work (and work work) now, so have fun browsing!