A Highly Spoilerific Review of Star Trek into Darkness

The risk with this film, after being so long awaited by fans, and the continuous advertising campaign, was that there was no way it would ever live up to expectations. I've not felt anxiety over a movie quite like this since the original reboot in 2009 after JJ Abrams admitted he wasn't a Star Trek fan. He didn't disappoint us then, and in my opinion, he has not disappointed us now. It's an exciting, fast paced action adventure, but it also contains the moral and ethical issues that was absent from the last movie, and is at the heart of the Star Trek fandom. It's funny and devastating and incredibly beautiful. It was everything I wanted in a Star Trek movie and so much more. Plus, there were tribbles!

It's going to be nigh on impossible to discuss this film without entering into major spoiler territory, so I'm not even going to try. I'm just going to dive straight in, so you have been warned, there are spoilers ahead.

So let's start with the question on the tip of everyones tongue. Just who is Benedict Cumberbatch playing in this movie? Well, the internet was alight with rumours and theories, and much fun has been had debating the possibilities. The number one thought is Khan. After all he is a monumental baddie, and appeared in the second of the original films. We also had Gary Mitchell and Mirror Universe Spock put on the table. In the end Abrams weighed in himself and announced, "He is John Harrison." The fandom gave a huge simultaneous laugh. If there was one thing we did know for certain, it was that Cumberbatch would not be playing John Harrison.

I said going into the the film that I had a feeling it was going to be a Khan movie, and that I would be very disappointed if it was. As it turns out, Cumberbatch is playing Khan, and I was not disappointed in the slightest. The character is introduced in such a way that all questions of his identity are wiped from your mind instantaneously. Harrison can save any persons life by handing over a vial of his blood, and yet he manipulated a grieving father into committing an act of terrorism, rather than become a doctor. Evil you might say, but then he saves Kirks life and grieves for his own crew, the people who are his family. You get a sense that he will do anything for his crew, including lie and cheat and kill. You convince yourself he's a good man driven to do bad things. When he reveals his true identity, it still completely knocks you for six. You've forgotten to ask the question, and you find yourself wondering how you missed the obvious clues. The answer is that the film is so fast paced and alight with humour that you barely pause for a thought.

Cumberbatch is an outstanding actor. He crawls right under your skin and demands that you care for Khan. He has been wronged, and his vengeance is justified. When he betrays Kirk, you'll feel that same horrible sense of betrayal. He fooled you completely. You placed your faith in him and so he betrayed you too. But then Kirk betrayed him first and for a while it's hard to let go.

This isn't the Cumberbatch show however. I did wonder if he would overpower the entire film with his presence, leaving the Enterprise crew to play second fiddle, but that is certainly not the case. Though he owns every scene he is in with an iron fist, he has surprisingly little screen time. This is the story of Captain Kirk and Commander Spock, how one learns to grow up and take responsibility, whilst the other learns to embrace his human side. Khan is just an antagonist, and a catalyst for the events that will take our favourite Star Fleet officers on their own personal journey.

What I loved about this film, is the beautiful symmetry that it had with the original Wrath of Khan movie. Though the story is self contained, and you can enjoy it as a non or casual Star Trek fan, the true impact of the story can only be felt if you have seen the classic movies. And not just because you won't know who Khan is! In a way this film tells much the same story. The scene is set slightly differently due to the altered time line, but events play out similarly. However, Kirk and Spocks roles are reversed, due to their different upbringings from the original time line. In a way they end up trading places, with both hilarious and heart breaking consequences. You won't see it coming, but once again you will ask yourself why not, because hindsight is 20:20.

Over all the film is very well written and directed. The pace never lets up for a moment, and so the experience is exhilarating. So much happens in just two hours. I had to see it again straight away just to allow my brain to catch up. The mood dashes from brilliant tongue and cheek humour, to high adrenaline action to pure devastation so fluidly you barely know whether you are laughing or crying. I did both.

Once again the cast is on top form, I must give a particular shout out for Karl Urban who often seems to be forgotten in reviews, and yet is the ultimate Bones, right down to the mannerisms. He had some cracking one liners, and brilliant chemistry with Zachary Quinto. Spock and Bones always rile each other up in the Original Series, and this time around it was no different. The crew dynamics was spot on all around.

I could lament for hours about the Visual Effects, particularly the new Klingon Bird of Prey design and the exterior shots of space. I love the warp effects, its nice to see the nacelles being stretched out old school style. I must admit the 3D conversion in the trailer had me a little worried but I felt the 3D in the finished film was outstanding. I have seen in it 2D as well though and I can't say I missed the 3D aside from the scene where Kirk and Khan dive through space to reach the other ship. To be honest it's worth the extra fee just to see that sequence.

I have a few niggles about submerging the ship at the beginning, in fact I'm pretty sure Voyager was the only class of ship that could enter the atmosphere, but I'd have to run that through my brother before I angrily rant about the science fail, he is the utmost authority on Star Trek engineering. But still it was a little ridiculous but a necessary plot device and frankly my only complaint.

This review is becoming ridiculously long winded now. There is so much left to say but I'm still finding it hard to process the level of awesome I have just been exposed to. I recommend you see it, obviously. It has so many nods to the fandom that it has thrilled me to the core. Hopefully I'll get to see it a few more times before it leaves the cinema.

Thank you JJ Abrams, you did us proud.

A few extra thoughts:

• Did anyone else think "uh oh" when Kirk gave Chekov a red jumper?
• "I'm a doctor not a torpedo expert" 
• Very sad that the tribble died.
• Anyone recognise the security guard? Yes Cupcake makes a return
• Spock crying was heard breaking. But then...
• "Kaaaaaaaaaaahn!" I laughed so hard.
• Loved the fact that the audience applauded at the grand reveal. The fandom approves.
• Didn't like the new Klingons, but loved the new ship design.
• A little sad that Kahn didn't do "The Speech" but "I'll walk over your cold dead corpses" was a suitable substitute. 
• Cumberbatch likes to jump off really tall objects doesn't he. Shame he wasn't so springy in Sherlock.
• I'm going to see it again tomorrow.

Star Trek Into Darkness - 1 Month and Counting Down!

With little over a month to go until Star Trek Into Darkness hits our cinemas, my level of excitement is hitting warp factor nine. With new teasers and trailers, HD pictures and cast interviews in every magazine, I'm just absorbing everything I can get my hands on through osmosis. It's like a frenzy right now. And it's not just me, the entire fandom seems to be vibrating with the suspense, as we are still no closer to uncovering who John Harrison really is. It's been an incredible run up to the movie, and there is still 5 weeks left to go, I'm uncertain whether I will make it without my brain going supernova. 

But it's the fandom right now that makes me a little sad. I've always found the Star Trek fandom to be incredibly friendly, but lately there seems to be a certain amount of hostility towards the new fans. It's as if everyone is being made to earn their geek stripes before they are allowed into the hallowed halls. I grew up with Star Trek, it was a week night routine to sit in front of BBC2 with my older brother to watch the reruns over dinner. We had the VHS movie box set, bought the action figures and played with a home made cardboard Enterprise D Bridge replica. But why do I need to justify the level of my fandom experience before being allowed to express an opinion about the new movie?

It seems that there has been an influx of new Star Trek fans, because of this guy; the frankly brilliant Benedict Cumberbatch, who is an outstanding actor and quite rightly has a massive fan following online. It is these fans who are infiltrating the Star Trek fandom, and a few of the old school fans don't seem to like it. 

In a way I understand the resentment. Having grown up in an era (not that long ago in fact) where young people were openly bullied for being smart, (boffin!) for liking science fiction or fantasy, (geek!) or being fascinated with Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the occult (freak!) , it can be quite difficult to see those people who hurt you so badly lining up behind you at the cinema once your favourite franchise becomes main stream entertainment. But surely, liking an actor is just as legitimate a reason for wanting to see a movie, as being a life long fan?

As a VFX Artist and Creative, I work for the love and passion of what I do, but I fully understand that at the top of the tree, movie making is an industry designed to make money. If you as a fan wish to see your favourite franchise survive, then you should be encouraging new people to embrace that franchise. At the end of the day, the more bums on seats in opening week, the more dollars are made and the more likely your franchise will survive. 

I want there to be more Star Trek movies. I want there to be a rise in good science fiction and fantasy films. I want the things that I love to be around forever, and that can only happen by encouraging new people to try it out. So rather than shun the new fans, thank them profusely and welcome them into the fold. Opening night for Star Trek Into Darkness is going to be amazing, so lets not ruin it with inter-fandom wars, let's enjoy the journey together. 

Doctor Who - My Inspirations

Today I read that fans on twitter are sending abusive messages to Steven Moffat. Honestly I don't understand this. Generally I don't understand abusive behaviour at the best of times but this took the biscuit.

For me Doctor Who was a major inspiration, and one of the reasons I decided to enter into the world of Visual Effects. As a six former, young and somewhat naive, I was studying chemistry and opting for a very safe career path as a science teacher. This was who I was when the announcement that Doctor Who was returning to our screens. As a much younger person, I had grown up on classic science fiction reruns, Doctor Who included, so this breaking news sent me into a giddy overload which ultimately resulted in my exclusion from most social groupings. At this point in time I had a love for film particularly visual effects, but to me it was "computer magic" that I would never understand, let alone be able to one day do.

Fast forward a few years and I'm at university, a very good one, studying chemistry and generally unhappy with my life. It was at this time I started building websites for fun and sometimes money, and managed to get sucked into the magical world of the Doctor Who online community. My levels of Geekery massively increased ten fold, but something amazing happened. I discovered photoshop. With this knowledge, practice and development of artistic flare, I learned I could thrill people with my digital art work. I started making banners for other people's websites, members of the Doctor Who community would set me challenges to create wallpapers and blends to meet certain criteria. It was then that I realised chemistry was not the way forward.

The rest as they say, is history. I got myself some formal IT qualifications and went back to university to study visual effects. One day I hope to work on the Doctor Who series. That is my ultimate goal. Of course I would like to work on film and become a millionaire, swan around in a convertible and generally be loved by all, but honestly I would trade this just for one day working on this iconic show.

Doctor Who is a show for the whole family, it frightens children, stuns us with it's beauty and takes us on a moral and emotional roller coaster on a week by week basis. What other show in the world could do that? Russell T Davis brought this show back from the dead. Steven Moffat took it like an olympic relay baton and is racing to take it to new heights of incredible. If haters bring down this show, they would have destroyed something monumental. There are so many of us out here who still love it.