Star Trek Into Darkness

One of the most popular franchises in pop culture history, Star Trek has been on the public mind since it debuted on TV in the 1960s. It has spawned spinoffs, films, countless iconic characters and pop culture moments. In 2009, it got a franchise reboot of sorts with the highly successful and very entertaining feature film, Star Trek. It took a couple years, but the sequel hit theaters this past spring/summer and was just as good and just as entertaining. Warp speed to 2013's Star Trek Into Darkness.

It's the year 2259 and Captain James Kirk (Chris Pine) remains the commander of the U.S.S. Enterprise, one of Starfleet's most important ships. Following a mission on a primitive planet that forces Kirk to disobey orders and put the crew and ship at risk, Kirk has the Enterprise taken away from him and much of his crew reassigned to other ships. The reassignment is put on hold though when a former Starfleet officer, John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch), leads a brutal attack on a Starfleet officer with horrific casualties inflicted. Harrison escapes Earth into deep space, but Kirk isn't far behind. He's been placed back in command of the Enterprise and must pursue Harrison. His orders seem suspicious though, and as Kirk, Mr. Spock (Zachary Quinto) and the crew of the Enterprise draw closer to their destination, they all begin to suspect what they've been sent to do.

Before seeing the 2009 franchise reboot, I had no experience with the Star Trek world(s) other than the most prominent cast members and a pop culture reference here and there. It's everywhere. You've got to pick up some stuff almost incidentally, right? I headed into both these movies with no real expectations. I wanted to be entertained. So what have I taken away from both these science fiction flicks? One word, and that's F-U-N. These are good, old-fashioned science fiction films with tons of action, very cool characters, and the necessary imagination to explore all sorts of far-off worlds with the energy of a little kid. I liked this sequel as much if not more than the original, 133 minutes of pure fun. It's a little long but the movie itself is never slow. If you're a fan of the franchise, series or just the original, you'll definitely like this one.

Whatever director-writer-producer extraordinaire J.J. Abrams seems to touch, he does so with a golden touch. I think his genuine love of what he's doing translates to his stuff, TV shows like Lost, the Star Trek movies, his Mission: Impossible entry. He's like a kid at heart. Above all else, Abrams' goal seems to be to entertain. With a science-fiction story like this, there's a natural dependence on CGI, but 'Darkness' never overdoes it. Sure, it's obvious we're watching CGI, but it blends in seamlessly with the action. We've got cool, roguish heroes like Pine's Kirk, a great villain in Cumberbatch's Harrison, a very solid supporting cast and action around every corner with all sorts of very visual, very colorful planets and aliens to explore and meet. Also worth mentioning is composer Michael Giacchino's score (Giacchino, a frequent Abrams collaborator), helping pump the action and story along. 

Playing the iconic Captain James Kirk (still no William Shatner cameo), Pine again brings a great energy to the lead role. He's funny, cocky, a very capable officer, always looking for a new adventure, and always, ALWAYS looking out for his ship, his cast and his friends. The dynamic between Pine and Quinto's Mr. Spock is pretty perfect, two polar opposites managing to make their friendship/relationship work so well together. Kirk is all about impulse and in the moment, not always thinking about the long-term consequences. Spock, a Vulcan (look for the pointy ears), is all about logic, what should be done, and the percentages of getting the job done. They play off each other effortlessly, Kirk trying to humanize Spock, Spock trying to bring Kirk back down to some sort of Earthly norm. Also look for Leonard Nimoy in a quick appearance.

The rest of the ensemble cast fills in the parts nicely around the leads. Returning from the original as the crew of the Enterprise are Karl Urban as Bones, the medical officer, Zoe Saldana as Uhura, the communications officer, Simon Pegg as Scotty, the ship's fiery Scottish engineer, John Cho as Sulu, the helmsman, and Anton Yelchin as Chekov, the ship's navigator. New to the crew is Alice Eve as Carol, a weapons specialist who knows more than she's letting on. Also returning is Bruce Greenwood as Starfleet officer and mentor to Kirk, Admiral Pike. Peter Weller plays Fleet Admiral Marcus, one of the highest ranking Starfleet officers around. In the villain department, Cumberbatch is perfect as Harrison (but that ain't his name....wink, wink), a more than worthy foe to Kirk and the gang, a villain potentially for many movies to come.

For the diehard Trekkies, there's also some cool nods to the franchise. Most importantly though, it knows where the franchise, series and characters have come from, but it creates its own legacy. These movies were meant to be fun and eaten with a big tub of popcorn, basically the definition of a summer blockbuster. It made almost $500 million worldwide so audiences are clearly eating it up. From the opening chase on a primitive red-planet to the non-stop chase through the second half of the movie, it's one fun scene after another. It's not a great movie, but it's not supposed to be. Popcorn, summer blockbuster = epically fun.

Star Trek Into Darkness (2013): ***/****

Total Recall (2012)

Oh, goodness, here we are again. I swear Hollywood has no originality. N-O-N-E at all. Remakes are one thing when an original calls for it. If the original doesn't live up to its potential or is in a situation where a remake would benefit it, then so be it. That of course, is not the case. Hollywood ain't interested in potential or what should have been. Instead, it's all about the $, and that's all you really need to know about 2012's Total Recall.

It's near the end of the 21st Century, and following a global war, little exists of the world we know now. The only habitable regions are the United Federation of Britain (UFB) and the Colony (Australia). Problems have arisen in this new society as a possible invasion looms, the UFB and its governor (Bryan Cranston) threatening to attack the resistance. Among the citizens is Doug Quaid (Colin Farrell), a factory worker who lives with his wife, Lori (Kate Beckinsale), but he's frustrated with his life and starting to question certain things. He wakes up at night with memories of vivid dreams so he investigates, going to Rekall, an experience via software that allows you to "obtain" memories. What awaits Doug is a complete surprise. He has a hidden past that even he is unaware of, and it's a past that involves the government, the governor and many more secrets.

So if you're not aware, this basic story was first used in a film in 1990's Total Recall starring the Govern-ator himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger. It's an above average sci-fi epic that overcomes some general cheesiness to be a pretty good movie despite some special effects limits. It's also not completely fair to say this is a remake because it is based off a short story by author Philip K. Dick, but for all intensive purposes....that's just what it is. So yes, this 2012 version is its own movie. It tweaks certain things to make it "Its own movie," but does it really matter? Sorry to go all Old Curmudgeon on you loyal viewers, but I can't help. Some 22 years have passed. Did we really need a remake of a movie that yes, is pretty good, but is it anything more? Nope, and that's what I find frustrating.

Well, the movie was remade so no point crying over spilled milk. The biggest improvement are the incredible advances made over the last 20-plus years in CGI and basically anything associated with computer visuals. The 1990 Recall has a somewhat cheap look, but that's not the case in director Len Wiseman's film. A look at a futuristic dystopian society in the right hands is a fast ball down the middle. The UFB and the Colony are ultra-cluttered, buildings seemingly piled on top of each other as they tower up to the sky. The CGI is incredible, and the story itself presents some very interesting premises. The concept of Rekall itself is pretty cool, implanting memories that seem real. Means of transportation especially stand out, including an expressway of sorts with hover cars floating and moving far above the city. The biggest standout though is the Fall, a way of getting from Britain to Australia in just 17 minutes, a free-falling train that literally falls through the Earth via gravity, reversing its gravitational pull near the core. Scientifically implausible? I'd assume, but it's pretty cool.

If you seek this movie out, I'll recommend it for one main reason; the action. Done on an impressive scale and handled about as ideally as possible, I came away very impressed with the action. Always a bonus, the action varies in type, not limiting itself to one chase scene after another. The highlight has Farrell's Doug running from government forces with Melina (Jessica Biel) and eventually ending up trying to escape courtesy of the hover car expressway. Police and government forces are in high pursuit in action scene that will hopefully get the adrenaline pumping. So without expressing and explaining every little thing about the action, just know that's it the best thing going here and a real highlight.

What isn't as impressive is the acting/characters. Farrell is one of my favorites regardless of the movie, but this isn't his best work. Chalk up part of that to the script which doesn't do him much in the way of favors. His Doug Quaid is full of mystery and confusion -- what and/or who exactly was he previously? -- but it's never a truly well-written character. The more interesting parts of Quaid are the things we eventually find out about him. Biel is necessary but pointless eye candy, around because a movie of Farrell running around would be dull. Beckinsale is a movie stealer as Lori, seemingly the perfect wife but she's got secrets of her own. She ends up being a villain that is surprisingly effective in its ability to keep us guessing. Cranston is Cranston, imposing and intimidating with a touch of slime and greed. Also look for Bokeem Woodbine as Quaid's work friend, Bill Nighy as a resistance leader and John Cho in one scene as a Rekall specialist. 

My biggest takeaway from this 2012 remake was pretty blase, even a little mediocre. It's far from good but never really amounts to anything good, above average or memorable. Like so many remakes, it just isn't necessary. It tries to do enough to distinguish itself from its predecessor, but for anyone with even a few working brain cells and/or ability to remember anything, this movie will come across as nothing more than an average, enjoyable time-waster.

Total Recall (2012): ** 1/2 /****