Star Trek Into Darkness
Composer Michael Giacchino does a fair job with the score, but I felt a little disappointed by what he brought new to the table. Many of the main themes come back, but a lot of the newer themes are that good. I do like the direction he takes the main theme this time around. I felt the “Khan” theme was lacking a bit and needed a more menacing tone. I also think the London Calling track is a bit overrated, but it seems to be getting a lot of attention.
I did like the new Klingon theme with the Klingon lyrics thrown in for good measure.
Keep in mind that I love Giacchino's work overall and I am a huge fan of his work. I like the tip of the hat to the Amok Time then thrown in toward the end of the movie though, Giacchino.
In the third act, the heel turn and the true villain reveal seems a bit rushed to me and not really fleshed out as much as the first movie. Except, this movie does have better villains. Khan is a very bad guy, but Admiral Marcus isn't a good person either, but they have their reasons for being the way they are.
Seeing another version of Khan is an interesting take in this Alt-universe. Plus, I love the connections to Section 31 for both villains in this story.
-The Klingons Look Different: However, there is enough there to show you they are the same race as the ones in the shows and movies. I like the contrast between these Klingons and the honorable ones in the TNG era. Here, they are willing to stab a woman over trespassing on their planet. Plus, we get to see a familiar Klingon weapon from the TNG era too, which was a treat.
-Spock Prime cameo: I didn't have a problem with Leonard Nimoy showing up for a cameo. I know a lot of people had problems, but I loved that connection. It seems Nimoy was added at the last minute. You could take his scene out and it really wouldn't have a huge impact. Nimoy does a nice callback to his death in Wrath of Khan.
-Science Officer 0718: Is this guy an android? I find him interesting as a background player. He has a bit of speaking role.
-Did you catch the Enterprise NX appearance on the Admiral's desk? There is even an early appearance of the USS Vengeance on his desk. I noticed it on my second viewing. There are other ships on his desk too worth looking out for from Trek history.
-Did you see the Star Fleet seat belts?
-USS Vengeance looks a lot like the Enterprise E.
-Aisha Hinds plays a big role as the replacement Navigator: You might remember her from True Blood.
-The “falling” of the Enterprise is truly impressive. I loved seeing the Enterprise falling to Earth. That whole sequence is amazing to watch, plus we get to see Kirk and Scotty run around the ship as all hell breaks loose. I love that sequence.
-ILM outdid themselves with the special effects. Once of the problems with Insurrection and Nemesis were the non-ILM FX shots. In the movies, Trek should never venture from George Lucas' ILM.
Overall, I enjoyed the movie. I had a lot of fun with it despite some shaky moments. This movie feels more like a Trek movie than the first reboot/remake/prequel/retelling movie. This one is more wrapped in the Trek lore than the first movie and it shows the writers truly like the source material with all the nice shout-outs to the all the Trek series (including the animated series). Benedict Cumberbatch is at the top of his villain game, given that he usually plays a good guy on his TV series. The rest of the returning cast is good, if a little more reduced in the spotlight. The movie is a nice follow up the first story.
Grade: B+
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