Young Writers Society

Going to see it tomorrow, but if you've seen it, what did you think of Star Trek: Into Darkness? Bonus points if you're a Trekkie and can name ten M-Class planets.

Saw Star Trek: Into Darkness today. As a moviegoer, I loved it. As a Star Trek fan, I'm still sorting through it. Some spoilers may be below.

It's a great piece of visual entertainment, and there are certain scenes (such as the Enterprise rising out of the ocean) that are absolutely jaw dropping. The action is fast, but the movie also knows to slow down at the appropriate points. Overall, it's just very, very fun to watch.

But Star Trek is more than just popcorn-munching fun, or at least, it's supposed to more than that. The franchise is at its best when it's exploring what it means to be human, which is why so many of the iconic characters (Spock, Data, Odo, Seven of Nine, and T'Pol) are those that allow the franchise to examine humanity. It's also meant to be very utopian while also demonstrating that the utopia is much more fragile than it seems and protected by the blood of many. The lead characters (Kirk, Picard, Sisko, Janeway, and Archer) are at their best when they're pulled out of the utopian ideal and thrust into reality (there are four lights!). Yet, even when they forced into these circumstances, they still represent the human ideal and strive to do the good thing.

The reboot fails to do this... kind of. Spock is handled very well - his journey to embracing his human side is very well done in this film. But Kirk on the other hand...

Kirk is depicted as a womanizing, self-serving jerk. Now, this can be good (see Han Solo), but it just doesn't work well at all here. He comes across as thoroughly unlikeable, manipulative, and arrogant for most of the film. In fact, in order to get over this, the storyline ends up having to almost kill him off. I found myself utterly perplexed that anyone would consider him to be a friend, and in turn confused as to how anyone would let him command a ship, let alone the flagship of the Federation fleet.

This can be partially explained by the notion that this isn't the Captain Kirk from The Original Series. The Kirk in the reboot doesn't just grow up without a father, but he grows up with the knowledge that his father sacrificed his own life to save the life of his son. While this can explain the character, though, it doesn't explain why anyone is friends with him.

Yet, Kirk is redeemed by the end, and the film overall is a great Star Trek film. I wouldn't call it classic Star Trek, but then again, most of the classic Trek films suck. It's not a film that makes you think, but it does demand more from the viewer than your typical summer blockbuster.

Overall: Go see it, and see it on 3D Imax if you can.

I just saw it and loved it. I never had an issue with Kirk. Watching the original series as well as the films (never bothered TNG) I always felt that it would made sense that Kirk is the way he is when he's younger. His shortcomings are acknowledged, and in spite of them he cares deeply about his friends. He's a good person who always tries to do the right thing, and I feel like he's growing into Shatner's Kirk as each movie progresses. Besides, Pine is great. As a whole I thought it was amazing.

I ended up watching it twice. I really like Kirk, actually, I find him a fascinating character. The movie made me laugh, cry, gawp and applaud, everything it should. My favourite quote had to be Kirk when he found out Spock and his girlfriend (can't remember her name, grrr) were arguing.
"Oh my GOD! What is that even like?"

I had very mixed feelings about the film. While it is good for quick-'n-snappy popcorn munching and (gratuitous) eye candy, the plot falls apart upon close inspection and the characters are thinly-developed at best.
While there were some things I was fond of (the communications officer actually getting to do some communicating, the super-duper-shiny effects, and attractive cast) they were overshadowed by the lens flares, generic antagonists, and the villain who's shoddy at best despite being portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch (which, incidentally, would take some effort to screw up as much as they did).
In essence, it's fun and snappy, but miss-able.