Star Trek Into Darkness

So I finally got around to watching Star Trek Into Darkness, and it’s a pretty good movie, as long as you don’t think about it too hard.  But since thinking hard is what I do, I’m going to pick it apart.

But first what I liked.

Let me say this, for the most part the acting in this film in phenomenal, especially for the leads.  Zachary Quinto is pitch perfect as Spock and Chris Pine who in the first film seemed to be trying a bit to hard to be William Shatner makes the role of Kirk his own.  Cumberbatch was excellent as Khan given what we was given to work with. The rest of the cast seemed to be short on time, especially Karl Urban but that’s often the way it goes.  The story was well paced and I have no regrets about shelling out $10 of my hard earned dollars to see it in the theater.

But…..

Here’s the thing, there are problems with this movie, with the plot, with continuity, with the way it’s shot. 

The plot is needlessly complex.  The only reason for the whole he’s not Khan he’s John Harrison was to screw with fans prior to the release of the film.  That’s not cool.  Wouldn’t have been easier to convince Kirk to kill Harrison/Khan by telling him the London base had been a secret prison to keep a recently discovered Khan who had escaped.  Then we have the fact that Star Fleet even wants Khan to dream up weapons.  Yes, Khan is the superior but I find it hard to believe that there aren’t smarter more vicious races in the Federation.  We know the Vulcans are smart and the Andorians are violent, so toss them in a room together.  There have to be some pissed off warlike Vulcans after their whole planet was destroyed.  Then there’s the plan to kill Khan.  Really writers you had years and this is what you came up with.  Then there’s Khan decision to kill Kirk and destroy the Enterprise.  Where’s this hostility coming from at least the ST II Khan had a vendetta.  In this movie Khan isn’t a conqueror he’s a psychopath.

Then there are some continuity issues, the number one being the state of Praxis and the Klingon homeworld.  In the OTL Praxis was destroyed in 2293 but Star Trek Into Darkness is set in 2259.  Also Praxis was the Klingons energy source, without it the Klingons couldn’t continue marauding around the galaxy, that’s a key plot point of Star Trek VI.  Then there’s the appearance of the Klingons.  It’s hinted that we’re in the Star Trek Enterprise timeline by the model of the NX-1 briefly seen.  But if that’s the case and these Klingons have been infected by the augment virus shouldn’t they have a smooth forehead?

Speaking of problems what’s with the shields on the Enterprise.  Because as far as I can see, just like goggles, they do nothing.  I was never a fan of the bubble shields of TNG, I think DS9 handled them much better.  But as far as I can tell in the movies the shields don’t do a damn thing because first Nero’s ship and now the Vengence’s weapons cut through the hull of the Enterprise like a hot knife through melted butter.  By the way did Spock kill the crew of the Vengence when he detonated those torpedoes inside it?

Oh and whoever designed the new Enterprise must have also designed the NSEA Protector from Galaxy Quest because the design of the ship makes no sense except to have scenes when people are hanging off things or facing peril.  I mean your engineering section is packed with gangways but in another part of the ship you have a 10 story atrium?  Also the warp core injectors, how does anyone get to them to work on.  Shouldn’t there be a walkway or a ladder?

Finally, J.J. Abrams needs to grow up as a director.  You don’t need lens flare when people are walking across a plaza, in fact you rarely need lens flare.  Also there’s a time for handheld shots and it’s not when your antagonist is sitting still explaining his motivation.  The fact a camera tight on Khan’s face is bobbing up and down like we’re on a boat is silly.

And that’s that.  I enjoyed the film but it had some definite problems.