Film Review: Star Trek: Into Darkness (Revisited)

"There will always be those who mean to do us harm. To stop them, we risk awakening the same evil within ourselves."—Chris Pine
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In 2009, Star Trek was "rebooted", successfully remixing aspects of the classic Trek universe and making it all fresh, new, and exciting again. At the same time, it remained true to the classic characters and the spirit of the franchise. In the film's first sequel, Into Darkness sets forth to do the same thing most other sequels do: introduce more characters, raise the stakes, and take the audience on a (hopefully bigger and "better") thrill ride.

This film definitely retains the thrill ride aspects—like its predecessor, it still has some great action scenes, some jaw-dropping special effects, and the occasional pieces of humor. The film definitely goes big--with chases and battles across space, on alien planets, and ultimately on Earth, there are plenty of huge action scenes. The film also tries its best to blow up the emotional stakes.

Therein lies the film's most interesting and redeeming values: where the characters stand at this point. The first film introduced the Enterprise crew in a fresh new light, using Kirk's flirtation with death as a thematic pillar. In this film, the theme is expanded tremendously, pitting Kirk against death in a twisting series of events that constantly calls for him to make the hard choices. At multiple moments, everybody is called upon to question the value of human life, the value of the mission, and the morality of self-sacrifice. Oh yes, fans of the classic films will recognize these same aspects from The Wrath of Khan and The Search for Spock, because Into Darkness takes the same aspects and remixes them.

Unfortunately, this becomes the film's biggest problem. After going through all the trouble to reset the Trek universe, filmmakers placed their bets on the safest of creative choices: they created a story where history repeats itself. The matter is made worse in the bizarre way they wrapped this rehashed story around a Federation conspiracy (which in itself seems to be inspired by the writers' own 9/11 conspiracy theories, which I always found hard to swallow, and it's equally hard as a Trek story). Juggling so many aspects and agendas, plot holes are patched in flimsy ways. Some scenes (and characters) pass without leaving any impact. It all adds up to a brisk climax that brings the action back to Earth (thus limiting the scope of the movie to disappointing levels), and fixing things up tidily so the Enterprise crew can sail once more. The only thing that holds this story up are the character arcs (and they're good enough, thankfully).

The film continues to exhibit some jittery camerawork and plenty of lens flares, which will irk many viewers. Some of the camera movements are pretty brilliant though. Acting is the same as before: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Anton Yelchin, John Cho, and Simon Pegg all inhabit their characters comfortably, and are a joy to watch. Bruce Greenwood is still good, Alice Eve is quite appealing, and I felt that Peter Weller's role is appropriate. The biggest draw to this film will be Benedict Cumberbatch as the villain--the man definitely establishes the proper screen presence and gives his character plenty of nuance. Writing for this film could have been better. As before, the film uses some clever camera trickery and unique settings to give the film a unique and authentic-looking edge. All the sets, props, costumes, and special effects are good. The music score offers much of the same as from the first film, but with unique new variations.

It is disappointing that Star Trek: Into Darkness doesn't boldly go where no film has gone before. What the film lacks in good plotting, it makes up for in its energy, spirit, characterization, and quality, all of which carries over from the last film superbly. It's still an enjoyable thrill ride, but far from perfect.

4/5

Film Review: Star Trek (2009) (Revisited)

"Whatever our lives might have been, if the time continuum was disrupted, our destinies have changed."—Zachary Quinto
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You’d have to be living under a rock on Delta Vega to have never heard of the Star Trek franchise. Ever since its (tragically-cancelled) run in the 60s, this quaint sci-fi show spawned a dozen films, half-a-dozen spinoff TV shows, and a massive fan base that could constitute its own nation (complete with its own language, customs, and dress code). Slight problem with some of the original films is that they cater specifically to the Trekkies—most casual audiences might find some amusement among the even-numbered films, but the entire saga is a nerd haven more than anything.

So, in 2009, this reboot was released with the casual audience in mind. Even if you’ve never liked or heard of Star Trek before, this film will blow you away! From start to finish, there’s loads of spectacular space battles, shootouts, fistfights, and occasional bursts of witty (and rather silly) humor. The pacing is tight, and the movie overall carries an adventurous spirit that hasn’t really been invoked since Star Wars. At the same time, die-hard Trekkies should be relieved to see some familiar faces, hear some familiar lines, and witness the occasional homage to the classics.

This new saga begins on an emotionally gut-wrenching note: Jim Kirk's birth, in the middle of a starship disaster. This scene alone elicits enough awe and tears to give the film dramatic weight. The rest of Kirk's journey doesn't strive for the same level of emotion, but the character arcs are strong. Part of the film tracks Kirk's maturity from a reckless lost soul to a capable starship captain. Spock gets his own story arc, crammed full of emotional turmoil and identity conflict. Their union underscores key themes concerning destiny (which, is partly about aligning the Trek crew in all the right places, but is also relevant to Kirk and his challenge to make something of himself--it's an inspiring change). On top of that, there are subtle themes of death that emerge. Some of it is passing scenes and dialogue that illustrate the perils of space travel. Other parts analyze the way characters handle life and death situations. These ideas not only give the action weight, but also gives leverage to the sequels.

Unfortunately, the story is not without its contrivances. It does use some clever science to reset the Trek universe and open up possibilities for the new series. In doing so, the film had to link up a few key scenes with some shortcuts (such as the idea of "transwarp beaming," which in turn becomes a sudden possibility because of an unlikely ally). Though I found these shortcuts minor, they do little to mask the film's agenda of tying together nostalgia in a blockbuster package for mass consumption. Some viewers will find this distasteful. Personally, I felt the experience of the film, the strength of the characters, and the overall color and spirit made up for the shortcomings.

Coming from JJ Abrams, you can expect some jittery camerawork and lens flares--some people find these effects annoying, but I think they add realism and intensity to the film. Otherwise, much of the film sports very unusual camera movements and angles, which gives the film a lot of movement and perspective. It's more than style—it's a highly successful way of immersing the audience in outer space. Editing is snappy. Acting is superb—I initially found Chris Pine a little off as Kirk, but the man does emphasize the arrogance and impulsiveness of Kirk with some degree of accuracy. As Spock, Zachary Quinto balances nuance and emotion in a very endearing performance—he has a few moments of angst, but it befits the story. Karl Urban isperfect as McCoy. I enjoy the performances of Zoe Saldana, Eric Bana, Bruce Greenwood, Simon Pegg, John Cho, and Anton Yelchin. Winona Ryder is in the mix too, and I didn't even know it was her playing Spock's mom until later. Writing is good overall—much of the dialogue is rather low-key, but the film does expertly balance signature Trek aspects, character-building, and action. Production value is decent—it’s pretty obvious that they filmed many scenes at a beer factory, but most camera tricks are incredibly convincing, and it shows magnificent prowess at using less to make more. A lot of it also serves to make things look creditable—transporter beams, warp drive, red matter, etc all appear scientifically plausible. A lot of costumes and props look sleek and futuristic, but are still classy throwbacks to the original saga. Special effects are spectacular. Music is surprisingly catchy.

The new Star Trek universe is an awesome-looking, epic-scale blockbuster adventure brimming with color and spirit. Its story twists things around in a few contrived ways, but the characters are spot-on, and the experience overall has never failed to elicit feelings of awe and adoration. For those feelings and the adventurous spirit the film embodies, this remains my favorite Trek movie of them all.

5/5

Film Review: Jason Bourne

"You're never going to find any peace. Not till you admit to yourself who you really are."—Tommy Lee Jones
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We know his name. Jason Bourne has a whole book and movie series to his name, cementing Matt Damon's performance as an iconic character on par with Daniel Craig's Bond or Kiefer Sutherland's Jack Bauer. From The Bourne Identity to The Bourne Ultimatum, Jason Bourne went through a complete story arc that focused on his struggle to understand who he is, as a lost ex-spy and as a human being.

Now, we have a fourth film in the arc (fifth if you count the stand-alone Bourne Legacy, which I barely remember and has no bearing on this film). Jason Bourne finds the man off the grid again, drifting place to place as if in a trance, making ends meet through the exquisite art of bare-knuckle boxing. Of course, something happens that pulls him back into the CIA's crosshairs. He's forced to run from Greece to London to Vegas, outrunning and outsmarting spies and assassins as he searches for the truth. Again.

There's absolutely nothing new to Jason Bourne. For a movie that bears the man's full name, as if to suggest this will be a definitive character-defining adventure, it's rather disappointing. There's only one relevant point to the movie that makes it relevant: another piece to Bourne's past. This revelation serves solely to villainize the villains and give Bourne a reason to kill them. It doesn't change anything before or after: Bourne is nothing more than a golem in this movie who smashes his enemies and comes out totally unscathed and unchanged. There is no real danger or peril to be felt, and there's little-to-no reason to cling to Bourne as a character (other than sheer badassery). He's a total rock, who confronts equally-flat characters.

The story itself seems to prove that all the Bourne movies now have a formula: movie starts with Bourne off the grid, something happens, he gets chased, he chases and outsmarts people, then repeat five times in five different countries until he confronts the guy in charge. The end. Guess what? That's pretty much all that happens here: the movie goes through three or four different repetitions of the exact same spy game with big setpieces in exotic locales, but it amounts to a predictable outcome. The only stakes at hand is the threadbare piece of personal history. The movie crams in some current issues ripped from yesterday's headlines (such as mass surveillance conspiracies, finding back doors in communication technology, name-dropping Snowden ad nauseam), which gives some fairly interesting social stakes, but it comes off as stuffy and droll. It's a thrilling experience in the moment, but when I take a step back, I have to ask, this is it? Didn't we see this stuff already with Supremacy and Ultimatum?

Fans may be pleased to know that with Paul Greengrass back in the director's chair, the film is on-par with previous Bourne entries. That means, for better or for worse, an onslaught of hyperkenetic action scenes with horrendous camera shake and rapid-fire editing. When the camera isn't shaking, the film is as dark and drab as they come, and most shots are quite pedestrian. Fortunately, performances are decent. Matt Damon still embodies Jason Bourne with impressive physical and emotional intensity. Tommy Lee Jones is fitting as the stiff CIA director. Alicia Vikander can't seem to hold an American accent, but it hardly bothered me—I enjoyed her performance just as well as the rest of the cast. Vincent Cassel is just as menacing here as he was staring in Mesrine. Writing is fairly understated—dialogue is scant, but does its job aptly of giving information and letting the story and characters fill in the blanks. This production is one of the most creditable-looking spy movies around: all the locales, sets, props, and costumes look gritty, realistic, and palpable. Music is okay (although, despite my adoration of Moby's work, "Extreme Ways" continues to grate on me personally, even with a new remix).

In fact, the end-credits song may as well embody what this movie is all about: the same old thing with heavier beats. But while the original three movies had a character arc worth exploring, this movie draws out a rather thin thread to string the formulaic plot along. And in the end, I realize there's little reason for me to care about Bourne or what happens to him in this pointless entry in the series.

If you're a fan, see it, by all means, you might love it. But unless filmmakers break out of the standard Bourne mold, the original three movies will remain where the series begins and ends for me.

2.5/5

Video Game Review: Doom (2016)

"Weaponizing demons for a better tomorrow."—UAC slogan.
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Video games have come a long ways in 23 years. In the 90s, Doom was one of the biggest game-changers of the industry. It was a smooth, rip-roaring demon-slaying experience, with its own unique texture and style. It paved the way for hundreds more FPS games to follow in its wake. Isn't it strange that after all this time, there's only been two official sequels? Since the release of Doom 3, shooting games fell into a pretty generic niche, thanks to a plethora of military-themed titles. We've seen more innovation out of Bioshock, Tomb Raider, The Last Of Us, Heavy Rain, and other odd places. Where has Doom been all this time?

As it turns out, Doom 4 was in development for a while, but had to be scrapped because it just wasn't cutting it. Developed from the ground-up, 2016's Doom is made as a return to form. It's not the harrowing horror/survival ordeal that game #3 was, this was designed to tap into the energy and spirit of the original saga. So the question now is, did id and Bethesda succeed?

I was honestly afraid to play this game, remembering how unsettling Doom 3 was. I wasn't sure I could handle the new Doom, especially after hearing that many levels would force you to clear out hoards of demons in large arena-style levels before being able to move on. It sounded punishing.

It's not. Like all great games, 2016's Doom is empowering—the game offers you immense firepower, speed, and abilities to turn you into a fast and vicious demon-slayer. It's challenging, but hardly impossible—the game is smooth and fast, and you have to stay fast to make it past each area. You get a pretty nice arsenal of guns (everything from a puny pistol to a chainsaw to the Super Shotgun to the BFG and everything). You get upgrades that can make you a faster and better marine. You get powerups at key spots. One really wicked feature that makes this game even more empowering is "glory kills," which allow you to rip demons apart with your bare hands. The game might seem imposing when you start, but once you unlock weapons and upgrades, it's a breeze (unless, if you're a real hardcore gamer who craves a challenge, you can always play the campaign on nightmare mode). Each level is immaculately detailed and well-designed, with secrets in many interesting corners, and a lot of awesome scenery to behold. Populated by so many recognizable creatures (everything from imps to the Spider Mastermind), the game is a massive throwback, but its experience is genuinely fresh and awesome.

The games wastes little time in developing its story. From the opening onwards, you snap into action, finding yourself in the middle of a ruined Martian base overrun by demons. As you progress, you'll catch on to what happened. There are just a few characters to the game—there's not much development to them. I wish there could be more substance to the story, but for Doom, it's fine for what it is. Just like the original two games, story is not the main draw, its just a way to string levels together. In this case, the story's a little better than the original game, but not quite as complete as Doom 3.

On top of that, the game offers a few solid multiplayer options. The classic game modes—deathmatches and such—are available and are fine for what they are. It's pretty standard: you join a match, you shoot people, you level up and keep going. You can choose some loadouts, but it's far simpler (and less refined) than a Call of Duty game. A far more interesting feature is the Snapmap mode, which allows you to construct levels with modular tools. The array of rooms and objects available is limited, but logic tools let you design games with countless possibilities. It can be quite adventurous and intriguing to see what inventive levels users have published using these simple features.

The game itself looks pretty sharp and polished. It sports decent textures, lighting, rendering, and very smooth animation. Sounds and voices are good—music is smashing. This game is well-written, more in the sense that the game shows you its ideas through the gaming experience rather than dialogue.

Just when I thought Doom wasn't for me, this game comes along and reminds me of what it is that made the originals so appealing. Far less clunky and more polished than its predecessors, I'd say this is the best one of the lot. It successfully empowers and immerses you in the hellish fantasy of a demon-stomping marine. It can't get much more awesome than that.

4.5/5

33rd Birthday Reflections

Last Friday, my 33rd Birthday came and went. This year, I was fortunate to have the day to myself—I was the only person at work all week for our department, but my supervisor made arrangements to make sure I could take the day off. If I had to work, it certainly wouldn't have been the end of the world or anything. There's nothing particularly special about this Birthday. However, everybody deserves a day now and then to themselves, to splurge and treat oneself a little. After nearly several months of consistent stress, I was grateful for the opportunity.

What did I do that day? Wasn't really anything spectacular, but after touring numerous places over the past couple of months, I was in no mood to travel anywhere exotic. I merely slept in a little, then jumped in the car and started driving.

My first goal was breakfast, of course. Though I make my own nearly every day, I had a free reward to claim at Starbucks, so I resolved to visit the closest one to me and claim it. It was a small place located in the middle of a grocery store. When I got there, I was a little dismayed to find that specific one didn't allow me to claim rewards (and strangely, this is the second time I've run across a Starbucks place that doesn't take the reward card—the second being the lobby of the Marriott in Provo. It seems that these smaller places connected to other establishments don't cut it—I needed to find a real, dedicated Starbucks shop). It was a minor inconvenience, but I still needed food—I ordered coffee and a sandwich regardless. Starbucks breakfast is not exactly the greatest in the world, but it was warm and tasty enough for me.

Next, I drove to the library—I had been visiting libraries more often to check out more movies and music, and I needed to return a number of items. This library I went to was larger and always had a shelf of things for sale. This time, I was amazed to find a deal going on: ten items for $1. I decided to grab four CDs (mostly soundtrack music), five novels (stuff that caught my eye: Shane, Grunts, Touched by an Alien, Saltation, and The Ophelia Prophecy), and one Amy Winehouse documentary on DVD (why not?). These ten items may be the cheapest things I ever bought. On top of that, I perused the library's catalogue and checked out more music.

For lunch, I stopped at a place called Pirate-O's, which specializes in selling imported foods. I had a turkey sandwich there for lunch (which was great), before looking at their selection. I pretty much always walk away with British candy—having spent 14 years in England, I found it gratifying to find English-brand sweets and other goodies in the middle of America. The place has a fine selection of the usual Cadbury chocolates, but on this day I opted for Digestive-brand cookies and an Aero bar. Fentimans drinks are available there—I couldn't leave without their fermented lemonade. I stopped short in the drinks aisle when I saw something I hadn't even seen or thought of in years: Lilt soda. I typically avoid soda, but I was compelled to treat myself—I remember Lilt being quite refreshing, and it brought back memories of English commercials and English groceries stores, which in turn correlated to the overall England experience I treasured so much.

Moving on from there, I drove west a little ways to hit Gamestop: I had a fistfull of PS3 games to trade in, and I wanted to browse their used games aisle. The combination of trade-ins, cards I had from before, and their rewards point card netted me about $25 worth of savings. I picked up the Assassin's Creed Chronicles collection (because I'm a franchise fan), and The Talos Principle (because I yearned for a good puzzle game).

In the same vicinity was Best Buy, so I swung through there to browse a while. I had a $10 coupon from their rewards program. I happened across the Collector's Edition of Manhunter on Blu-Ray, and a Rhianna album from their bargain bin (in retrospect, the two things couldn't be more different). Thanks to the coupon, I only blew $15 on these.

I checked my phone and wondered what was playing at the Cinemark, which would have been on the way home. I went through the motions of driving up the road, walking to the kiosk, and selecting the showtimes for the Ghostbusters remake. Why not? Reviews from average moviegoers claimed it was funny. But I had to stop and ask myself if it was worth $11 for a 3D XD matinee showing. I decided to walk away—in a few more days, I could see it for more than half the price. If I want to see it at all. My enthusiasm for Ghostbusters remains lacking—it's Star Trek: Beyond I want to see the most right now.

Turning around, I went north and finally claimed that free Starbucks reward at an actual Starbucks joint. As hot as it was outside, I opted for a vanilla cream iced coffee. The girl behind the counter said it was good. It was, and it was especially refreshing in the July heat. It lasted all the way home, where I unloaded my various purchases. I ate dinner, had a piece of cake (on clearance from the grocery store—is it me, or am I starting to sound like a cheapskate mentioning all these sales and coupons and things?). To psyche myself for the next Trek movie, I watched the 2009 Star Trek film in the evening. Then, I popped in that Talos Principle game and just couldn't stop playing it for a long while.

So, it was nothing but some shopping and eating and TV and gaming this year. Nothing particularly special, and not a whole lot of human interaction involved. I imagine some people crave attention and can't stand to be alone for an occasion like a Birthday. I personally found it laid back and gratifying in its own right. I value my time alone and am grateful for all I have and have experienced. In 33 years, I've worked for my entire adult life and visited several countries along the way—there are people who have seen and done less in the same amount of time. 

In the 30s, some people might look back and wish they were young again. In my youth, I was always looking ahead and wishing I would grow up already, to move on from school and become a responsible working adult with free agency. At this point, I feel I've achieved that, and I'm right where I want to be. I don't want to relive any part of my life, I'm happy to simply live. And there's still plenty to look forward to—especially with all the Birthday goodies I got for myself (in addition to what's above, I also had a number of novels on order that I really wanted to read—Ready Player One, Fight Club, Solaris, Roadside Picnic—plus Papillon on Blu-Ray).

In between living year to year, everybody needs time to themselves to stop and eat some cake.

Film Review: The Neon Demon

"She's a diamond among a sea of glass."—Alessandro Nivola
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There is an industry for beauty, and people are commodities. Many films have explored the exploitation of young people by businesses, and they are often bleak, compelling tales. The Neon Demon goes through the same motions as Black Swan and Mulholland Drive, but it reaches a far more unpredictable conclusion.

True to the standard of other films by Nicholas Winding Refn, the film drips in exquisite style. This is one of those odd films where there's a lot of white space in between the scant pieces of dialogue. Very little is expressed or told to the audience. Instead, the whole story is shown through the meticulous unraveling of expressionistic imagery. Some scenes go by without explanation and don't really fit in the scant plotline. The film merely paints its picture and lets the audience determine what's going in in the characters' heads and what's really going on with the story.

I went into this film expecting a pretty standard tale of a young girl breaking into the fashion biz and becoming corrupted, and perhaps even broken, from it. I believe most of that still applies—the bulk of the film's conflict is an extremely subtle rivalry between Jessie and all the other established models, who recognize her potential through her beauty and see it as a threat. Just when you think you have the movie figured out, everything suddenly changes in the last act. It hits with all the subtlety of a knife thrust, before the final scenes reveal that this isn't your typical diva drama—it's a horror movie in disguise, and its has its own set of unspoken rules. Thus, the film overall is a slow-burning build to a massive sucker-punch. The ultimate point of it all is not so much the corruption or pretension of the business, as I initially predicted—this is more of a modern-day fable warning us of all the viciousness and bloodthirst that could exist in any industry. For the world of fashion, it goes hand-in-hand with the exploration of what beauty means and how far people will go to achieve its optimum peak.

The funny thing about a film harping on the threat of beauty is that the film itself is as beautiful as they come. Photography is top-notch, with purposeful staging and composition resembling a Kubrick movie. Editing is very solid, juxtaposing images in a way that allows viewers to connect the thought process without exposition. Acting is great: Elle Fanning is lovely and nuanced in her role. Most of the other characters are menacing to some degree (including Keanu Reeves, who seems to be playing the biggest jerk in the world). Writing is interesting—it offers enough so that the plot can be followed (much easier than Refn's previous film, Only God Forvies), but still leaves so much mystery open. It's a tough balance that will entice some viewers and leave others confused. This production uses fabulous sets, props, and costumes—they all give the film visually-punchy textures and patterns. Lighting is often very vivid (especially during a few scenes illuminated by strobe lighting). Music by Cliff Martinez is very evocative—modern and electronic, but with a kind of new-wave class, just like the movie itself.

I went into this film expecting a pretty standard tale of a model's rise and fall—I came out realizing it's more of a puzzle with more aspects of a monster movie than a mere drama. I knew going in that this would be a strange, glacial experience that requires more focus than usual. I personally found the film as thought-provoking as it is visually stunning. I expect most other viewers may be confused, upset, or unimpressed. Caution is recommended.

4/5