Star Trek Into Darkness

For F*** Magazine, Singapore

STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS

Director: J. J. Abrams
Cast: Chris Pine, Benedict Cumberbatch, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, John Cho, Simon Pegg, Alice Eve, Peter Weller, Bruce Greenwood
Genre: Sci-Fi, Fantasy
Run Time: 123 mins
Opens: 16 May 2013
Rating: PG-13

With 2009’s Star Trek, director J. J. Abrams had set a course for the future of the series with a film that thoroughly invigorated what was, up to that point, largely seen as a flagging franchise. References to Star Trek in popular culture had been relegated to jokes about basement-dwelling man-children squinting through coke-bottle glasses, and it was a widely-held stereotype that “Trekkies” (the preferred term is apparently “Trekkers”) just weren’t ‘cool’. Love it or hate it, Star Trek ’09 made the series accessible to the masses and perhaps the sexy young cast, the action sequences and the lens flares were just a way of helping the movie-going public at large let down their collective guards and learn to appreciate this cornerstone of science fiction through new eyes.

With Star Trek Into Darkness, Abrams and his cast and crew continue to blaze a trail through the cinematic cosmos. We begin right in the middle of the action, just as the preceding movie did – only this time, we follow the crew of the Enterprise as they embark on a misadventure on the planet Nibiru. Kirk (Pine) and Bones (Urban) get pursued by angry spear-wielding natives as Sulu (Cho) and Uhura (Saldana) lower Spock (Quinto) into an active volcano on the brink of eruption in order to neutralize it with a cold fusion device. Just another day in the office for them, then.




Kirk and company return to Starfleet Headquarters in San Francisco, where the higher-ups are none too happy about the recklessness they displayed on Nibiru. This is interrupted by a new threat: an unstoppable one-man terror cell who goes by the name of “John Harrison” (Cumberbatch). Kirk leads the crew of the Enterprise in pursuit of Harrison, armed with 72 photon torpedoes and with newbie Dr Carol Marcus (Eve), daughter of Starfleet head Admiral Marcus (Weller), on board. Chief Engineer Scotty (Pegg) is suspicious of the contents of said weapons but his concern is initially unheeded. What follows is a dangerous quest that takes our heroes to the Klingon homeworld of Kronos (or Qo'noS), leading them to the discovery of the torpedoes’ secret payload and the truth behind John Harrison’s beef with Starfleet.

Now, this is how you make a summer blockbuster. A tentpole sci-fi action flick doesn’t have to be two hours of mind-numbing, cacophonous dross. Abrams, along with writers Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, Damon Lindelof and the countless others involved have brought us a film that is fresh, relentlessly exciting and overflowing with white-knuckle action, and none of this at the expense of a compelling story or well-drawn characters. From the very first minute, this reviewer was yanked right into this fantastical world. Abrams all but announces “buckle up, because it’s going to be one hell of a ride” – and what a ride Star Trek Into Darkness is.




The Star Trek series has a magnificent legacy and has had an immeasurable impact on the genre, and to chuck all that away for all flash and no substance would be something of a crime. That’s not the case here. Sure, there seems to be barely a minute to stop and catch one’s breath, but that’s probably preferable to a film that drags on and on any day of the week. The film has no shortage of pizazz in the form of stunning visual effects work, witty banter and edge-of-your seat near misses galore. Despite having “darkness” in its title, this flick is far from dour or depressing. References, homages and shout-outs are skilfully weaved into the fabric of the story and some may disagree, but this reviewer feels this iteration of Trek actually is very respectful of what went before – just not slavishly so.

One of the many things the first film got right was its casting, with the Enterprise staffed not by a troupe of impressionists, but by actors who got the spirit of the characters they were portraying but weren’t afraid to put a bit of a spin on things. The opening sequence is a brilliant way to reacquaint audiences with the characters without an exposition-heavy recap. We get the sense that these guys are family now, and like any family they have their idiosyncrasies, but they certainly feel more at home on the bridge, in the engineering bay or wherever than they did as fresh faces in the first film.



In this movie, Captain Kirk truly comes into his own as leader of a starship crew and father to his men, Pine further proving there’s more to him than just his handsome mug. Sure, Kirk’s still the brash, womanising guy we all love (we catch him in bed with two be-tailed alien sisters) but there is character growth to be had. The ever-uneasy friendship between Kirk and Spock also gets a fair amount of play, and there are some great moments between the two, ranging from casual brickbats to a pretty dramatic bit near the end of the film. Quinto conveys Spock’s struggle to get in touch with his human side, his resistance to emotion driving a wedge between him and Uhura, but never hits us over the head with this.




Just as in the earlier film, everyone gets a chance to strut his or her stuff – for example, Sulu even gets to be acting captain. Simon Pegg as Scotty and Karl Urban as Bones in particular stand out in this one, both bringing different brands of comic relief to the proceedings while functioning as far more than merely “the funny guys”. Bones mentions that he once performed a Caesarean on a Gorn and delivered octuplets. It’s a funny bit that’s also a nice nod to the original series.  Speaking of alien species, there’s a tribble which turns out to be integral to the plot. This is also brilliant.

Of course, the attention is square on Benedict Cumberbatch as the villain of the piece. Suffice it to say that fangirls of his (who call themselves “Cumberbitches”) will not be disappointed. The guy is a riveting actor, one who knows when to chew just the right amount of scenery in order to not come off as silly. There has been a spate of more “intellectual” villains in blockbuster movies as of late, but Cumberbatch does enough to differentiate himself from the bunch and Harrison isn’t just all brains and no brawn – he single-handedly takes on a Klingon patrol in one action sequence.




Star Trek Into Darkness is such a thrill that this reviewer left the theatre kind of breathless, but also really pumped. It’s a big, big movie, but not the kind that’s an extravagant insult to the intellects of audiences everywhere. Abrams has crafted a sequel that ups the game and elicits cheers, laughter, goosebumps, excited fist-pumping and even a tear or two at all the right moments. And isn’t that warp effect just so sparklingly beautiful?

SUMMARY: J. J. Abrams has assembled everything needed for an involving, supremely entertaining big-ticket picture and somehow made it even more than the sum of its parts. It’s such an impressive ship that even Scotty would be jealous.

RATING: 5 out of 5 STARS

Jedd Jong

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns

As published in F*** Magazine Issue #34

Movie review                                                                                                               10/10/12

BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS (PART 1)

2012

Starring the voices of: Peter Weller, Ariel Winter, Gary Anthony Williams, David Selby

Directed by: Jay Oliva

Some Batman fans weren’t all too pleased that Christopher Nolan had chosen the title “The Dark Knight Rises” for the final instalment in his Batman film trilogy – because to them, the acronym “TDKR” referred to The Dark Knight Returns, and ‘The Dark Knight Returns’ alone. ‘The Dark Knight Returns’, written and drawn by Frank Miller with inks by Klaus Janson and colours by Lynn Varley, was published in 1986 in four issues and is arguably one of the most important graphic novels ever created. Along with Miller’s other defining Batman work ‘Batman: Year One’ (which has also been adapted into an animated film), ‘The Dark Knight Returns’ was credited for making Batman truly grim and gritty again. No more pink aliens, colourful Batsuits or ridiculous one-liners folks: if you like your Batman dark and no-nonsense (as he should be), this graphic novel is to thank for that.

Fans got little tastes of what an animated version of this now-classic yarn would look like in an episode of ‘The New Batman Adventures’ entitled ‘Legends of the Dark Knight’, and in the ‘Artifacts’ episode from ‘The Batman’. Now, at long last, we have an actual, full-length animated version of the story with this two-part film, the latest in DC’s mostly stellar stable of direct-to-video animated movies.

The film is set some time after Batman’s (Weller) retirement; Gotham having become a dystopia terrorised by a gang of mutants. Commissioner James Gordon (Selby) is near retirement himself, and is now privy to Batman’s secret identity as Bruce Wayne. Harvey Dent (Wade Williams), formerly Two-Face, has apparently been cured of his affliction, his face repaired by a plastic surgeon and his psyche supposedly mended by head psychiatrist Bartholomew Wolper (Michael McKean) of the ‘Arkham Home for the Emotionally Troubled’. The increasingly violent activity of the mutant gang, with the brutish mutant leader (Gary Anthony Williams) at the helm, brings Batman back out of retirement. He’s got a new Robin too: teenager Carrie Kelley, much to the disapproval of Bruce’s aging butler Alfred Pennyworth (Michael Jackson (no, not that one)). However, much as they need Batman, the people of Gotham are divided as to whether they’re willing to welcome him back, some viewing him as a fascist vigilante who is as much responsible for creating Gotham’s supervillains as he is fighting them.

Those still on a high from the release of ‘The Dark Knight Rises’, and its impending arrival on home video formats, should definitely check this animated film out. Christopher Nolan has included more than a few nods to ‘The Dark Knight Returns’ in his films, including the tank-like appearance of the Batmobile and the small scene between the two cops (“boy, are you in for a show tonight, son”) in ‘The Dark Knight Rises’. This film has, in turn, also been influenced by that trilogy, featuring a musical score from Christopher Drake that, with its low electronic drum beats and repetitive bass line, is quite Hans Zimmer-y, and the theme sounds suspiciously like it was plucked straight out of ‘Inception’.

Thing is, as iconic as the story is, it isn’t exactly accessible to the average reader, being pretty rough around the edges in its brutality, featuring a ‘Dirty Harry’-style take on Batman and drawn in Frank Miller’s decidedly grungy style. This film, while staying as faithful an adaptation as a PG-13 animated flick can, refines it a little, the character models cleaner while still recognisable as following Miller’s designs. The animation is of a better quality than that of the ‘Batman: Year One’ adaptation, and has something of an anime feel – if not in character design, then in backgrounds, lighting and ‘camera’ movement. This is quite a dramatic and dynamic looking film, the animators having done a very good job translating Miller’s story from the page to the screen, and including a decent amount of cool-looking action that’s still adequately brutal. The clash between Batman and the Mutant Leader in a mud pit is undoubtedly the centrepiece of the movie, and doesn’t disappoint.

Besides the visuals, it’s the voice work that’s crucial to completing the transition of ‘The Dark Knight Returns’ from page to screen, and the film shines in this regard too. Peter Weller makes for a great elderly Batman, his voice naturally deep and gravelly as opposed to sounding forced or silly as some think Christian Bale’s Batman voice did. Also, it’s RoboCop as Batman! Now that’s something to geek out over. The DC animated films have had a tradition of featuring television stars as voice actors and this one is no different, with Ariel Winter (Alex from ‘Modern Family’) as Carrie Kelley. It may be a little odd for the uninitiated to see a red-headed tomboy dressed in the Robin outfit, but Winter sells it, sounding every bit the plucky teen-turned-new-protégé. For this reviewer, David Selby as Commissioner Gordon is the standout. His performance is very reminiscent of that of Bob Hastings from ‘Batman the Animated Series’, albeit tuned to sound a little older.

The main difference between the book and the film is that most of Batman’s inner monologues have been excised, probably because these would be rather clumsy as voiceover bits. This could be seen as either a good or a bad thing: for many, Batman’s ‘narration’ of the comic was a big part of what made it so memorable, offering a good look into the emotional and physical toll being Batman has taken on him. However, it also showed that Frank Miller was developing signs of “early onset Miller-itis”, with lines that may sound silly if spoken out loud. The newscaster exposition sequences, on the other hand, are intact. While a useful narrative tool in the graphic novel, these ‘talking heads’ scenes are very static onscreen, and the weakest spots of this animated movie. Thankfully, there’s a great story to follow here, and there are bits and pieces which satisfyingly tie this back to the Batman we’re all familiar with, such as the inclusion of stalwart Batman allies Alfred and Commissioner Gordon, a flashback to the murder of Bruce Wayne’s parents, and Jason Todd’s Robin costume standing in the Batcave as a memorial to the slain Robin.

Though it may annoy some that they have to wait for the conclusion, it was a relatively good decision to split this film into two parts, because with a ‘Part 2’ coming early next year, this one doesn’t have to cram the story into its 77-minute runtime. ‘Part 1’ ends on quite the cliffhanger that well and truly whets the appetite for the follow-up. It’s good to see the Dark Knight return, and if you’re still on a Batman kick from ‘The Dark Knight Rises’, this is sure to keep you on that high.

RATING: 4/5 STARS

Jedd Jong