JJ Abrams knows the Star Trek World well, Going where men have Gone Before, but Creates an Incredible Journey

Star Trek Into Darkness (3 1/2 out of 5 Stars)

Directed by JJ Abrams (Super 8, Star Trek)

Written by: Robert Orci (Mission Impossible III), Alex Kurtzman (Star Trek), Damon Lindelof (Prometheus)

Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, and Benedict Cumberbatch

I was never a fan of Star Trek growing up, I was raised on Star Wars by my father.  Star Trek (the original series) was a little ahead of my dad, so he did not grow up on it.  My grandfather used to watch Next Generation and all the other modern versions, and i would watch sometimes with him.  When the reboot was announced with JJ Abrams attached I was beyond thrilled.  Abrams, and Joss Whedon are the modern day champions within this genre, and they do things right.  They get great actors, they put their heart into the film, and know how to satisfy the fans.  This film continues this legacy.

Into Darkness starts with the Starship Enterprise doing what they do best exploring planets, but mainly helping  prevent a volcano from destroying a "primitive" civilization.  Their mission is suppose to go undetected, but they Starship Enterprise is seen, and this calls into question Kirks leadership.  As all of this is going on someone who works within the Star Fleet has a young daughter dying; he is visited by a mysterious man (Cumberbatch) who give the girl his blood in order to help her live.  This comes with a price, and John Harrison (Cumberbatch) sets in a motion a plan to take down the Star Fleet.

I was intentionally vague about the plot, for this film, because for me half the fun within seeing this particular film is the way the screenplay sets things in motion.  While the script is not as good as the first film there are some fun twists and turns throughout the film, which make this story worth watching.  One of the interesting elements is the role in which Star Fleet is compared to the armed services, and not always in a good way.  There is an interesting underlying tone, about this higher power having control, and setting things in motion to create a war which is not needed.  There are many present day parallells to that, and while some will bemoan this, Simon Pegg's Scottie helps laughingly balance the heavy nature rounding out the the tone of that story element.

Cumberbatch and his character's story arc is central to what drives the latest Star Trek film.  I am not giving away spoiler, because if you look up on imdb.com he is listed as playing Khan.  Khan is known as the greatest villain to Star Command; he is not only dangerous, but almost unbeatable.  In this story Khan is out to enact his revenge, and the lines of right and wrong become blurred.  Who is good vs. who is bad, is Kirk and his team fighting on the right side, or are they headed in a direction from their own people which could get them into hot water with the Klingons.  The concepts of terrorism foreign and domestic run through this film, and the screenwriters do a good job of never letting the message overwhelm the fun within the script. 

Abrams not only knows this world, but he has made it an action packed adventure.  One of the signature aspects to Abrams direction is the lack of steady camera work, which makes you feel like you are part of the action.  This was used much more in Cloverfield, and Super 8.  While Abrams did not direct Cloverfield, this lack of steady camera work made me feel nauseous, when Abrams was at the helm in both this film and Super 8, the technique worked.  While there are times when the camera work becomes a bit much, I liked feeling a part of film, and it sucked me into the action of the film.  Abrams motto with this film was go big or go home, and he did with incredible visual effects, and some action sequences like a massive erupting volcano, which set this film apart.

The other thing which makes this a great film, is the cast, Abrams has some of the best casting directors, and his actors he uses in this film flesh out the Enterprise in ways the original cast not have the opportunity.  The best of the regular cast is Zachary Quinto who steals the show from Chris Pine.  Spock was always a beloved character, and Quinto is fantastic within the role; he is both hilarious and captures the Vulcanisms. Chris Pine is actually the weak link of this cast; he is an attractive guy, but one of the most wooden actors.  Cumberbatch is new to the franchise; he takes on a classic role and is a tour de force; he is such a brilliant actor, and I love the way he makes you love and hate him in the same moments.

So how does this compare to the first film?  I think it matches, but does not equal the reboot.  The film is funny, has great action sequences, a solid plot, and continues to work with the great characters.  The first in this series just launched something so brilliant, and was one of the best films of 2009. Into Darkness is a film that will not disappoint, because it is good, and also proves that there are so many stories to be told. This film is great, it's fun, and entertaining, but does not advance anything it merely adds a great next chapter within the franchise, which is not a bad thing.

Star Making Roles Part 2: JJ Abrams

I have been watching a lot of JJ Abrams stuff lately.  What can I say, other than the man is a genius.  JJ Abrams is the mind who brought television shows like Felicity, Alias, Lost and now films like the new re- imagined Cloverfield, Mission Impossible III, Star Trek, and Super 8.  In the last ten years the man has created, written, produced and directed countless other projects.  While I was at lunch with a co-worker at lunch they stated "I will watch anything that says from the creators of Lost."  This is a huge statement!  Abrams is becoming a branding machine like Spielberg.  My hope is that Abrams stays true to himself and takes on passion projects that interest him, unlike Spielberg who seems to do just about anything.

One of the great things about this man is the sheer talent he has helped emerge from his television shows and films.  Abrams has helped a lot of people find stardom; he his people. Abrams like most directors finds people he likes to work worth and bring them on to work with him in several different capacities.  Two people that fit the bill are Greg Grunberg and Amanda Foreman.  Grunberg played Sean in Felicity and he has had some acting role in 6 different Abrams films and television shows.  Grumburg's roles have varied from the voice of Kirk's stepdad while Kirk is stealing the car in Star Trek to a major supporting role in Alias.  Foreman has been in 4 different Abrams films; she also was part of Star Trek and had a role on Alias.  The irony of this is that these two played a couple on Felicity.  I love when director's give a wink and a nod to their fans.  Abrams is a master at this because these actors roles are something you can miss if you do not pay attention.

Abrams is not only good at using actors on revolving basis, but like Gary Marshall (in part one-read it) Abrams has launched the careers of two talented women, Keri Russell and Jennifer Garner.  While unlike Roberts and Hathaway from part one these two women are not superstars, but they are also household names who have done a lot because of their status headlining successful television shows from Abrams.

Keri Russell-What can you say about Felicity Porter?  There were moments when I was annoyed that  this girl picked a college because she liked a boy, and there moments where her wafish good looks seemed annoyingly perfect, but this was a great character.  Russell Felicity started out as a woman driven by her feelings for a boy, but became someone who fought to find herself.  Unfortunately Russell was never nominated for an Emmy for this role, but she was nominated for a Golden Globe during the first season and won.  After Felicity ran for four years Russell spent most of her time in film; she starred in smaller films like The Upside of Anger, and Waitress, and bigger films like August Rush and Mission Impossible III.  Russell is no stranger to being selective about both her film and television roles.  Television producers had been clamoring to bring her back to television and her fans got their wish in 2010 when she co-starred with Will Arnett in Running Wilde.  In her first comeback to television  Ms. Russell cam back to a big letdown, they show was a massive flop and did poorly in the ratings.  In recent news this week Keri Russell was attached to a new pilot on F/X entitled The Americans about KGB spies living in the US during the 1980s.  This series comes from Joe Wesiberg (Falling Skies) and Graham Yost (Justified).  Russell is at her best within the realm of drama, and I am excited to see more from her.

Jennifer Garner-3 years after Abrams brought Felicity to the WB he created and brought Alias about a female spy named Sydney Bristow to life in the form of Jennifer Garner.  Garner's role in Alias was not only kick ass but it took the spy themed concept to whole new level, with a woman at the center.  Abrams is never afraid to do something different, and Alias was a great way to highlight Garner's acting abilities.  Throughout the shows five seasons Garner was nominated for four Emmy Awards (she never won) four Golden Globe Awards (she won the first year exactly like Russell) and two Screen Actor's Guild Awards (she won in 2005).  Garner's role in Alias has landed her a wide variety of roles ranging from the romantic comedy realm with films like 13 Going on 30, Catch and Release, Valentine's Day, and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past.  Alias also helped to show that Garner was no feather weight and that she could be a bad ass action star too; she landed roles in Daredevil, which led to her role in in her own super hero film Elektra, and The Kingdom.  Garner's best film role was her supporting turn in Juno where she played Vanessa who so desperately wanted a child and to be a mother; she played this role with such quiet brilliance.  

Both of these women were given prime television gigs from one of the greatest working creative minds today, and their careers post these roles have been a bit lackluster.  I like both of these women a lot, and I hope their stars do not burn out.  It's time for JJ to create some more great roles for these two women and use them the way he uses some of his other favorite people.