Star Trek Into Darkness

People, where do I begin? How can I possibly articulate in a semi-coherent manner how much I ADORED Star Trek Into Darkness?!

If you're worried about spoilers, this is NOT the place to be. Consider yourself warned. 

I mean it. :)

Okay, here we go. :) Prior to Abrams' spectacularly entertaining re-boot of the Trek franchise in 2009, I wasn't a Trek fan in any way, shape, or form. I knew who Kirk and Spock were and that was about it. Any effort to engage with the film's source material previously had ended in apathy. But that film -- what Abrams and his cast and crew did for me then was introduce me to a vibrant cast of characters with a chemistry and an energy that reminded me of my personal science fiction favorite -- Star Wars. So the four year "drought" waiting for a follow-up has been absolute torture -- and to be quite frank, I was beginning to wonder if this movie would ever happen. And when it WOULD finally appear, could it possibly succeed in recapturing everything about the first film that I loved so much? COULD IT POSSIBLY LIVE UP TO THE HYPE??

Amazingly my answer to that question is YES. Yes, yes, and THEN SOME. Star Trek Into Darkness (do you have ANY IDEA how desperately I want to but a colon between "Trek" and "Into"?!) is a thoroughly entertaining, engaging sequel that continues to reinvent the tropes of this world while letting these new cast members, this perfect "Abrams-caught-lightning-in-a-bottle" ensemble make these characters their own.

Prior to this film's release I'd been reading rumors of the identity of villain, and the storyline's relation to what is (apparently?) considered one of the best classic Trek films -- The Wrath of Khan. So the night before I was due to meet friends to see Into Darkness I decided it was time to not just read about Khan online, but to watch the film -- and goodness am I ever glad I did, as I thought it thoroughly enriched my viewing experience and appreciation of everything Into Darkness works to accomplish on-screen.

So much of the success of Star Trek (both new and old) rests on the strength of the ensemble, and in particular New Trek is a positive gold mine of pitch-perfect, once-in-a-lifetime casting decisions and amazing group chemistry. But the relationships between various members of the crew (and I love them all) pales in comparison to the importance of the Spock/Kirk friendship, and here Abrams delves deeply into what friendship between two people who, on the surface at least, should have nothing in common to bind them together in friendship.

Now I can't speak in any great depth to how the classic Kirk and Spock friendship compares to the incarnation Abrams has given us in his re-boot, except to say that I feel New Trek is not only intent on examining how a human/Vulcan friendship works, but is perhaps more interested in how that friendship changes both men irrevocably. And for my money you could not ask for two better actors Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto to bring this legendary duo to life on-screen.

Pine's Kirk is cut very much from the Han Solo-hero mold -- good-looking, brash, and cocky, his Kirk would much rather act than reflect, sieze the day than think through the consequences. And his brash confidence has paid off in spades, bringing him success and command of the Enterprise -- but his success, his willingness to disregard the rules time and again has earned him not only the ire of Starfleet Command, but has arguably instilled in him a false sense of security in life and his ability to lead others.

Quinto's Spock absolutely fascinates me. Not only do we have Spock in a romantic relationship (more on that later), but Spock seems shaded with a touch more transparency, more hints of inner conflict rippling just below the logical Vulcan surface of his persona. And that conflict between his Vulcan and human halves, between the logical, unemotional side of his heritage and the part of him that genuinely wants to understand why he drives Kirk and Uhura insane just plays out brilliantly on-screen (when Kirk finds himself caught in the middle of what passes for a Spock/Uhura "fight" is one of the film's most hilarious scenes). When Kirk flouts convention and returns to save Spock from a volcano explosion at the beginning of the film, he genuinely does not understand why Kirk would be compelled to act so illogically or the potential consequences of his truthful reporting of the incident (which sees Kirk demoted). That gut reaction vs. a measured, intellectual response is the trigger that sets Spock on this inward journey to understand and relate to those around him throughout the film which culminates in a spectacular -- and very un-Vulcanlike -- emotional finale.

For his part, Kirk's character arc through the film not only neatly fits within the beats of Joseph Campbell's definition of the heroic journey, but the hothead must also learn the value of what someone of Spock's experience and perspective can bring to his life. Speaking to the heroic journey -- if the first film covered step one, the separation, than this second installment is Kirk's initiation and trial by fire. Disappointing his mentor, Admiral Pike (Bruce Greenwood -- okay let me just say, I get why this had to happen, but losing Pike was dang near as traumatic for me as the whole Coulson dying thing in The Avengers), and then seeing that surrogate father figure murdered sets Kirk on a path to revenge. This hearkens back to Kirk beating the Kobayashi Maru test in the 2009 film (also referenced in The Wrath of Khan) -- if the purpose of that test is facing a no-win scenario, of seeing how one would act in the face of sure death, having never accepted that as a possibility, Pike's death and the events that follow force Kirk to confront his fallibility. And in doing that, in recognizing that "how we deal with death is at least as important as how we deal with life" is a critical step in Kirk's heroic journey and maturation as a man and a leader.

In my rather random and sporadic watching of anything Classic Trek, while I always got the sense that Kirk and Spock were close friends what I LOVED about their relationship in this film is the glimpse we get into the DEPTH of that friendship. It is no stretch in my mind to say that the events of Into Darkness are a crucible through which the bond of friendship between them is solidified and strengthened. And we really see that played out in a powerful manner in how they push each other, how they change each other, and how through their friendship, through how they each take on the other's best qualities, each man is changed, arguably, for the better.

I understand that among some Trek purists Spock's relationship with Uhura (Zoe Saldana) is the subject of some controversy. Personally I think it is one of the best aspects of the new films, and I promise that isn't because I am a total romantic sap. *wink* I don't feel that Uhura fundamentally changes the logical, intellectual, supremely rational being that Spock is; rather she stretches and changes and challenges him in a way that is pure and simple an utter delight to watch on-screen. Quinto and Saldana play this atypical couple with more class and maturity than most film romances today in my opinion. Yes, Uhura gets frustrated with Spock -- but witness the looks she gives him before he's lowered into the volcano on Nibiru and after they survive the incursion into Klingon territory. It's love and acceptance pure and simple, and her ability to be so passionate about their relationship and ultimately so accepting of who he is (even though certain qualities occasionally drive her mad) just BAFFLES him. (And when he tells her that when he thought he was going to die he couldn't think about her because he feels TOO MUCH?! -- I DIE!) And watching Spock puzzle through the nuances of the relationships in his life, that will never get old, especially with an actor as fantastically expressive as Quinto in the role.

We all know I love Benedict Cumberbatch, right? :) Benedict did me proud here, and it was an absolute thrill to see him figure so prominently -- and so well -- in such a big-screen spectacle. In my experience following his career I've never seen him play such a villain. And being the superlative actor that he is, and stepping into a franchise that has grounded itself in the relationships between core characters, it's a testament to his considerable ability as an actor and the material that he was given to work with that his Khan is such a memorable, three-dimensional, terrifying villain. For while his actions -- blackmailing the Starfleet officer (hello Mickey from Doctor Who) into blowing up the archive, attacking Starfleet HQ -- are reprehensible, Cumberbatch never lets us forget that he is driven by a genuine love and fear for the safety of his crew, his family. There was a moment there when Kirk and Khan prepare to board the Reliant that I thought maybe, just maybe, "new" Khan was going to end more heroically -- Cumberbatch did a fantastic job playing painting Khan not in black and white, but shades of grey. And much like he will do anything to achieve his aim, so Kirk must also embrace what it means to be a true leader of his own crew, and come to terms with what he's willing to sacrifice for his family, the perhaps never-considered reciprocity of what he expects of them as their commander. While both men are driven by the same impulse, it's the choices each makes that ultimately defines who they are, for good or ill.

(Side note: Did Benedict perform in the fight scenes? Because that moment in Klingon territory when he saves Kirk, Spock, and Uhura is PURE DEADLY POETRY in motion.)

Where Kirk and Spock and Uhura and BENEDICT would be more than enough, Into Darkness goes above and beyond giving viewers a tremendous array of well-realized supporting characters that steal the show more often than not. *wink* I don't even think I can pick favorites, people, seriously -- I love them all. :) Off-hand I'd say Sulu's (John Cho) wins for most improved over his appearance in the 2009 film, as short but critical scenes give him the chance to test his own leadership potential when Kirk grants him the captain's chair. Please, can we have MORE of his character in the third film? Cho is a badass. ;-)

I absolutely LOVE Chekov (Anton Yelchin), and it was such a treat to see him get stressed out over assuming Scotty's position as chief engineer, when the latter resigns in protest over the presence of sketchy photon torpedoes on the Enterprise. I was seriously concerned about his safety when Kirk ordered him to don a red shirt, but thankfully that temporary transfer didn't blow up in his face (literally). And when he saves Kirk and Scotty I could barely contain my glee. :)

And Scotty! Could anyone else but Simon Pegg be so perfect for the role? I think not. I loved his professional outrage over the whole torpedo debacle, his insistence that he'd never help Kirk with anything EVER AGAIN, and then his own personal entering the Death Star moment when he discovers Admiral Marcus's secret warship Reliant (not to mention his solo heroics in the bowels of the oddly deserted ship). But more than all that, his indignant OUTRAGE at returning to the Enterprise after an absence of like a DAY only to discover she's falling apart around his ears. :)

I like Karl Urban a lot, and I like him as Bones...but maybe this is just a part of the original character that I don't get, but he seemed to spend an awful lot of time telling Kirk or Spock or whoever that he couldn't believe they were doing whatever it is they were going to do, instead of, you know, doing something. And while there's a lot of humor and warmth in his interactions with Kirk in particular, and he gets a moment with a TRIBBLE (!!), and those thirty seconds where he thinks he's going to get blown up by a torpedo, I am always left wanting. Like I just feel like there's more he should be doing than throwing around "dammit Jim's" and being hilariously neurotic. I LIKE it all, don't get me wrong, I just feel like he could play a bigger role vis-a-vis Kirk and Spock...I think that's what I'm getting at is I want more Bones being incredible. :)

While I don't know that I'd call Into Darkness a remake of The Wrath of Khan, exactly, it does borrow and adapt substantially from that film to fit certain story beats into the New Trek world -- and I love that. If the 2009 film established the two separate but similar timelines, this film takes that further by exploring how these new incarnations of the classic characters can take canonical story beats and experiences and make them their own. I think there must always be certain parallels, no? I find that it really enriches my appreciation of the Abrams films as I learn more about the source material.

That said, I LOVE LOVE LOVE how this film takes Spock's sacrifice in Wrath and turns it on its head. In this timeline, Kirk needed to come to the point where he was willing to sacrifice for a cause, for his family. And Spock -- with the insight offered from his counterpart Spock Prime (Leonard Nimoy) on New Vulcan, I truly believe he thought that defeating Khan would require him to make the ultimate sacrifice. So when his friend Kirk sacrifices his life to save the Enterprise he's absolutely gutted. Only then does he understand Kirk's drive to save him earlier in the film and how deep the bonds of friendship run between them, and how when evil threatens something near and dear to one's heart the gut response -- not the logical one -- oft-times demands action. (On a lesser level -- much less, since I didn't find Alice Eve as Carol terribly interesting -- I am looking forward to where the franchise goes with the canonical Kirk/Carol relationship given the characters' history in the show. I DO hope that the scripts up Carol's smarts in subsequent outings, as Eve was barely given enough to work with to raise her above my least favorite female scientist on film of all time, Denise Richards in The World is Not Enough -- that is NOT a mark you want to aspire to.)

So, wrapping things up, I basically think this film is pretty much pitch-perfect (just in case you couldn't tell). It's a fast-paced, energetic, engaging, and slickly-produced piece of summer entertainment with heart, thanks to memorable, well-drawn characters. Not only do you have the characters and special effects, but the film is just plain GORGEOUS. From the pops of vibrant yellows and reds on Nibiru to Abrams's apparent love of light halos illuminating the bridge of the Enterprise in space, every frame of this movie is a feast for the eyes. Finally, composer Michael Giacchino returned to score the film, and I think he outdid himself. From the action cues to gorgeous piano solos to his adaptation of the Classic Trek theme, every note of music complements the on-screen action perfectly. Very well done.

If you've seen the film I would (obviously) love to discuss! :) I can't wait to see where this crew takes us next, and I can only hope that the five year mission the Enterprise sets out on at the film's conclusion isn't some sort of sign that it is going to actually take FIVE YEARS for a sequel. Please, for the love Abrams, don't make me wait that long.

*Images copyright Paramount.

Red

Friday I went to see the new Bruce Willis movie Red with Lori, capping off a day of shopping and eating and enjoying the fantastic fall weather in general (though it’s still a little too warmish some afternoons for my tastes!). I should note, in case you haven't guessed this from reading my blog, that going to see Bruce Willis movies is REALLY out of the norm for me. But this one intrigued me for a couple of reasons - I love a good spy story, especially one with a "lighter" touch (i.e., the TV show Covert Affairs or the old Hepburn/Grant classic Charade), plus Karl Urban looked drop-dead gorgeous in the trailers. Hey, this blog is all about being open & honest as regards all things in the entertainment world, right? *g* 

I also have to add, I think it's kind of funny that in the last four months we’ve seen three movies (at least – let me know if I’m forgetting something) involving plucky, innocent women who get thrown into the high stakes world of spies because they fall for an undercover agent. They then must end up learning to hold their own, etc., against unimaginable danger, and of course end up loving the spy lifestyle. Quite the trend, no? First there was Killers. This could have been a really cute movie about spies in suburbia, but the not-so-dynamic combination of Katherine Heigl and Ashton Kutcher made it fall flat (you may have noticed that I never blogged about this movie - not worth the space IMO!). This was followed by the Tom Cruise/Cameron Diaz flick Knight & Day, which was brilliant fun, I absolutely loved it! And now Red, which was not quite as good as Knight & Day in my estimation, but was pretty fun overall, and I enjoyed it way more than I expected.

I don’t know what I was thinking, exactly, going into the movie, but I certainly wasn’t expecting Red to be as quirky and odd and funny as it was. It seems very out of the norm for a Bruce Willis movie, but I’ve got to say he handled the light comic tone of the film pretty well IMO. The ensemble cast is what really makes this movie work. It is of course led by Willis as a retired CIA operative, Frank Moses, who has found it quite hard to adjust to living a “normal” suburban life. He was forcibly retired code “red” (not for communist, LOL…for retired, extremely dangerous). The one bright spot in his hum-drum existence is when his pension checks arrive, which he promptly tears to pieces, and then he calls his favorite pension customer service rep (played by Mary-Louise Parker). The two chat about growing avocadoes and romance novels and her desire to travel (and I’ve got to say, the idea alone of Bruce Willis reading Harlequins in order to impress a woman is pretty funny). Parker is completely believable as a tired, disillusioned woman whose life hasn’t turned out anything remotely like what she’d imagined. It’s quite fun watching her warm to the idea of embracing the life of a fugitive and spy.

Frank’s old spy crew is made up of Joe (Morgan Freeman), who can’t believe he’s lived long enough to be in a retirement home dying of stage four liver cancer (and seriously, for someone at stage four of anything he’s remarkably spry…gotta love the movies!), Marvin (played by a scene-stealing John Malkovich), and Victoria (played by Helen Mirren). Malkovich and Mirren were by far my favorite characters out of the group of retired spies. Malkovich’s character is absolutely crazy, though it should be noted that his insanity isn’t entirely his fault. Turns out some of his conspiracy theories were true, since he was the subject of some “tests.” I absolutely LOVED the scenes of Malkovich with the stuffed pig – hilarious! Mirren was quite a surprise in this movie. Playing a spy and hardened killer is quite out of the norm for a woman who has often played such refined, aristocratic characters. I mean c’mon, she’s brought Elizabeth I and II to life on the screen! It is glaringly apparent, I think, that Mirren had the time of her life playing against type here, and it gave her a welcome chance to showcase her rather dry sense of humor. Besides the novelty of seeing Mirren shooting up the screen, I loved the “forbidden” romance she had with a Russian agent, played by Brian Cox. Their scenes were priceless, the fallout from their Cold War-era romance so dramatic and over-the-top! Cox was great casting as a Russian agent who misses the good ol' Cold War days.

It was great fun seeing Karl Urban on-screen again. Since his turn as Eomer in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, there hasn't been a whole lot I've been interested in seeing him in to be quite honest, the notable exception being the reboot of Star Trek. And even the latter was somewhat diminished by his accent...I know it worked for the character, but that and the gosh-awful hair just detracted a bit from the awesomeness that is Karl, if you know what I mean. *wink* Anyway, here Urban is quite dangerous and sophisticated as Frank's nemesis (or is he?), the CIA operative tasked with eliminating the RED agent. One of the movie's highlights, I've got to admit, was watching Willis beat up Urban. Talk about a fight for the record books, LOL!

There are a couple of other cast members whose appearances are definitely worth mentioning. I'll start with Richard Dreyfuss as the unscrupulous businessman, Alexander Dunning. I have to admit, the first thought that ran through my mind when Dreyfuss appeared on-screen was "Mr. Holland's gone bad!" *wink* Dreyfuss appeared to be having great fun with this role, and his manic villain made me think he'd have played a decent Bond villain in the pre-Daniel Craig days. Julian McMahon makes an appearance late in the game as the Vice President trying to tie up loose ends so nothing interferes with his aspirations for a run at the presidency. McMahon has such a square-jawed, strong personality look to him, was fun to see him play against that as a power-hungry character who is really just a snivelling coward at heart. And last but certainly not least I have to say it was a real treat to see Ernest Borgnine on-screen again as Henry, the records keeper. People, Borgnine is 93 years old, believe it or not, and still going strong! Talk about being an inspiration!

I understand that Red is based on a graphic novel, which I know absolutely nothing about so I have no idea how this filmic adaptation holds up against the source material. The movie does have a rather episodic feel, which is aided by the funny postcards thrown up on-screen every time the characters travel to a new city in their quest to survive and take out the bad guys. It's a fairly fast-paced movie, with nary a dull moment, but it does occassionally feel a little choppy editing-wise. Part of that may be due to the nature of the source material from which the story is drawn, and it's not enough of an issue to keep one from getting involved in the story in my view.

Red was a nice surprise. Not an all-time favorite or anything like that, but it's a highly enjoyable action flick, and I suspect it is probably accessible to a larger-than-usual audience for a Bruce Willis film thanks to the movie's comic touches, balancing out the requisite PG-13 levels of action movie violence. I actually wouldn't mind a sequel (just sayin'...).

Upcoming movies...the falling into Christmas edition

The fall/Christmas movie season is practically upon us, and there are several films I'm interested in seeing in the coming weeks. I've featured a couple of these on the blog before, but for those that have made appearances here, I think they are worth featuring again because the trailers are so good. :)

Opening October 8th:

I've always had a thing for horse stories, so I'm definitely going to see Secretariat:



The last Katherine Heigl movie I really enjoyed was 27 Dresses, and this movie looks like it might have teh same kind of heart. Plus, it has the added bonus of Josh Duhamel's presence, and I adored him in When In Rome! Here's the Life as We Know It trailer, also opening on 10/8:



Opening October 15th:

Helen Mirren and Karl Urban? Yes, please. Here's the Red trailer:



Opening November 19th:

As a die hard Harry Potter fan, I can't watch this trailer often enough. :) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1:



Opening November 24th:

This movie just looks fun, plus since I'm a crazy Chuck fan it has the added bonus of featuring Zachary Levi voicing the lead! Here's the latest Tangled trailer:



Opening November 26th:

The history and the acting talent in this picture makes it an absolute must-see in my book. I forgot to mention in my previous post about this film that it's also notable for being a mini Pride and Prejudice reunion - Colin Firth, a.k.a. Mr. Darcy plays King George VI while Jennifer Ehle, a.k.a. Elizabeth Bennet, plays Myrtle Logue. Here's The King’s Speech trailer:



Opening December 10th:

Words cannot express how happy I am that the release of a third Narnia picture is right around the corner. Here's the latest trailer I could fine for The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader:



And last but certainly not least, an exciting new version of Shakespeare's The Tempest is slated to open on 12/10 as well (my guess is limited release). This play is near and dear to my heart, one of my favorites since it was the subject of my senior English thesis paper in high school. I adore Helen Mirren's acting, so I'm anxious to see how this "revisionist" take on the play "plays" out on-screen (no pun intended). I can't find that a trailer has been released yet, so I'll leave you with this awesome poster image:

Isn't it cool? :) How about you, what films are you looking forward to seeing heading into fall?

Star Trek

Since I've now seen Star Trek twice, I suppose it's about time I blog about it. I love this movie. Let me go back a bit and explain exactly why that fact is so extraordinary. I have never, ever been able to STAND anything Trek-related. I'd go so far as to say I ventured into hatred and loathing a time or two - my aversion to all things Trekkie runs deep and true (and it's not for lack opportunity to see the movies or watch any one of the ten million television episodes readily available). Several of my friends are Trekkies, and even my dad enjoys the show (but just to qualify that, my dad'll watch just about anything...just sayin'...).

But when I heard about this new film and started to see the previews, I couldn't help but be intrigued. Since it was touted as a reboot of the franchise, I figured it would be a good starting point for me given how ignorant I am of the intricacies of Star Trek lore. I saw this movie opening day with a group of friends, most of whom weren't die hard fans of the franchise either, and we all loved it. As I later discussed with one of them on Facebook, we still can't stand "old Star Trek" but we're wild fans of "new Star Trek." Sort of a B.C. versus A.D. moment...it's all changed now, people. Of course the biggest reason this movie works for me was because of how similar it felt to Star Wars: A New Hope, with Spock and Kirk echoing Luke and Han's journeys. These similarities are nicely encapsulated in this handy video:

Watch My Favorite Movie (Star Trek vs. Star Wars) and more funny videos on CollegeHumor

(If the video doesn't work click on the link above.)

I had no idea that this movie would be a literal reboot of the franchise that would run parallel to the established stories thanks to the convenience of a time-space tunnel, blah, blah, blah. The first time I saw this film I was so incredibly mad when old Spock appeared and ground time to a halt in order to explain the screw-up in the space-time continuum. Now I don't have anything against rifts in the fabric of time as a general rule - I'm a huge fan of Primeval and Doctor Who, both shows that gleefully disregard any respect for the sanctity of time. However, the first time I saw Star Trek, the whole time thing felt like a massive cheat. Upon further thought, the fact that the time cheat thing ticked me off so much is really a tribute to the filmmakers and actors - I was so completely absorbed by the story that I didn't want them to have to "go there," grinding the action to a halt in order for old Spock to explain the time mess to new Kirk. Happily after a few weeks and a second viewing, I've come to terms with the whole time thing and I understand better why it needed to happen (i.e., Hollywood is going to give me a sequel with the yummy Chris Pine reprising his role as Kirk! YES!!).

Which brings me to the cast - I thought they were superb, and as an ensemble they all "clicked" and gelled really well on-screen. My passing familiarity with old, pre-awesome Star Trek (*grin*) gave me enough of a knowledge of the characters to appreciate everyone's new take on the classic roles. The standout of course would be Zachary Quinto as Spock. He had enough of Leonard Nimoy's presence and mannerisms, but he brought a little more humanity and relatability to the role IMO. Simon Pegg was genius casting as Montgomery Scott - the man stole ever scene he was in. Bruce Greenwod was fabulous as Captain Pike (seriously the older he gets the better looking he becomes - just had to throw that out there!). Karl Urban as Bones was a little weird to me. I mean I love me some Karl Urban, but his acting seemed so forced and fake in comparison to the other characters. However, I will own that my lack of familiarity with the original Bones probably has a lot to do with how I viewed Urban's take on the character (particularly since I've read in several places online that Urban's Bones is probably the most faithful incarnation of the original character in the entire new film). All that aside, Bones had some excellent buddy chemistry with Chris Pine, the guy who's taken the role owned by William Shatner and livened things up with a nice dose of Han Solo-like hotness. Of everyone in the cast I predict this movie will be the making of Chris Pine's career. He absolutely nailed the brilliant, devil-may-care hero type with attitude to spare. My second favorite character would be Chekov, played by Anton Yelchin. He is too stinking cute! LOL! Absolutely loved his scenes - they were so much fun! I could mention the other main players in the cast, but I'm tired, and frankly don't care enough.

A few other notes...the pacing of the movie, except for that section taking place on a planet eeriliy reminscent of Hoth (HA!!), was fantastic, never letting up. The fight scenes were fantastic to behold - all of the special effects were, as to be expected of course (but still, it's worth noting IMO), veritable feasts for the eyes. The camerawork was on occasion WAY to jerky and closeup for my tastes. I sort of think that must be due to J.J. Abrams television background. The guy has got to learn that it's okay to pull back on the big screen every once in a while (please, for the sake of my stomach...LOL!). I also enjoyed Michael Giacchino's score for the film (though Kaye tells me many of the passages are nearly identical to the man's work in Lost - however, since I don't watch that show, that's nothing for me to quibble about). There were some really well done moments that used a softer, more orchestral score instead of a more typical, bombastic action cue, adding to the emotional impact of the scene (the first scene that comes to mind is when George Kirk sacrificies himself for the crew and passengers of the U.S.S. Kelvin).

So, all that to say, if you STILL haven't seen this movie by some freakish chance, it's worth checking out. I'm a diehard anti-Trekkie, and I am really, REALLY looking forward to the sequel.