It is endlessly hilarious to me that the fanboy universe collectively dismissed the second trio of “Star Wars” movies as soulless sellouts, but have embraced the new “Star Trek” flicks from director J.J. Abrams enthusiastically.
For my money, Abram’s take on the original Starfleet gang has lacked intellectual heft, and is too reliant on special effects and whiz-bang action scenes. The first movie left me positively spinning, as if James T. Kirk, Spock, Bones and company were incapable of just sitting still and talking for two minutes.
The sequel, “Star Trek Into Darkness,” does better at pacing. But things go off a cliff about halfway through, when the villain (Benedict Cumberbatch) is revealed to be none other than …I won’t spoil it for you.
Even if you haven’t already heard about the movie recycling one of the great bad guys of the Trek universe, it’s pretty easy to figure out.
Kirk (Chris Pine) and the Enterprise get sent into Klingon territory to kill some terrorists who sprung a devastating surprise attack on Starfleet headquarters. But the plot thickens when it’s revealed other forces are at play.
Personally, I’d rather watch a Jar-Jar Binks Christmas special than either of the new Star Trek movies again.
Movie: C