About The Movie:
The USS Enterprise has been sent to
the planet Nibiru to observe a primitive civilization. Captain James T. Kirk
violates the Prime Directive when First Officer Spock's life is jeopardized,
exposing the Enterprise to the planet's civilization during the rescue. Called
back to Earth, Kirk is demoted to first officer of the Enterprise, with his
predecessor, Admiral Christopher Pike reassuming command. The two attend an
emergency meeting at Starfleet Command to discuss the bombing of a secret
Section 31 installation in London, perpetrated by former Starfleet agent John
Harrison. The meeting is attacked by a small gunship piloted by Harrison, who
kills Pike. Kirk neutralizes the gunship, but Harrison escapes. With Pike dead,
Kirk is reinstated as the Enterprise's captain. Discovering that Harrison has
fled to the Klingon homeworld of Kronos, Kirk receives special permission from
Admiral Alexander Marcus to hunt down Harrison. The Enterprise is supplied with
72 long-range prototype photon torpedoes, and is ordered to fire them at
Harrison's location once he is found. However, Scotty, Spock, Bones and Uhura
convince Kirk to capture rather than kill Harrison.
Arriving at Kronos, an away team
comprised of Kirk, Spock, and Uhura land to find Harrison, but are surrounded
by Klingons. Harrison wipes out the Klingons and confronts the away team, but
surrenders after learning the precise number of photon torpedoes aimed at him.
Returning to the Enterprise, Harrison reveals his true identity as Khan, a
genetically engineered superhuman who was awakened from his over 200-year
cryosleep by Admiral Marcus to develop advanced weapons for war against the
Klingon Empire. The torpedoes are found to contain cryogenic pods with his
colleagues inside, held hostage by Marcus.
The Enterprise is soon intercepted by
an unmarked Federation dreadnought, the USS Vengeance, designed by Khan and
commanded by Admiral Marcus. Marcus demands Kirk hand over Khan, but Kirk
refuses. The Enterprise warps to Earth to have Khan stand trial, but is
attacked by the Vengeance mid-warp, exiting 237,000 km from Earth. With the
Enterprise severely damaged, Kirk offers to hand over Khan and the 72 pods in
exchange for the lives of his crew, but Marcus refuses and orders the
Enterprise's destruction. The Vengeance suddenly suffers a power outage caused
by Scotty, who had infiltrated the ship after following coordinates given by
Khan to Kirk. Kirk and Scotty ally themselves with Khan and board the
Vengeance, where they take the bridge. Khan betrays the duo and takes control
of the Vengeance, killing Marcus.
Khan negotiates with Spock, beaming
Kirk and his boarding party back to the Enterprise in exchange for the 72
torpedoes, planning to destroy the Enterprise. Spock instead beams armed
torpedoes to the Vengeance, keeping the cryo-pods on the Enterprise, having
learned from Spock Prime of his experience with Khan in his parallel time-frame
beforehand. Spock Prime reveals that Khan is 'mad' and cannot be trusted. The
torpedoes incapacitate the Vengeance, and both damaged ships start descending
towards Earth. Kirk re-aligns the Enterprise's warp core, enabling the crew to
regain control of the ship, but contracts fatal radiation poisoning in the process.
The Vengeance crashes in downtown San Francisco, where Spock pursues Khan on
foot. Bones' experiment on a Tribble has revealed that Khan's blood may save
Kirk. Meanwhile, Uhura aids an enraged Spock in subduing Khan.
In the aftermath, Kirk is revived and
returns to duty as captain of the Enterprise. Khan is sealed into his cryogenic
pod and stored away with his colleagues. As the film ends, a restored
Enterprise is re-christened and departs for a five-year mission of exploration.
What Is Good/Bad About The Movie
Overall, the movie benefits from a
much more focused storyline than its predecessor since the franchise is no
longer saddled with bringing the crew together, establishing each person’s
respective duties, while also juggling an inter-connected time-traveling arc.
Surprisingly, the film actually evolves key themes and character dynamics, via
a journey that includes engaging riffs on the classic source material.
Chris Pine once again delivers as a
young Captain Kirk, continuing to find a good balance between the traits and
disposition that made the William Shatner character so memorable, without
relying on imitation or caricature. Kirk’s story arc once again serves as a
motor for the narrative, drawing heavily on his reckless “impulsiveness.”
Thankfully, Pine is also given plenty of room to develop and grow the Captain
throughout the course of the film, allowing for the kind of sincere insight and
thoughtful evolution that makes this Star Trek reboot more than just a standard
Hollywood cash-grab. Commander Spock (Zachary Quinto) is equally enjoyable this
round – especially when the filmmakers probe the ongoing conflict between his
Vulcan and human emotions.
One of the sequel’s biggest strengths
is its management of the large ensemble cast. Every core Enterprise member –
Dr. “Bones” McCoy (Karl Urban), Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu (John Cho), Lieutenant
Nyota Uhura (Zoe Saldana), Ensign Pavel Chekov (Anton Yelchin), Lieutenant
Commander Montgomery “Scotty” Scott (Simon Pegg) – along with side characters
like Admiral Pike (Bruce Greenwood) all have their own individual arcs (as does
the ship itself).
Newcomers Alice Eve and Benedict
Cumberbatch (Dr. Carol Marcus and John Harrison, respectively) provide
memorable performances in the movie. Harrison and Marcus might not quite live
up to the pre-release hype, but moment-to-moment they’re both quality additions
brought to life with nuanced performances.
J.J. Abrams has delivered a true follow-up in nearly every way imaginable, successfully exploring the iconic characters and expanded universe of his alternate timeline. The film is bigger and more personal than its predecessor, presenting another fun Trek adventure with captivating character drama that draws from the foundation established in the 2009 reboot (not to mention larger Star Trek mythos). The result is another bold voyage for the Starship Enterprise, one that will likely wow most moviegoers.
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