'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' Review

Nominated For: Best Visual Effects.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 commences shortly after the events of Guardians of the Galaxy as our heroes are tasked by an alien race of supremacists, the Sovereign, to guard some big ticket batteries from a ferocious beast known as the Abilisk. The Guardians defeat the monster, receive their bounty, and are on their way. At least till they discover Rocket snatched a few of the batteries and the Sovereign are hot in pursuit. After a series of events I won't go into, the group stumble across Peter's father and Quill begins to learn the truth behind his ancestry. I won't delve into any further plot details because that sums up the first fifteen/twenty minutes of the movie, which is almost everything that's been showcased in the marketing material.

James Gunn returns to write and direct Vol. 2, taking the unconventional sequel approach by providing meaningful character exploration as opposed to substantial spectacle. If the first was about bringing the team together, this installment's more about fleshing out the dysfunctional family. The characters you've come to adore are back and the team dynamic is as enjoyable as ever, but I found it interesting how Gunn paired characters we hadn't really seen together and utilized those respective dynamics to bring out their subsequent backstories. 

One example being the role reversal between Rocket and Groot. Where Groot was Rocket's muscle in the first, this time it's the opposite as Rocket (and the team to some extent) really have to watch out for Baby Groot seeing as he's just a little sapling. While this may not be one of the new pairings, it's something familiar that feels fresh thanks to the spin Gunn employs. Of course Gunn has more hilarious zingers up his sleeve and just about every scene featuring Baby Groot had me laughing my head off, one in particular left me chuckling for a good minute or two. I was most impressed that Gunn and his crew didn't exploit Baby Groot to be the sole provider of the film's levity or charm like I was expecting. 

Every character has their time to shine with a few stepping up to the plate as standouts I didn't see coming. The story of Vol. 2 navigates plenty of surprise twists and turns and creeps up with some intensely emotional moments that certainly had me welling up unexpectedly. Perhaps one of my favorite aspects of Vol. 2 though was that the story being told was never compromised to set-up another Marvel entry down the line. If you're hoping for some Avengers: Infinity War groundwork to be laid, you're going to be woefully disappointed. However, the traditional Stan Lee cameo arises with some insane implications for those of you who read Marvel comics and there are five post-credits scenes so you know the drill, stick around till the screen fades to black one last time. 

The cinematography captures the neon-florescent aesthetic to paint a breathtaking backdrop composed of hauntingly marvelous hair and makeup, professional production design, and vibrant visual effects. The tracks wound in the Awesome Mix Vol. 2 cassette tape and Tyler Bates' sensational score play just as well as the tunes featured in Vol. 1 and Bates'  prior compositions. There's a fair share of toe tappers on the mix tape like "Mr. Blue Sky," "Fox on the Run," and "The Chain" and Bates' "Dad" is epic and emotional, making the ideal accompaniment to the film's third act showdown. 

The enlightened ensemble returns and successfully elevate everything you came to love about their prior portrayals. Chris Pratt brings the star power to Peter Quill, projecting the guise of a confident criminal with an underlying tenderness. Kurt Russell... Well... He does his Kurt Russell thing... I don't want to really talk about him to stray from spoiling anything about his character but Russell's Ego the Living Planet is as charming as you'd expect Kurt Russell playing a humanized planet could possibly be so you see where Peter gets it from. Zoe Saldana and Karen Gillan have far more to do this time around with the sisterhood between Gamora and Nebula further explored. Both actresses prove up to the task of kicking butt, taking names, and occasionally wearing their hearts on their sleeves. 

Dave Bautista's Drax lets out his hearty chuckle and some self serious one-liners that bode well when juxtaposed with the naive nature of Pom Klementieff's Mantis. Their interaction is incredibly amusing because neither characters truly grasp social norms, leading to the film's funniest moments. 

As for the rest of the crew, Bradley Cooper imparts all the sardonic sarcasm to Rocket you can possibly imagine and Vin Diesel projects a soft-spoken sapling as Baby Groot that's absolutely adorable. Gunn's brother Sean Gunn not only lent himself to Rocket Raccoon's motion capture portrayal but returns as the Ravenger Kraglin and served as an amusing source of comedic relief in a larger capacity. It was also awesome to see Sylvester Stallone pop up in a minuscule supporting capacity that shows promise for future outings. Elizabeth Debicki's Ayesha and her Sovereign race were more a nuisance than actual threat as supposed antagonists and Chris Sullivan's Taserface is as big a joke as you'd imagine someone with that name to be. 

The surprise standout though was undoubtedly Michael Rooker as Yondu. Rooker's performance puts forth more of Yondu's heart and explains the gruff, hardened exterior with such a delicate balance between the two that plays out beautifully in the film's conclusion.

I'm sure it will be a source of contention to decide whether Vol. 2 reached the heights of its predecessor but I personally enjoyed it more. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is a blast! Vol. 2 amplifies everything you loved about the first; the characters, the sights, the sounds, and most importantly, the story. Vol. 2 rocks and rolls its way into your heart with the cheeky charm and ostentatious enjoyment of the original, deepening your love and appreciation for these characters along the way.

Film Assessment: A-

Recollection Reflection Review: 'Guardians of the Galaxy'

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is nearly upon us and while I won't have a review for that installment up till later this week, I figured this would be an appropriate time to revisit the original. Keep in mind this review will be include some spoilers though considering it's been nearly three years since the film's release. The review's a bit long but I promise it's a significant improvement over my last attempt.

'Guardians of the Galaxy' Review

Nominated for: Best Visual Effects and Best Makeup and Hairstyling.

Recollection- Guardians of the Galaxy Review

Reflection- I remember around Guardians of the Galaxy's initial release when it was predicted to be Marvel's first flop yet caught the world unawares, bursting onto the scene and becoming an instant pop culture phenomenon! I love the first Guardians but I'm admittedly not over-the-moon on it as many other people I know seeing as it's not quite my favorite MCU film (read more about this at my most recent Marvel Cinematic Universe Ranking). That's one of the reasons I thought it would be fun to revisit this one on-top of the fact I reviewed it back in 2014 when I was relatively new to blogging. Really, the most interesting part of these Triple-R Reviews, as I like to call them, is that I can show how much I've improved and grown as a writer and critic. I plan on introducing other new review formats soon that will be more akin to short essays on behalf of a detested film and against ones I consider over-rated.

Review- Guardians of the Galaxy opens in the year 1988 as a young Peter Quill must watch his terminally-ill mother pass away and is immediately abducted by a crew of space pirates known as Ravengers. Fast-forward to 2014, Quill now goes by the monicker Star-Lord and has stolen an ancient intergalactic artifact resembling an orb for an intermediary broker. Quill soon discovers about half the galaxy wants the orb, including the militant Kree fanatic Ronan the Accuser, and winds up working alongside a rag-tag group of misfits to save the galaxy when the orb ends up in the wrong hands.

Guardians of the Galaxy was something no-one expected to succeed, making it all the more exciting when it was launched to interstellar heights at the box office for a property practically no-one was familiar with. For starters, the team included a talking raccoon and a tree whose vocabulary consists of the three words "I am Groot." Writer-director James Gunn had to sell audiences on these obscure characters if he was going to pull this off, and fortunately he did. Gunn understands that these characters are weird and kinda messed up but finds touches of humanity within them all so that these characters can not only be likable but relatable. Gunn succeeded in spades on delivering Marvel's most outlandish property yet by trusting in the unconventional nature of the cosmic characters.

The script penned by Gunn and co-writer Nicole Perlman focused first and foremost on bringing out character and succeeded in making the most of a roguish outlaw, an assassin, a vengeful maniac, a smart-aleck raccoon, and a walking, talking tree. Every character has his or her own arc that plays out beautifully, the only flaw lies in Ronan the Accuser coming across as yet another forgettable baddie. However, I must credit the duo for crafting heaps and heaps of quirky quips and hysterical one-liners, resulting in Marvel's consistently funniest entry to date. I've seen Guardians of the Galaxy countless times yet still find myself chuckling at just about every single joke the Guardians have at their disposal.

Another element that makes Guardians of the Galaxy so great is that Gunn and Perlman never lost sight of an emotional through-line when striving for a light-hearted affair, I'll even admit to welling up at the film's devastating outset and towards the stirring conclusion. Not only are the characters and story in the far reaches of Marvel's cosmic space interesting but the sights and sounds of Guardians of the Galaxy are simply out of this world! The visual effects remain among Marvel's best-to-date with stimulating space battles and motion capture that's probably the closest you can get to bringing a talking raccoon and amiable arbor to life. The unique production design meshes with the visual effects seamlessly to make numerous wacky worlds plausible and the hair and makeup team responsible for the looks of Drax the Destroyer, Gamora, Yondu, Nebula, and Ronan the Accuser do an exceptional job.

That's not even to mention the stunning cinematography capturing all the cosmic craziness, the aesthetic is astounding from start-to-finish, and I absolutely adore the full aspect ratio that enlarges during some of the film's key action sequences. On that note, the action to be found in Guardians is a stirring spectacle that's only enhanced by the film's rocking Awesome Mix Vol. 1 soundtrack and Tyler Bate's incredible score. The Awesome Mix Vol. 1 has plenty of retro-hits that will get your mouth moving and your toes tapping like "Hooked On A Feeling," "Spirit in the Sky," "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)," "Cherry Bomb," and "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" to name a couple. Don't count out Tyler Bates' sensational score though, because none of his compositions miss a beat!

While all the aforementioned components are crucial to the film's success, none of it would have worked if it weren't for the correct cast. Chris Pratt lends the ideal mix of charisma and space swagger to Peter Quill that makes his Star Lord alias click perfectly with his personality. Pratt's leap to stardom basically began here and he exhibits all the qualities of a memorable movie star audiences have come to appreciate. Pratt's able to serve as the unlikely hero, but simultaneously exhibited roguish charm that made it seem like it couldn't have happened any other way. Zoe Saldana brought the right mix of sentiment and grit to Gamora that makes the claim she's a killer with a conscience seem all the more real. I appreciate that her character doesn't fall into the camps of being subservient sex appeal or the conventional love interest but rather something in-between that stands apart from the archetypal heroine. My one gripe about Gamora is that her character doesn't come across to be nearly as complex as the source material, but I guess that could change in Vol. 2.

Dave Bautista hits it out of the park in his feature film acting debut, I truly believe he will stand alongside Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as one of the best wrestler-turned-actors in Hollywood. Bautista's got the bulk that you'd imagine would accompany someone going by the designation Drax the Destroyer and gets so much mileage out of being the moronic muscle. Bautista's blunt, straightforward line delivery matches Drax to a tee and allows some of the film's funniest dialogue exchanges to occur.

Bradley Cooper's snarky demeanor matches the wisecracking Rocket Raccoon eloquently, while Vin Diesel lends his oaky voice to Groot. If it weren't for these two, the entire enterprise would have fallen apart, but luckily Marvel's casting department haven't floundered yet. On that note, I've gotta credit Sean Gunn and Krystian Godlewski for providing the motion capture element to the portrayal of these two character.

Among the supporting ensemble, Micheal Rooker injects a sleazy, roughness to Ravenger captain Yondu Udonta, Benicio Del Toro lets loose as the eccentric Collector, Laura Haddock will bring tears to your eyes as Meredith Quill, and John C. Reilly, Peter Serafinowicz, and Glenn Close play straight laced space cops known as the Nova Core. Lee Pace's Ronan the Accuser makes for another vaguely-motivated Marvel menace with Djimon Hounsou and Karen Gillan by his side as cyborg Korath and the inscrutably freaky Nebula.

Oh, and Josh Brolin sits in Thanos' throne for a bit as the Mad Titan. Maybe we'll see him get up from that chair in a little indie called Avengers: Infinity War coming next May but only time will tell.

To sum it all up, none of the individual elements of Guardians of the Galaxy could work independently and they actually rely on one-another to collaborate as one grand, booming superhero space opera that's forever fervent fun. Guardians of the Galaxy may not be the best Marvel Studios release in my eyes, but for the time being stands as their most amusing and entertaining effort yet!

Film Assessment: A-

'Live By Night' Review

Live By Night follows World War I veteran Joe Coughlin's descent into delinquency amidst Prohibition and the Roaring '20's. Ben Affleck directs, writes, produces, and stars in his followup to Best Picture winner Argo, Live By Night, so it's needless to say he had a lot of heavy lifting to do. 

2016 wasn't the greatest year for Ben Affleck, he headlined both Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and The Accountant, which were divisive among movie goers and critics but ultimately diced on Rotten Tomatoes. BvS didn't perform as expected, failing to truly do well beyond it's opening weekend and while I was ultimately disappointed I can say its unfairly slammed at times. Ben Affleck's turns in both aforementioned blockbusters were a high mark and he certainly elevated the material. 

Live By Night is another 2016 Warner Bros. release headlining Ben Affleck, this case in just about every department, that's not being looked kindly upon by critics (it's in contention for the 2016 Oscar season and premiered in limited release so I'm counting it as one). Unfortunately, Affleck doesn't fully deliver in all areas since the story lifted from Dennis Lehane's novel gets muddled in the transition to screenplay as story points are quickly brushed over rather than spending the time to emphasize the significance of said events. The film's end does however justify the means to reach its conclusion by tying everything together nicely but the glut in-between can't be ignored for dragging the film down a notch. 

Affleck's direction on the other hand is as refined as his previous work with Live By Night certainly evoking the atmosphere of a mobster flick. There are two exhilarating action sequences in Live By Night: a thrilling get-away car chase and an old fashioned gangster shoot-out to cap things off and if these action sequences did anything other than keep my eye's glued to the screen, they further supported that Ben Affleck's upcoming Batman project should be quite the spectacle. The technical aspects of Live By Night are the crème de la crème with authentic 1920's production and costume design and illustrious imagery captured by Robert Richardson's excellent cinematography. 

The cast also do quite well with their roles regardless of size, adding to the authenticity of the time with various accents and nuanced portrayals. Ben Affleck delivers some awesome gangster quips but his character Joe Coughlin never feels quite fully formed, he's a man who stays true to his moral compass but even when he does something bad you can't quite despise him as Affleck portrays him in a noble light. Just a fine performance from a talented man, nothing to praise or jeer. Chris Messina brings Coughlin's best bud and trusted ally Dion Bartolo to the silver screen as a delightful companion to Affleck who helps bring the film out of it's darker moments. 

Sienna Miller and Zoe Saldana are fairly static love interests for Coughlin and are fabulous actresses who are criminally wasted in this film, they don't have much to do aside from drive the plot and aren't able to leave much impression on the viewer. Elle Fanning, Brendan Gleeson, and Chris Cooper all have brief but crucial supporting roles in the narrative as a girl who's seen the light and error of her ways Loretta Figis, police captain and father Thomas Coughlin, and Tampa Sheriff Figis. Meanwhile, the Irish and Italian mafias being headed up by Robert Glenister and Remo Girone respectively with Matthew Maher playing a disgustingly wicked Ku Klux Klan leader on the sidelines. Also, keep your eyes peeled for some surprising cameo appearances from some well known talent. 

In summary, Live By Night has it's moments and will successfully engross viewers in the mobster drama but would be much better served with an episodic format as opposed to the scrunched 130 minute runtime provided. If a period piece crime drama's your thing, then you should be fairly satisfied with Live By Night.

Film Assessment: B-

'Star Trek Beyond' Review

Nominated For: Best Makeup and Hairstyling.

Star Trek Beyond picks up with the crew of the USS Enterprise three years into their five year voyage of uncharted space and the long journey has taken it's toll on each of the crew members respectively but that all has to be put on hold when they must investigate the scene of a distress signal only to find themselves under attack from an enemy they didn't see coming, can't predict, and have no hope against, Krall. With the crew now divided on a foreign planet they must use their wit and their will to reunite and stop Krall from waging war on the Federation. That's the basic setup and all you need to know going in for Star Trek Beyond.

Star Trek Beyond has been a worrisome development coming off the heels of the latest/most divisive film in the franchise Star Trek Into Darkness, and the first trailer for the film didn't do it any favors drawing comparisons to Fast and Furious and Guardians of the Galaxy, a complete deviation from the philosophical core of the franchise. Many worried that since Justin Lin was taking over the directors chair he would bring with him the nonsensical action featured in his most notable works from the Fast and Furious franchise (The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Fast and the Furious, Fast Five, and Fast and Furious 6). Many feared how this cast would fare with the absence of J.J. Abrams, who kicked it all off with 2009's Star Trek and had his hands busy with Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but the tide turned in favor of Star Trek Beyond with the release of it's subsequent marketing material and I'm overjoyed to tell you that Star Trek Beyond is a blast. 

Lin takes over the helm from Abrams bringing along with him the amusing action sequences from the Fast and Furious films and thankfully ensures Star Trek Beyond is not dumbed down to level of the Fast and Furious with the help of screenwriters Simon Pegg and Doug Jung. Pegg and Jung split up the crew, pairing up characters we typically don't see with one another and the writing duo manage carve out a nice story that explores not just the cosmos but but  crew of the Enterprise themselves. 

The visual effects in Star Trek Beyond are remarkable as the Enterprise looks illustrious traversing the final frontier and is even more beautiful when it engages in warp speed. The make-up, costuming, and production design is top notch creating authentic alien worlds, creatures, and space ship interiors. I must commend the work on Idris Elba's Krall prosthetic that looked magnificent in the first act. The action sequences are infectiously fun featuring exciting space ship combat, a thrilling motorcycle sequence, and the destruction of the NC-1701 that was undeniably awesome to watch. This Trek flick once again boasts engaging futuristic sound design and another one of Michael Giancchio's adventurous scores.

The star-studded cast step onto the Enterprise once more and this time around they feel like they've transitioned more into the personalities that make the Enterprise crew what they are. Chris Pine's Kirk and Zachary Quinto's Spock are provided engaging character drama as they must deal with significant events in their life. Pine brings out a charming captain in Kirk and finally seems to be a responsible leader as opposed to the rebellious daredevil.

Meanwhile, Quinto walks the fine line between reason and emotion, never leaning too heavily on either side, proving he makes for a terrific Spock. Karl Urban's Bones has a substantially larger role in this installment proving to be hilarious when paired with Quinto's Spock as the juxtaposing personality clash brings several laughs with it.

Simon Pegg's Scotty is once again comedic relief for the crew and has his most substantial role in the franchise yet. Zoe Saldana and John Cho still aren't given much to do as Lieutenant Uhura and Sulu but they fit the roles nicely and have a few of their own moments. Saldana's Uhura is primarily there for her relationship with Spock but gets to kick some butt once again and there's a very controversial decision made to portray Cho's Sulu as gay and I will say that it's present but merely a simple moment that doesn't pull focus away from the film.

Anton Yelchin brings perfect comedic timing and a convincing Russian accent to Chekov getting to primarily play off Pine's Kirk as they're stranded together and it was a very interesting dynamic. Sadly this will be Anton Yelchin's final voyage onboard the Enterprise because the actor tragically died in a car accident a few weeks ago. The film also address Leonard Nimoy's passing in a touching and respectful way and I think both Trek actors would have been very proud with the finished product.

Elsewhere, Sofia Boutella is a welcome addition to the franchise after proving herself in Kingsman: The Secret Service. Boutella's Jaylah makes for an awesome addition to the franchise as she can carry an action sequence and stands as a compelling character in her own right. It was fun to see her work off of the various crew members but especially delightful to see her chemistry with Pegg and Pine. 

My only real qualm with Star Trek Beyond lies in it's villain. Idris Elba's Krall is exceptionally malevolent, proving to be an exceptional strategist and overlooking threat to the crew and for the first two acts of the film stayed the course, but his motivation was still unclear. Elba is terrific in the role injecting gravitas and weight to Krall, but once all Krall's secrets are divulged I found myself scratching my head more than feeling a sense of relief. The reasoning behind Krall's actions made sense, but the reveal didn't elaborate enough for me to fully comprehend how he became what he was and if anything detracted from his antagonistic ambiance, a similar problem plaguing many a Marvel villain right now.

I saw Star Trek Beyond in IMAX 3D and felt that the experience was worth the price of an IMAX ticket so I'd recommend it for anyone willing to pay the extra dough. In conclusion, Star Trek Beyond proved to be a wildly entertaining science fiction adventure with fresh direction, astounding visuals, and a remarkable ensemble cast. Star Trek Beyond is bold and dares to go where J.J. Abrams hasn't gone before, crafting a Star Trek movie worthy of adopting the Trek monicker in it's 50th year while embracing the fun of a summer blockbuster.

Film Assessment: A-

Throwback Thursday Review: 'Star Trek Into Darkness'

Sorry for the delay but this week for my Throwback Thursday Review I'm reviewing Star Trek Into Darkness to correlate with the release of it's sequel Star Trek Beyond this weekend, a film I've seen and will review soon. Also I feel I should forewarn you that there will be spoilers in this review. This won't be the end of my Star Trek reviews this year as I might go back and review the original in celebration of Star Trek's 50th anniversary in one of the open slots for my Throwback Thursday Review schedule or I'll simply add it to a week where I think I can handle two Throwback Thursday Reviews. Next week I will be reviewing The Bourne Legacy to tie in with the release of Jason Bourne and the following week will review The Dark Knight along with the release of Suicide Squad. Till then expect reviews over all the films I just mentioned along with my thoughts on the Ultimate Edition of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and how I feel it compares to the theatrical cut since my Blu-Ray copy arrived yesterday afternoon. 

'Star Trek Into Darkness' Review

Nominated For: Best Visual Effects.

Star Trek Into Darkness is probably one of the most divisive films in the franchise, simultaneously beloved by most critics as one of the best summer blockbusters of 2013 and voted the worst Star Trek film at a fan convention. Those are two very polarizing viewpoints, and since I grew up a massive Star Wars fan I wasn't bothered by many of the issues that plagued longstanding fans of Star Trek. Into Darkness builds upon the events of 2009's successful reboot Star Trek as the crew of the Enterprise must face Khan, a one man reign of terror. 

One of the most controversial aspects of Into Darkness was director J.J. Abrams' decision to keep it under wraps who Benedict Cumberbatch's villainous character was, going as far as to fabricate a smokescreen identity of John Harrison. Unfortunately fans called him out on it and found the Khan twist to be predictable. I personally don't mind his decision as I love going into Abrams' productions with no clue what's going to happen and I can't fault a director for that considering everything else he brings to the table.

Abrams with the assistance of his fantastic screenwriters Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, and Damon Lindelof cleverly plays off the alterations previously made to Star Trek continuity in Star Trek by establishing direct links of the proceeding events to the destruction of the planet Vulcan causing the Enterprise to run into Khan much earlier than William Shatner and Leonord Nimoy did. Orci and Kurtzman once again manage to craft a fast-paced adventurous blockbuster and great dialogue for the crew of the Enterprise provided their familiarity with the characters writing the screenplay for Star Trek, while Lindelof is new to the table, his addition to the Star Trek Into Darkness writers room didn't shake things up too much.

Abrams ensures the pacing is quick and the visuals are sleek with ease and of course there are plenty of lens-flares to spot along the way. The visual effects are wondrous as the Enterprise looks gorgeous in warp speed and gallivanting about in space with slick costuming and makeup prosthetics, flashy production design, and all-encompassing sound design to accompany them. Into Darkness' score composed by Michael Giancchio evokes classic Trek leaving even the most casual viewer with a desire to venture where no one has gone before.

The action sequences are undeniably fun, but manage to feel hollow as some of the action is largely flashy effects and loud noise rather than proper service to the story. My main issues with Into Darkness are the lack of risks it takes with abundant small plot holes and an ending that's remarkably similar to that of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, but all things considered those are small nitpicks that don't detract too heavily from my opinion of the film.

The brilliant cast that make up the crew of the USS Enterprise are back and once again bring heart to the film with their great chemistry onscreen together and bring along some newcomers that only add to the film's grandeur. Chris Pine oozes charisma now that he's even more comfortable in the Captain's chair as Captain James Tiberius Kirk and Zachary Quinto once again captures the proper balance of logic and emotion stepping into the shoes of the Vulcan First Officer Spock. The two share a terrific chemistry onscreen likened to peanut butter and jelly and the exploration of their continuing friendship is one of Into Darkness' high marks. Quinto is afforded one scene where he gets to let loose with an emotional outburst as he fights Khan in the pivotal third act finale that's nothing short of incredible.

Zoe Saldana is provided with much more material this time around as Uhura and steps up to the plate proving to be capable supporting female action heroine. Karl Urban is terrific as Bones, although I'd like to see him onscreen a bit more he does make for great supporting comedic relief. John Cho once again doesn't have much to do as Sulu but is perfectly serviceable in the capacity used. Simon Pegg is infectiously delightful to watch as Scotty, bringing tons of levity to the series situations and Anton Yelchin's Russian accent hits the mark for a comedic Chekov.

Alice Eve's Carol is along for the ride purely to be a sexualized supporting character with little substance, so little that her character is absent from Star Trek Beyond. Bruce Greenwood's Pike gets his fair share of screen time with some emotionally grounded scenes vital to the plot and Peter Waller's Marcus makes for an interesting Star Fleet officer with his own motivation worth questioning. Leonard Nimoy even gets a chance to once again play a role in the proceeding events as an older Spock although this time it's more along the lines of a cameo.

Benedict Cumberbatch's British baritone lends itself naturally to the sophisticated and elusive Khan. Cumberbatch proves once again that he's an outstanding actor as Khan proves to be an enigma with both intellectual and physical strength determined to stop those in his way with any means necessary. Cumberbatch's Khan is another dividing point with fans due to the whitewashing of the role but I think he plays the villain with such gravitas it's difficult not to admire his performance, and he makes for much better villain than Eric Bana's Nero.

Overall, I found myself still enjoying the heck out of Star Trek Into Darkness regardless of it's flaws in it's story and think that it's not deserving of loyal fanboy hatred but rather find it to be an entertaining science fiction adventure. Thanks to stunning visuals, impressive production design, flashy action, a rousing score, and a talented cast, Star Trek Into Darkness is a worthy followup to Star Trek.

Film Assessment: B-

Throwback Thursday Review: 'Star Trek' (2009)

Sorry this isn't actually being published on a Thursday and I believe this is my fourth consecutive late Throwback Thursday Review. On the bright side, I've finished this semester out and am only taking two summer classes so there shouldn't be any other delays throughout the summer. This week I'm beginning my series of Throwback Thursday Reviews of the more recent J.J. Abrams directed Star Trek films. I have some blank spots in my Throwback Thursday calendar this year that I might fill with some old Star Trek films since it's the 50th anniversary of Star Trek, but as for now I intend on at least reviewing the newer incarnations. Next week, I will continue my series of Throwback Thursday Bourne Reviews leading up to Jason Bourne with The Bourne Ultimatum. The following week will be a doozy as I anticipate doing Throwback Thursday Reviews for the live action Alice in Wonderland and X-Men: First Class to correlate with the dual release of Alice Through the Looking Glass and X-Men: Apocalypse, both of which have not received the greatest of reviews after the drop of each film's review embargo. Yikes... I'll still keep an open mind upon seeing both films though. I would also like to introduce a new form of review that week that will be a little different, I'm saving the reveal of what that will be for later. Yes, the Summer movie season is indeed upon us as there are THREE wide releases next week, each of which I hope to review. So that's a brief summary of what I have planned for the rest of May in regards to reviews.

'Star Trek' (2009) Review

Nominated For: Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Makeup.
Won: Best Makeup.

I've always considered myself more of a Star Wars guy rather than a Trekkie and never quite clicked with the Star Trek franchise. I find the films enjoyable but not anywhere near the level of enjoyment I have towards Star Wars. With that being said, I've always been a fan of the more recent J.J. Abrams' Star Trek films and personally prefer them to the older versions (which are a little dull in my opinion). This 2009 reboot of Star Trek managed to reinvigorate the franchise with a sleeker modernized approach. It's no wonder that since making Star Trek, J.J. Abrams was recruited to bring back Star Wars this past December in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Which we all know that worked out beautifully! Abrams takes a unique approach, not too dis-similar to the more recent X-Men films and chooses to alter the timeline a bit, thus forming a new continuity going forward. This bold choice gives the franchise wiggle room. The films can now feature the mainstay Enterprise crew without feeling obligated to tell the same story again. Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman pen the script and do a remarkable job writing dialogue for the respective characters onboard the Enterprise and maintain a fast paced engaging story. The film speeds through the typical bland origins and gets straight to the action adventure, which combined with the editing speeds the film along even more. While there were no particular standout action scenes, the action is very entertaining. Technically, this film takes home all the marbles as the visual effects, makeup, costuming, production designer, and sound design converge to make an aesthetically perfect film. Each of the respective categories collaborate nicely together and make the film visually and audibly engaging. A chief consistent complaint of Abrams' films is his use of lens flares, which are abundant here. In Star Trek's case, I can say there were numerous times where I felt the lens flares were both unnecessary and slightly obnoxious. I think lens flares are intended to be an artistic choice that can add wonder to the visuals onscreen and at times Abrams does just that. However, the lens flares simply aren't needed during conversations onboard the USS Enterprise. Aside from the lens flares, the cinematography is downright gorgeous. The film doesn't remain to be a hollow visual spectacle as there's plenty of heart to be found in the film's cast. Chris Pine makes for a charming lead in James Tiberius Kirk playing up his greatest assets including sarcastic wit and humor. Zachary Quinto brilliantly captures the complex nature of Spock. Quinto perfectly balances the level headed logical reasoning with a few emotional outbursts along the same lines of the complex characterization of Vision in the Marvel movies. Leonard Nimoy gets the opportunity to jump back into the role of an older version of Spock and was terrific (There were some time travel elements). Being aware of Nimoy's passing last year, there was one scene that made me tear up a little as there was an added emotional element knowing Nimoy's fate. Zoe Saldana is serviceable as Uhura, basically just Spock's love interest who doesn't get too much development. Karl Urban is largely around for comedic relief as Bones and was hilarious, I enjoyed Urban in the capacity used. John Cho was well cast as Sulu but also doesn't get to do all that much aside from one cool action sequence. Simon Pegg is terrific as Scotty and was perfect comedic relief. Two understated smaller characters I felt were worth mentioning were James Kirk's parents. Chris Hemsworth and Jennifer Morrison, whom many now know as Thor and Emma Swan, had phenomenal chemistry and really showcased their acting chops to bring anyone to tears in one heartbreaking scene between them as George and Winona Kirk. Eric Bana makes for an intimidating presence as the film's antagonist, Nero. However his character lacks both enough screen time or motivation to make him a truly compelling villain. In summary, Star Trek is a great example of how to properly reboot a franchise by reinvigorating interest with phenomenal technical elements, an interesting premise, and a terrific cast.

Film Assessment: B