Star Trek Into Darkness (3D + BD + Digital Copy) [Blu-ray]

SPOILER ALERT!!! SPOILER ALERT!!! You have been warned!!!Others have detailed the plot specifics so I will go with my own perspective as a lifelong Star Trek fan who started watching TOS in syndicated rerun in the mid-70's. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is my favorite Star Trek movie by far and it is in my list of the Top 10 films of all-time. So I was a bit concerned when I read the rumors on the Internet that Cumberbatch was going to reprise this iconic Science Fiction role in Star Trek: Into Darkness. I felt that JJ & company needed to do something different since they had created an alternate timeline with the first movie. I think the writing team had given lots of thought of parallel universes and how certain points and people are fixed in time in all possible universes. The work they did on Fringe pushed them to do several seasons worth of story about an alternate universe. Peter was their fixed person in the Fringe universe who impacted both realities. The writers looked at Khan the same way. I had to think about the plot threads of terrorism, betrayal, security, revenge, optimism, family and trust that were weaved through Into Darkness after seeing it Wednesday night. I then read the novelization and the prequel graphic novel to gain a better perspective before I went and watched the movie again today.The main themes hit by this story are many such as Kirk being too young, impetuous, inexperienced, undisciplined, egotistical, etc., to command a starship effectively; Spock still suffering emotionally from the traumatic loss of his home-world and his mother while trying to connect with his erratic, emotional, impulsive Captain; Starfleet Command reacting badly to the devastating terror attack by Nero against Vulcan and Starfleet in the previous film causing Starfleet Command to turn to extraordinary extra-legal actions to bring security to the Federation despite undermining the very freedoms and ethics espoused by the Federation (Section 31); Scotty being the one crew member (besides Spock) willing to take a moral stand with Kirk over crossing the line of legality and ethics while Kirk & Starfleet are preoccupied with revenge against Khan.So to me this wasn't a rehash of Wrath of Khan because that story was about coming to terms with growing older and feeling that life had passed you by. Kirk's past comes back to haunt him and the Enterprise and Kirk finally had to face his own Kobyashi Maru test with Spock's sacrifice. Khan was motivated by his need for vengeance against Kirk over the loss of his wife and being left marooned on a doomed planet. This too was an issue from Khan's past he could not let go and it was his undoing. ST:ID is about surviving the viccitudes of youth and learning from your mistakes to mature into a better sentient being connected to your friends and society. Kirk had Pike to place his faith and trust in him even when Kirk had royally screwed up from the hubris of flagrantly violating the Prime Directive on Nibiru even as Kirk failed to recognize this error. It took Pike's death and the pursuit of Khan to bring Kirk to the realization that he had to change his worldview and behavior.Spock was struggling with his inner demons over the loss of Vulcan and his mother. He also made a personal journey of self-discovery in ST:ID especially after Kirk sacrificed himself to save the ship. Spock is filled with rage and pursues Khan with a fury never seen before. He helps save his friend Jim Kirk and he can now acknowledge this friendship and let it evolve.Starfleet Command reacted like the US did after 9/11. They undermined their own principles in the name of imagined security. Admiral Marcus had sent out ships looking for resources to help Starfleet defend the Federation and they found the Botany Bay. Admiral Marcus thought he could exploit Khan's genetically engineered superior intellect and his capacity for violence to give the clandestine Section 31 (think CIA/Homeland Security/Special Forces) an advantage in building a capacity to take on the biggest perceived threat to the Federation for Admiral Marcus... the Klingon Empire. Thus you get the top-secret special prototype photon torpedoes and the built for combat USS Vengeance along with who knows what else that didn't get mentioned. You get incidents manipulated to provoke a state of war with the Klingons. All justified in the name of security.Scotty was just awesome in this story. He was a moral compass while getting in on the action with the sabotage of the USS Vengeance. He also got some more great comedic scenes and lines. I was a bit disappointed that Bones didn't get more involved in this story but since it involved more technological issues I can see why Scotty was used rather than McCoy. Bones still got in some great metaphors and scenes and you know he can deliver Gorn babies in a crisis situation. Sulu gets a taste of the command chair and Checkov gets to flex his savant genius abilities as Scotty's replacement (temporarily) as Chief Engineer. Uhura has some issues with Spock, talks up some Klingons, battles some Klingons & makes some tough long distance calls. Getting a young Carol Marcus was cool and they didn't force her to be romantically involved with Kirk, She gets to join the crew and maybe they will hook up in the next installment. The Big E gets a refit to repair her battle damage and the crew of the USS Enterprise embark on the start of what should be an eventful, glorious and historic Five-Year Mission to Boldly Go Where No One Has Gone Before.So I give Into Darkness a 9.235 out of 10. My biggest issue was with how long it took to warp to Kronos and then back to Earth. Unless warp speed had improved by a factor of 100 over the old Star Trek this was a plot device that was just way out of step with the rest of the movie. So other than that I am cool with the rest of the film elements as they were explained by the prequel graphic novel and in the novelization book for the film. I look forward to Star Trek 3 to come out in May of 2016 to be a part of the celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Star Trek!!!**************DVD Release Addendum*************I was really excited about the Blu-ray release of Into Darkness. I had read about the multitude of extras that JJ Abrams and his team shot for inclusion with the Blu-ray that would be exciting for the fans. Apparently the good folks in the marketing department at Paramount took a look at this treasure of bonus material and saw a way to extort the fans for even more profit. They struck deals to parcel out these bonus features to different retailers forcing fans to buy a plethora of copies to collect all of the bonus features. I didn't cancel my order because this isn't Amazon's fault and I do want the awesome phaser. I won't be buying these extra copies to line Paramount's pockets full of gold-pressed latinum. Actually, if Paramount had an ounce of integrity they would make a public apology for trying to screw over the fans of Star Trek who have made them profits that would make a Ferengi blush and offer a Blu-ray disc with the bonus material to make up for this error in judgement.The website Digital Bits is where I was alerted to this shameful avarice. It stated the following: "Yes... the seven featurettes listed in the press release are basically everything you get on the disc, aside from the usual DVD copy, Digital Copy, UltraViolet copy, Xerox copy and what not. The featurettes amount to about 42 minutes of EPK-style behind the scenes material. There's no commentary, no deleted scenes, no trailers... which would be bad enough.Except...It turns out that more extras were created for this release - more featurettes and even an audio commentary with director J.J. Abrams and members of his crew. None of it is available on the wide release Blu-ray or Blu-ray 3D SKUs. The commentary can only be found as an iTunes "extra" download. And those extra featurettes? Some are on a Target bonus disc. Some are on a Best Buy bonus disc. And some are only available via CinemaNow and VUDU downloads. That's right: More than half of the special features created for Star Trek Into Darkness were used by Paramount's marketing team as retailer exclusives. It's a terrible way to treat your consumers, who are sometimes spending $30 or more for a Blu-ray, expecting to get a little genuine value for their money. And no, six different versions of the exact same movie isn't value. If you're a serious Blu-ray enthusiast - or for that matter a Star Trek fan of any kind - all you care about when you buy a Blu-ray is getting the movie in pristine quality with lots of extras. Though its A/V quality is exceptional, in all other respects the Star Trek Into Darkness Blu-ray is an insult." (to see the entire column, visit www - thedigitalbits - com /columns/my-two-cents/082813_1415)

Director: JJ Abrams.Writers: Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman and Damon Lindelof.Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, John Cho, Anton Yelchin, Bruce Greenwood, Benedict Cumberbatch, Alice Eve and Peter Weller.Running Time: 132 minutes.Rated: PG-13 for Intense Sequences of Sci-Fi Action and Violence.There's something I really enjoy about JJ Abrams style of filmmaking. Yes, its flashy and fast and it may come off as a bit shallow, but there's something about it that gives off a spark that really gets me engaged. He can get establish a lot within the first 15 to 30 minutes of a movie, which would take most filmmakers quite a while to build up. Everything from the big action scenes, to the core characters and their motivations to what they do - He knows exactly what he's doing behind the camera.A prime example of this would be when he did Super 8. Within a half hour, we know just about the entire cast, what the kids are doing in the movie, the big awesome train crash that was so publicized happens and it happens at full force and it never feels like its overstuffing its self.Which brings us to his take on the much loved Star Trek franchise. These films of his really cause some weird reactions with people. They make nice amounts of money and get excellent reviews from critics, but if you went to a random forum on the cesspit that is the internet, you'd probably find the opposite reaction. Almost like as if Abrams and co. spat in the face of everyone's mother and other relatives.Personally, I actually really liked - hell, maybe even loved - his reboot of the Trek franchise. Great visuals, excellent chemistry, fun dialogue, fast paced, awesome music - It did a lot of things right, even if the plot was a bit confusing, with the alternate universes, black holes and what not.Something that puzzles the hell out of me is why did the sequel, Into Darkness, take so long? I know Abrams was busy with Super 8 but maybe he should have put that off (as much as I love that film) in favor of doing this. It probably would be doing better business at the box office and critics than it is doing now.Now, in the event you are wondering if I'm attacking the film or am going to spew out negative thoughts on the film, let's get this out of the way:I'm not.While Into Darkness certainly has its problems, and we'll get to those latter, its a worthy sequel to the original and one of the most entertaining things I've seen this year. It still has all the elements I loved from the original with a few new things thrown in.Set a few years after the original, the Federation has come under attack from a terrorist by the name of John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch), a former Starfleet officer out for revenge after he felt that Star command screwed him over in the worst ways possible. The crew of the Enterprise, led of course by Kirk n' Spock (Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto, respectively), are sent in to take him down by orders of one Admiral Marcus (Peter Weller). But while the plot may seem simple, things are not as they seem.I feel the need to get the bad stuff out of the way first, like in the same way a bratty child is forced to eat his vegetables before he can get to the good stuff. One of my main complaints of the film is that I feel it goes on for far too long. While Abrams's previous films have sported great pacing, Into Darkness kind of mess up a bit. There's filler in the movie that could have been seriously cut out and it would have been all the better for it, like bits where good ol Scotty (Simon Pegg) gets drunk off his ass or the bar scene between Kirk and Commander Pike (Bruce Greenwood and yes, I know its done to show their Father-Son-like relationship but it came off as forced).Another thing that film does that bothers me is that it suffers from being unpredictable to predictable. There's some twists that caught me off guard but there's some stuff that can be seen a mile away. I think it may have to do with the fact that it had 3 screenwriters doing it, the first two being the scribes from the previous film Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman while the third scribe was divisive Prometheus and Lost writer Damon Lindelof. I always get this weird feeling like whenever Mr. Linelof is involved, the product always ends up spawning weird reactions with people. Eh, moving on.As for the good stuff for the film, a lot of the things that made the first film great are still here. The visual effects and set design are better than ever, ranging from seeing things like an incredible fight in hyper-space in which we see all sorts of people flying out of the hull as things explode left and right, to the now famous scene in the trailers and advertisements where we see a Starfleet cruiser crash into a sprawling metropolis. Michael Giacchino's score is still nothing short of incredible, bringing out some true excitement and wonderment to the universe and some of the music is bound to get stuck in your head after its all over.The performances across the board are quite good as well. Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto continue to show they have their characters down pat and never ceases to stop being amusing from watching them be bros one moment to bickering about the rules and personal approaches to how the current mission on hand should be accomplished. Or how Karl Urban, who will always be Judge Dredd in my mind from now on thanks to to the excellent 2012 adaptation, continues to be the best replacement for Bones McCoy, with his quips and grumpy attitude.While some have had problems with the character of Dr. Carol Marcus, a doctor who pops up on the Enterprise under a different name (Don't worry: No spoilers), and her actress Alice Eve, I never really had a problem with her. I thought she did well with the material that was given to her, especially her scenes between her and Bones.But special mention must go to Benedict Cumberbatch as Harrison. Charismatic, intimidating, fierce and methodical are just the few words to describe his villain. One moment, you can go from being fascinated and even wanting to see him defeated, to feeling incredibly sorry for the guy. Quite a performance here. He's a true threat and makes the villain of the previous film, Nero (Eric Bana), look like a chump. No disrespect to Mr. Bana, who played a very fun and dangerous villain, but you look like old stuff compared to Cumberbatch. Kinda funny how the guy who has a ship with the ability to create black holes looks less threatening than one man with superpowers.One might ask me: "Is Into Darkness better than the original?" I cannot say no, as due to the problems I've mentioned here that were not or at least weren't as big in the 2009 reboot. Star Trek 2009 was incredibly fresh at the time and sadly, with this, some, if only a little of the polish has come off. But that's only minor. Both films are pretty much on the same plane, with Darkness coming up just a tad short.Into Darkness is bound to piss people off, as with most "sacred" works in nerdom, like whatever Joss Whedon pumps out or live action adaptations of Anime (which always almost suck). But even with the problems that the film has, there's still a lot to like here. If you can get past the pacing issues and the predictability of the film, you're in for one fun summer movie.Now that all that is said and done, two questions remain: How will Abrams take on Star Wars turn out and what will Paramount do with the next film in the Trek franchise? I've got high hopes for his take on SW, but I'm not sure what to think the next Trek film will turn out. I just hope they get someone who's just as confident and energetic as Abrams is.

Eines vorneweg:Diese Rezi enthält Spoiler. Zudem ist sie das Ergebnis meines Ärgers über den Film- wer also eine „objektive“ Sichtweise über den Streifen erwartet wird hier nicht fündig. Wer den Film mag und sich mit der Rezi irgendwie persönlich angegriffen fühlen sollte- es geht mir um den Film, nicht um Ihre Person- also besteht kein Grund für sinnlosen Ärger. Ich mache niemanden nieder der Gefallen an dem Film findet. Auch werde ich nicht über Bild/Ton oder groß über den Bonuskram schreiben- da mir all das mehr oder weniger egal ist. Hier gibt es anderswo sicher detailreiche und gute Rezis welche näher auf diese Punkte eingehen.Zum eigentlichen:Ich gehöre ja sonst nicht zu den polemischen Fans welche groß Ihren Ärger im Internet Luft machen. Mir ist klar dass man es einer so großen Fanbase, wie sie das Star Trek-Franchise eben hat, nie zu 100% recht machen kann. Aber dieser Film ärgert mich… Es ärgert mich alleine an diesen zu denken… Es gab immer wieder Filme der Reihe welche mir mal mehr und mal weniger gefallen haben- aber bislang habe ich niemals einen Part der Reihe gehasst. Dieser Streifen hat es nun geschafft.Ironischerweise mochte ich den Vorgänger sehr. Er verhalf dem etwas angestaubten Franchise zu neuer Frische (auch wenn der essentielle Kern welchen Star Trek nun mal ausmacht völlig abhandengekommen war). Star Trek XI war kein Star Trek-Film im eigentlichen Sinne, es war ein Sci-Fi-Action-Film für die breite Masse bei dem auch Fans durch etliche Anspielungen auf vorangegangene Produktionen nicht zu kurz kamen. Wenn Star Trek im Kino funktionieren soll, dann so! Ich war daher wirklich gehypt und voller Vorfreude auf den zweiten Teil- denn die Trailer sahen sehr vielversprechend aus. Und dann folgte die Ernüchterung…Story im Groben:Kirk verstößt direkt zu Beginn gegen die Sternenflotten-Direktive der Nichteinmischung und wird, dank Judas Spock, degradiert und des Kommandos über die Enterprise enthoben- nur um kurz darauf wieder das Kommando über die Enterprise zu bekommen um den mysteriösen Terroristen John Harrison einzufangen… Dabei wird eine große Verschwörung aufgedeckt, welche den gesamten Quadranten in einen Krieg stürzen könnte.Die Story des Films ist recht wirr und hat überraschend viele Plotlöcher- offensichtliche Plotlöcher. Plotlöcher über die man nicht nur stolpert, sondern in die man rein stürzt und sich den Hals bricht… Ich persönlich gebe meistens nichts drauf, da mir keine Episode und auch kein Film in irgendeinem Franchise einfällt wo man nicht über Handlungslücken stolpert- ganz besonders das Star Trek-Franchise geizt nicht mit Inkonsistenzen und Kontinuitätsfehlern. Das war mir aber immer egal da mich z.B. weniger das Tech-Bubble an Star Trek interessiert sondern vor allem die Charaktere, die oftmals recht tiefgründigen Geschichten und die moralischen Dilemma. Deus Ex Machina-Wendungen sind daher bis zu einem gewissen Grad für mich tolerierbar- aber wenn man TOTE Charaktere mit Hilfe von Magischen Superblut zurück ins Leben holt ist das nicht nur albern- es macht einfach alles zu Nichte! Und das ist lediglich die Spitze des Eisbergs. Das hohe Tempo, die schnellen Schnitte und die krachende Action können nicht über all die vielen Handlungslücken hinwegtäuschen.Originalität, wo bist du abgeblieben?Bei diesem Film gewinne ich, wie gesagt, den Eindruck dass niemand wirklich Lust hatte diesen zu machen. Das Script ist ein Mischmasch und Ripp-Off von „Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan“ und allen vorangegangenen Produktionen des Franchise ever- nur eben wesentlich wirr und faul zusammengeschustert. Und das verwundert, denn Fans dürften die hanebüchenen „Verweise“ eher verärgern und der Gelegenheitsschauer kann mit selbigen vermutlich nix anfangen. Den einzigen Part den seltsamerweise jeder, selbst der Nicht-Fan, zu kennen scheint ist die „KHAAAAAAAAAN!!!“-Szene- dem scheinbaren Star Trek-Äquivalent zu „No, I am your Father“ aus Star Wars.Khan wird immer wieder als einer der ikonischsten und größten Erzfeinde des gesamten ST-Franchise herangezogen. Klar dass der gute, alte Schuft irgendwann wieder seinen Weg auf die Leinwand finden würde… Das Problem ist nur das dies1) ziemlich lame, und2) total falsch besetzt ist, und3) die Figur komplett verändert wurde.Versteht mich nicht falsch- Ich mag Benedict Cumber-Dingens sehr. Er ist ein guter Schauspieler, aber in der Rolle des Khan? Khan Noonien Singh hat meines Wissens nach indische Wurzeln. Der Urdarsteller aus TOS und STII, Ricardo Montalban, war zwar Mexikaner- aber immerhin konnte man hier noch sagen „Joa, kommt hin“. Jetzt ist Khan aber britischer Herkunft (oder bekam er chirurgisch ein neues Gesicht samt Akzent von Marcus verpasst???). Es ist so als hätte man Scarlett Johansson für Motoko Kusanagi für den kommenden „Ghost in the Shell“-Live-Action-Film gecastet… Oh, halt! Das hat man ja tatsächlich!!!Ein weiteres Problem was ich mit dem neuen Khan habe ist das sein Charakter so komplett anders ist als in der Original-Serie, bzw. in STII. Ich meine, dies soll doch derselbe Khan Noonien Singh sein welcher lange vor den Eingriffen in die Zeitlinie ins All flüchtete, right? Sorry, aber ich nehme es nicht ab. Mir hätte es besser gefallen wenn „John Harrison“ ein eigenständiger Charakter geblieben wäre- ein neuer, origineller Schuft für das Franchise- ein Potenzial welches die Figur gehabt hatte.Ich meine, war das nicht allgemein der Punkt des Reboots? Neu anzufangen, die Dinge anders anzugehen, neue und frische Geschichten sowie Schurken zu zeigen? Bisher führten beide Filme lediglich zu stellenweise gewagten Neu-Interpretationen bereits bekannter Charaktere und, well, bereits bekannter Stories. Umso ärgerlicher, da John Harrison selbst ein eigentlich interessanter Charakter wäre!!! Vor allem deswegen weil Cumberbatch`s Performance top ist! Wie gesagt- null wie Khan, aber als John Harrsion- perfekt! Doch der Khan-Twist ruiniert die Figur, da beide Versionen der Figur komplett unvereinbar sind. Ein Twist nur des Twists willen ergibt noch lange keine gute Wendung. Und sorry, es wirkt mehr als offensichtlich warum John Harrison zu Khan werden musste! STII ist einer DER Star Trek-Filme, Khan einer DER Gegner (obgleich ich diesen Charakter an sich völlig überbewertet finde). So konnte man in den Glauben den treuen Fans eine „Hommage“ vorzugaukeln, ein billiges Rebuild von STII raushauen.Das Drehbuch hat sich ab dem Punkt sicher schon fast von alleine geschrieben. Für mich hätte eine Hommage an die Ur-Serie in dem Fall anders ausgesehen. Z.B. hätte die komplette Anfangssequenz einer klassischen TOS-Episode nachempfunden sein können („Tödliche Spiele auf Gothos“ oder „Planet der Unsterblichen“ kommen mir da spontan in den Sinn). Aber das wäre ja zu cheesy und zuuuu albern gewesen – und überhaupt passt das doch gar nicht mehr in das neue Konzept von Action Trek… (*Sigh*…)Spock, die zeternde Heulsuse…Ich mag den Cast der neuen Star Trek-Filme bis auf wenige Ausnahmen sehr! Sonst hätte mir der Vorgängerfilm auch nicht so gefallen. Die einzigen tatsächlichen Fehlbesetzungen (neben Cumberbatch) stellen für mich Zachory Quinto und Simon Pegg dar. Quinto deshalb, weil er, wie viele seiner Kollegen vor ihm, keinen Vulkanier spielen kann. „Emotionslos“ wird von den meisten irgendwie immer mit grimmig drein schauen interpretiert. Leonard Nimoy sowie Mark Lenard waren ziemlich die einzigen welche es zu verstehen wussten wie man diese Rollen zu spielen hat (Jolene Blalock als T`Pol in Enterprise fand ich auch noch ziemlich gut). Simon Pegg passt m.M.n. nicht auf seine Rolle- und das nicht nur aus äußerlichen Gründen. An der Figur des Scotty hat man so übel rumgeschraubt dass sie rein gar nix mit dem Vorbild mehr zu hat (ich mag auch den kleinen Side-Kick-Alien nicht der immerzu um ihn rumwuselt).Wenn ich also soweit einverstanden mit der Besetzung bin, warum fällt es mir besonders in „Into Darkness“ so schwer die Figuren zu mögen? Weil sie extrem überspitzte Versionen ihrer Original-Vorbilder darstellen und oft null wie ebendiese handeln.Allen voran James T. Kirk: Kirk mag hier zwar um einiges jünger und umso potenter sein als in der Ur-Serie- aber im Reboot wird er neuerdings als sexbesessener Lump porträtiert. Er ist hitzköpfig, denkt nie sonderlich viel nach und handelt demnach vorschnell. Zu keinem Zeitpunkt nimmt man ihm die Rolle des Captains ab. Fairerweise muss ich aber zugeben dass mir Chris Pine selbst in der Rolle des Kirk weitaus sympathischer ist als das Ur-Gestein William Shatner selbst.Spock hingegen… Spock ist ständig am abragen und rumflennen. Diese spitzohrige Zicke ging mir wann immer sie zu sehen war auf die Nerven. Im Vorgänger konnte ich das noch hinnehmen (seine Mutter war hopps gegangen, er wurde ständig gemobbt, etc). Hier erliegt Spock seiner menschlichen Seite wann immer es dramaturgisch (un)nötig erscheint. Ich sag nur… „KHAAAAAAAAN!“ Ich musste an dieser Stelle lachen. Inbrünstig… dann wurde ich jedoch (wieder einmal) ärgerlich… Und nein- diese Stelle gewinnt für mich nicht an Bedeutung weil in ST II Kirk an Spock`s Stelle war. ÜBERHAUPT NICHT! In STII war Spock`s Tod einer der emotionalsten Momente ever! Niemand konnte sich anno dazumal vorstellen das die Macher tatsächlich einen der Hauptcharaktere sterben lassen- und dann auch noch den Publikums-Liebling! Tausende von Fans waren in Trauer. Zugegeben, er blieb nicht sonderlich lange tot. Aber er wurde auch nicht auf magische Weise noch im selben Film wiederbelebt. In „Into Darkness“ jedoch ist abzusehen dass Kirk nicht tot bleibt… Denn, wuhaaaa- Zauberblut und so… So, what`s the Point?!Es ist auch seltsam das ausgerechnet Spock am Ende Amok läuft und Pseudo-Khan fast zu Brei schlägt. Zum einen will uns der Film weismachen das Kirk und Spock sich ganz doll lieb haben. Zum anderen jedoch wird dem Zuschauer ständig vor Augen geführt dass sich beide Seiten wenig verstehen, oft streiten und sich sogar in den Rücken fallen. Deswegen musste ich auch lachen als Spock in Tränen ausbrach- nur um dann eben in den Berserker-Modus überzuwechseln. Hölle! Selbst beim Tod seiner Mom ist Spock nicht so in Rage verfallen. Spock stand zwar immer in Konflikt mit seiner menschlichen Seite- aber war sonst immer ein recht ruhiger Typ und fast immer Herr über seine Emotionen. Die seltsame Liaison mit Uhura kann ich da noch eher verwinden…Und wenn wir schon bei Uhura sind… Die nervt auch extrem und war nie so drauf wie hier gezeigt. Klar, sie ist eine der wenigen weiblichen Hauptrollen des Films. Und sie wird im Wesentlichen als stärkere Persönlichkeit dargestellt als ihr TOS-Gegenstück… Fine with me. Nur allzu oft wird aus einem vermeintlich weiblichen Badass leider eine unsympathische Zicke. So eben auch Uhura. Sie und Spock nehmen sich nichts im ewigen Spiel um den Thron der Oberzicke. Nur um zu vergleichen: In „Guardians of the Galaxy“ spielt Zoe Saldana ebenfalls einen starken, weiblichen Charakter. Nur nervt sie hier nicht. Sie zickt zwar auch hin und wieder rum- aber in der Rolle der Gamora räumt ihre Figur ordentlich auf. Uhura räumt nichts auf… Ihre Szene mit den Orcs… äh, ich meine Klingonen, war eher lächerlich und aufgesetzt.Chekov ist der blasseste Charakter und wie Scotty nur ein Comic-Relief. Auf der anderen Seite war die Figur auch in TOS schon uninteressant. Von daher hat man hier eher die Chance genutzt die Figur wenigstens etwas erinnerungswürdig zu gestalten. Einzig Karl Urban und John Chu war es vergönnt ihren Rollen als McCoy und Sulu Glaubwürdigkeit zu verleihen und sind nicht auf deren einzelne Eigenschaften (Kirk, der Schürzenjäger) oder Catchphrases (Faszinierend!) reduziert worden. Allgemein hätte ich gerne mehr McCoy gesehen… Karl Urban ist für mich die mit Abstand passendste Besetzung für den grummeligen Chef-Arzt der Enterprise!Eine Hand voll weitere Dinge, welche mir (als Fan) nicht gefallen haben:-Enterprise unter dem Meer (*unter dem Meer*)-das Hauptquartier der Sternenflotte lässt sich lockerleicht infiltrieren und angreifen-Klingonen-Orcs aus Mordor, ähm, Isengard, ähm, ich meine Qo'nos (plus upgedatete Bathlets…)-Qo'nos, hinterm Mond- gleich links…-Weder Qo'nos noch Planet Erde weisen irgendwelche größeren Verteidigungslinien auf (die Enterprise kann lockerflockig in den klingonischen Raum eindringen und provoziert den Krieg direkt selbst / die Enterprise, das Flaggschiff der Föderation, wird direkt im Orbit der Erde zerschossen und niemand merkt es obwohl etliche Föderationsschiffe sowie die ein oder andere Station dort ihre Kreise ziehen)-Wieder ein Monsterschiff welches im Vergleich zur Enterprise 4x so groß ist-wieder ein böser Admiral (diesmal in Form von „Robo-Cop“ Peter Weller)-Sektion 31- nun offiziell eine Abteilung des Geheimdienstes der Sternenflotte-Transwarp-Beamen (macht Raumschiffe irgendwie überflüssig…)-Der Plan das ein zuvor eingefrorener Typ, der hunderte Jahre im Tiefschlaf gelegen hatte, überlegene Waffen für den Krieg bauen soll (WT…?!)-Genie Khan ist dümmer als geistig umnachtetes Brot (oder warum sonst lässt er sich so leicht von Spock mit den Torpedos hinters Licht führen???)-Sinnfreies Cameo von Leonard Nimoy als alternder Spock welcher als wandelnder Spoiler fungieren darf… Umso schlimmer, wenn man bedenkt das dies tatsächlich Nimoy`s letzter Auftritt als Spock für immer ist… (Das hätte ruhig Klein-Spock aus „The Big Bang Theory“ bleiben können…)-Zauberblut (um es nochmal zu erwähnen…)Was mochte ich an dem Film überhaupt? Nun zum einen-Die visuellen Effekte sind bombig! Es gibt zwar nichts was man nicht schon einmal gesehen hätte. Aber Star Trek XII hat ein paar wirklich schön in Szene gesetzte Effekte.-Abrams bleibt sich seinem visuellen Stil treu (auch wenn ich schon leichte Epilepsie-Anfälle von dem überdosierten Einsatz des Lens Flare-Effektes bekomme…)-Action satt (für was sonst ist Star Trek denn bekannt? *Ironisches Augenzwinkern*). Nein die Action ist wirklich ziemlich cool, auch wenn es nicht unbedingt zu Star Trek passt.-Die Musik ist wieder recht schön. Zwar erreicht Michael Giacchino nicht die Klasse von Goldsmiths oder Horners Werken- dennoch ist sie für einen Action-Film wie Star Trek: Into Darkness sehr gut.-überwiegend gute Schauspieler (auch wenn teils fehlbesetzt- die Leistungen der Darsteller muss man anerkennen)-Die Stelle an der der Abspann endlich läuft… und selbst die ist ein Rehash des Vorgänger-FilmesAlso komme ich nun zum Fazit:Irgendwie erscheint diese Rezi heuchlerisch, denn Star Trek XI habe ich gefeiert- obwohl er ähnlich an den Haaren herbeigezogen ist, über weite Strecken unoriginell ist und dem geneigten Zuschauer Action und Logiklöcher geradezu ins Gesicht drückt. Trotz allem finde ich diesen Film sehr, sehr gut. Selbst als Alternative Zeitebene konnte ich diesen Film akzeptieren (falls mich wieder jemand zu Recht stutzen möchte- ja ich habe eingesehen das Star Trek und die neuen Filme parallel nebeneinander co-existieren und die eigentliche Zeitebene nicht verloren gegangen ist). Auch möchte ich betonen dass ich J.J. Abrams durchaus für einen guten Regisseur halte. Er ist die Sache eben wie im Vorgänger angegangen. Hauptsächlich ist es das verkorkste Drehbuch welches den Film so in den Abgrund reist… Und würde sich Abrams für Star Trek begeistern, so wie er es wohl für Star Wars tut, dann hätte er sich möglicherweise auch mehr für die Story eingesetzt.ABER STAR TREK: INTO DARKNESS IST EIN FURCHTBARER FILM! Er ist weder spannend noch originell, storymäßig völlig wirr und macht sich nicht mal die Mühe eine clevere, liebevolle Hommage zu sein...Star Trek ist Hollywoods wiederbelebte Cashcow… Nicht mehr und nicht weniger. Und als mehr wurde dieses Projekt hier auch nicht gesehen. Lieblos, seelenlos- ohne eigene Identität fristet dieser Film nun sein Dasein in ewiger Dunkelheit- angestaubt und versteckt hinter anderen DVDs und Blu-Rays in meinem heimischen Regal…Ich kann hier nur für mich sprechen- und ich hasse den Film. Interessierten würde ich anraten ihn erst wo auszuleihen oder im TV zu schauen. Das rate ich sowohl den Fans als auch den Leuten die sich rein gar nicht mit Star Trek auskennen.Es grüßt ein undankbarer, abragender Herr Rose

STAR TREK: INTO DARKNESS [2013] [3D Blu-ray + 2D Blu-ray + Digital Copy] Exciting Action-Packed Adventure! Earth Will Fall!The 2013 best-rated blockbuster is nothing short of “spectacular” [Empire]. When a ruthless mastermind known as Khan [Benedict Cumberbatch] declares a one-man war on the Federation. Captain Kirk [Chris Pine], Spock [Zachery Quinto], and the daring crew of the USS Enterprise, set out on their most explosive manhunt of all time. It will take everything in their arsenal to defend Earth and eliminate Khan’s deadly threat in J.J. Abrams “exhilarating blockbuster.”FILM FACT Part One: Awards and Nominations: 2013 Hollywood Film Festival Awards: Won: Best Hollywood Film for ‘Star Trek: Into Darkness.’ 2014 Academy Awards®: Nominated: Best Visual Effects for Burt Dalton, Ben Grossmann, Roger Guyett and Patrick Tubach. 2014 BAFTA® Awards: Nominated: Best Special Visual Effects for Burt Dalton, Ben Grossmann, Roger Guyett and Patrick Tubach. 2014 MTV Movie Awards: Nominated: Best Villain for Benedict Cumberbatch.FILM FACT Part Two: With ‘Star Trek: Into Darkness,’ George Takei, who originated the role of Hikaru Sulu and appeared in Star Trek films and TV episodes, says, “where Benedict Cumberbatch played Khan, I thought was unfortunate. Benedict Cumberbatch is a wonderful actor. I love everything that he’s done, but if he was going to be playing that character, J.J. should have made him an original character that's singular to him. Because the Khan character first appeared in our TV series, "Space Seed" and Ricardo Montalban was sensational in our second movie – he was the title character, The Wrath of Khan, you know! The other thought that Gene Roddenberry always had in the back of his mind, and that was his philosophy, was to embrace the diversity of this planet.Cast: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, John Cho, Benedict Cumberbatch, Anton Yelchin, Bruce Greenwood, Peter Weller, Alice Eve, Noel Clarke, Nazneen Contractor, Amanda Foreman, Jay Scully, Jonathan Dixon, Aisha Hinds, Joseph Gatt, Jeremy Raymond, Sean Blakemore, Nick E. Tarabay, Beau Billingslea, Jason Matthew Smith, Chris Hemsworth, Jennifer Morrison, Seth Ayott, Marco Sanchez, Lee Reherman, Scott Lawrence, Usman Ally, Nolan North, James Hiroyuki Liao, Rob Moran, Berit Francis, Akiva Goldsman, Benjamin P. Binswanger, Christopher Doohan, Ser'Darius Blain, Douglas Weng, Moni Akiwowo, Tom Archdeacon (uncredited), Alexandra Aristy (uncredited), Jon Lee Brody (uncredited), Frank Cermak Jr. (uncredited), Mike Dalager (uncredited), Gary-7 (uncredited), Mark Alexander Herz (uncredited), Mike Kalinowski (uncredited), Elly Kaye (uncredited), Jamal Kazak (uncredited), Dave Kim (uncredited), Kasia Kowalczyk (uncredited), Andrew Maiorano (uncredited), Teebone Mitchell (uncredited), Marc Tantin (uncredited), Xavier Truesdell (uncredited), Vincent van Hinte (uncredited), David Whitaker (uncredited), Stacey Woods (uncredited), Felicity Wren (uncredited) and Omid Zader (uncredited)Director: J.J. AbramsProducers: Alex Kurtzman, Ben Rosenblatt, Bryan Burk, Damon Lindelof, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, J.J. Abrams, Jeffrey Chernov, Michelle Rejwan, Paul Schwake, Roberto Orci, Tommy Gormley and Tommy HarperScreenplay: Alex Kurtzman, Damon Lindelof, Roberto Orci and Gene Roddenberry (original television series "Star Trek")Composer: Michael GiacchinoCinematography: Dan MindelVideo Resolution: 1080pAspect Ratio: 2.40:1Audio: English: 7.1 Dolby TrueHD, English: 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio Description, Spanish: 5.1 Dolby Digital, French: 5.1 Dolby Digital and Italian: 5.1 Dolby DigitalSubtitles: English, English SDH, Castilian, Italian, French, Dutch, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian and SwedishRunning Time: 132 minutesRegion: All RegionsNumber of discs: 2Studio: Paramount PicturesAndrew’s Blu-ray Review: In 1990, STAR TREK creator Gene Roddenberry told the L.A. Times "there's a good chance that when I'm gone, others will come along and do so well that people will say, Oh, that Roddenberry, he was never this good." Casual audiences might agree, but for the many lifelong STAR TREK fans like me, J.J. Abram's franchise revival opened up an interesting opportunity, especially as it fast approaching 50 years of age, but hardly represents a return to form for the core STAR TREK ethos; its philosophical ideals and the promise of a brighter future and in direct contravention of a film entitled ‘STAR TREK: Into Darkness.’ Three years on from the 2009's franchise reboot, whose plot created an alternate timeline allowing the film to take certain liberties with established scenario and morph into its own version of Trek, J.J. Abrams and company returned with ‘STAR TREK: Into Darkness.’Following a suicide blast at Starfleet HQ and subsequent aerial attack resulting in the murder of Starfleet commanders masterminded by turncoat Starfleet agent John Harrison [Benedict Cumberbatch], the Enterprise crew headed by Captain James T. Kirk [Chris Pine] are re-commissioned to mount a mission to kill Harrison on Kronos, the Klingon home world. Kirk refuses to accept orders at face value and decides to take John Harrison hostage. After a brief battle, John Harrison unexpectedly gives himself up, willingly boarding the Enterprise as a prisoner. Unfortunately, it's quickly revealed that neither the mission, nor John Harrison are quite as expected, when the crew of the Enterprise finds itself in the middle of a much larger plot of grave danger.For the uninitiated, STAR TREK circa 2013 is an entertaining science fiction adventure, which commands viewers' attention right from the opening scenes. But saddling itself with the name STAR TREK automatically attaches 50 years of baggage, and that does this film no favours at all. The truth is this modern incarnation of the STAR TREK franchise, has little in common with it older STAR TREK siblings. STAR TREK has always gladly worn its heart on its sleeve with the epitaph of 'thinking man's sci-fi', but ruminating about the plot only reveals the numerous holes that riddle the script, not least the mind messing alternate timeline, which try as I might to explain to women who are not interest in sci-fi films, which I really struggled to do so.In true J.J. Abrams fashion, there's a few surprises, but perhaps the worst kept is that of the true identity of the mysterious John Harrison and he is Khan Noonien Singh from both the Original Series episode 'Space Seed' and the feature film ‘The Wrath of Khan.’ But Khan was never an Englishman, nor does Benedict Cumberbatch even remotely resembles Ricardo Montalban and try explaining that to newcomers and that is part of the whole problem with this particular STAR TREK film. It tries to be all things to all people and it just doesn't make a lick of sense. Why try and shoehorn STAR TREK lore into a film and then not even attempt to make it cohesive? For every cameo by a tribble or inflection of a classic phrase, we have another franchise contradiction or out of character motivation.I hope for future STAR TREK franchise films that J.J. Abrams will now slink off from the franchise that he's revealed he was never a fan of, leaving the gates open for someone else to take the reins. I can only hope that that person will stay true to the core ethos of STAR TREK, rather than continue to churn out what amounts to, admittedly entertaining, but otherwise generic science fiction action, trading on the basis of STAR TREK's branding.Blu-ray Video Quality – Originally released in cinemas in the 2013, the transfer for the film is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.40:1 in a stunning 1080p encoded image. I was so excited to view it 3D, which I viewed in the cinema and was totally disappointed, as it was the worst 3D I have seen it in the cinema, but viewing it in this stunning 3D Blu-ray and it was definitely a fantastic very wild ride. The film has a lot of pop to it when it comes to a number of the action sequences and several moments where things are thrown out at the viewer. The layered look is used quite often throughout it as there are a good number of natural moments for it, but there are also a few where it just feels forced. The action scenes make the most use of it and it feels the most natural there while I found some of the standing around and talking in the 3D moments a bit disappointing. But these are few and far between, instead leaving me with a film that definitely engaged and was made fun by the 3D. The transfer captures this well and a look at the 2D side shows a strong attention to detail, colour definition and quality. The presentation across the board just works really well and made the purchase of it worthwhile.Blu-ray Audio Quality – The main track for this release is the 7.1 Dolby TrueHD mix and it’s one that does a very strong job overall as there’s a good deal of directionality throughout it. Because of the direction used and the way the camera weaves and moves throughout all of the action, there’s a lot going on even in the quiet scenes quite often, so the rear channels get a lot of activity throughout it and the forward soundstage has a strong and immersive feeling to it. The swell of the music is one of the bigger parts of it as it works in conjunction with the visuals beautifully as it goes for the large, epic moments, but the film has some very good quiet moments of incidental music as well that definitely adds to the overall flavour of it all. The mix is one that definitely has summer blockbuster written all over it and its transition to home video works very, very well.Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:Special Feature: Creating the Red Planet [1080p] [8:28] Cast and crew discuss ditching the idea of shooting in Hawaii and share the painstaking details behind creating Nibiru, both the leafy red surface and the volcanic set piece. The supplement also examines alien design and the technical details and challenges behind shooting the sequence.Special Feature: Attack on Starfleet [1080p] [5:25] A look at the dramatic undertones behind one of the film's most critical scenes. It also studies set design, technical details behind the making of the scene, and creating the explosive action elements and the corresponding stunt work.Special Feature: The Klingon Home World [1080p] [7:30] An examination of incorporating Klingons into the film, keeping them familiar but also making them unique to this universe, construction of the Kronos set, Klingon costume design and makeup, and coaching the actors in the Klingon language.Special Feature: The Enemy of My Enemy [1080p] [7:30] An examination of incorporating Klingons into the film, keeping them familiar but also making them unique to this universe, construction of the Kronos set, Klingon costume design and makeup, and coaching the actors in the Klingon language.Special Feature: Ship to Ship [1080p] [6:03] Creating one of the film's most daring action sequences, from pre-visualisation to final product. The supplement also examines shooting the end of the scene with no major digital enhancements.Special Feature: Brawl by the Bay [1080p] [5:44] Shooting some of the climactic scenes in Los Angeles, Zachary Quinto's physical preparations for his role, and stunt double work.Finally, the 3D generally really adds greatly to the feature in a welcome way to give it more pop and engagement while not coming across as wholly gimmicky or problematic. It’s definitely one more in the slow but steady stream of 3D Blu-ray presentation. This film has had some criticism about this franchise for a variety of reasons, though they all get a lot of criticism for many, many other reasons, but as the second instalment of this timeline STAR TREK franchise, I’m very pleased by the results and I am hopeful that a third instalment is produced faster than this one and without J.J. Abrams. Maybe it is time for a different pair of hands to see where STAR TREK can boldly go next time into the future? But despite some negative reviews of this film, but instead I am so pleased to add this to my STAR TREK Blu-ray Collection, as it gives me a great thrill every time I view these STAR TREK films on the Blu-ray format and especially in the stunning 3D image. Highly Recommended!Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film AficionadoLe Cinema ParadisoUnited Kingdom

Good Si-Fi

Live long and prosper.

Loved this DVD, a great family , funny film. Thank you for your prompt and speedy dispatch. Thank you very much