Star Trek

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Lower Decks Renewed For New Seasons
TV News

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Lower Decks Renewed For New Seasons

Paramount+ today announced new seasons of its hit original series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Star Trek: Lower Decks will premiere globally this summer. In addition, Paramount+ announced that both series have been renewed for additional seasons: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds for a 10-episode third season and Star Trek: Lower Decks for a

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TV News

‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Casts Paul Wesley As Captain Kirk

Following the release of the trailer, it’s announced that Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has cast Paul Wesley in the role of the iconic Captain Kirk for Season 2. The actor, who is known for The Vampire Diaries, confirmed the news on Instagram. “I am deeply humbled and still a little startled to have been

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TV News TV Trailers

‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Trailer Stars Anson Mount

The Paramount Plus streaming network has released the trailer for the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds series starring Anson Mount as Captain Christopher Pike during the years he manned the helm of the U.S.S. Enterprise. The series will feature fan favorites from season two of Star Trek Discovery: Anson Mount as Captain Christopher Pike, Rebecca Romijn as

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Movie News

Transformers, Star Trek Release Dates Get Pushed Back By Paramount

Paramount pushes back release dates for Transformers: Rise of the Beasts and a new Star Trek movie that is in development. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts will now open on June 9, 2023 instead of June 24, 2022. The new Star Trek movie will open Dec. 22, 2023 instead of June 9, 2023. Check out details on both films below.

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TV News

Star Trek: Alex Kurtzman Signs New Deal With Paramount

Fans aren’t too happy with this announcement, but Paramount has announced Alex Kurtzman has signed a new overall deal that includes Star Trek and extends his contract through 2026.  I have to side with the fans with this one as Alex Kurtzman is behind Star Trek: Discovery (Season 3 was awful), Star Trek: Picard (I couldn’t get past

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Marvel Movie News

‘Star Trek’ Gets ‘WandaVision’ Director

A new Star Trek movie is in development at Paramount, and it has WandaVision director Matt Shakman attached to helm the flick which will get released June 9, 2023. Details are scarce about the new Star Trek movie – as it is unknown if it will feature the Chris Pine cast and crew – but

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Movie News TV News

Paramount Plus Unveils Price, Content

Paramount Plus unveils its price subscriptions and the massive amount of content for its new streaming service featuring a catalog of more than 30,000 episodes, 2,500 movie titles, and over 1,000 live sporting events, plus around-the-clock news coverage, which includes Transformers, Star Trek, Mission Impossible, A Quiet Place, and more. ViacomCBS updated investors on Thursday

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Movie News Reviews

Review: Star Trek Beyond

Trekking Water

A Film Review of Star Trek Beyond

 

Star Trek Beyond is a film that unknowingly delivers a cautionary tale regarding branding and licensing.  Licensing has become such a lucrative business practice in the entertainment industry that it has practically lobotomized Hollywood from its former state of original stories for the silver screen.  Why originate when you can simply adapt?  As such, branding and the protection of the IP in question has become even more important as big studios are quick to deploy platoons of litigators to cease, desist and sue anyone and anything that may even remotely “harm” the brand even if it is out of love and for zero profit.  The Star Trek brand has undergone several evolutions since Gene Roddenberry brought it to television in 1966, but it has never deviated from the fundamentals that make it unique from other science fictions: making social commentary, relating it to the evolution of the species, expanding what it means to be human and of course, bringing as much actual science in function and theory to the fiction as possible.

Star Trek Beyond is the third film in a brand reorientation trilogy to hollow out its own warp core and replace it with cloned dilithium crystals that define the generic action/adventure blockbuster.  In other words, Star Trek ain’t Star Trek anymore, and it is all thanks to one J.J. Abrams who was originally tasked with readapting the brand back in 2009 and has been quoted on several occasions for considering his own ignorance of the brand as being a good thing.  “I remember appreciating it, but feeling like I didn’t get it.”  “I had no idea there had been 10 movies!”  “I didn’t want to become a student of Star Trek.”  “I was trying to make a movie, not trying to make a Trek movie.”  Fast forwarding to today, J.J. has jumped ship to Star Wars and fellow action/adventure line chef Justin Lin (of the Fast and Furious franchise) continues serving up late night specials emphasizing the brawn of action and spectacle over the brains of plot and meaning.

Only reviews, fan feedback and most importantly returns at the box office will determine whether the rebranding of Star Trek is “good” or not, but its transformation into derivative eye candy is clear.  Don’t get me wrong, the visual effects, set design, costumes and makeup showcase some of the best efforts from professionals in today’s industry, and it is enjoyable to see.  Unfortunately, there’s nothing to see Beyond the glimmer and nothing to think about Beyond the explosions.  In a summer of average blockbusters, Star Trek Beyond is an average action-adventure that finds a way to stumble into a loose plot about aliens wanting to kill humans (where have we seen that before?), there’s some nostalgic crew banter, lots of explosions, and then it’s over and back to routine for Kirk and co.

Action Style

Justin Lin knows how to pack in the action as everything plus the kitchen sink is present in this film.  Starship combat, laser gun battles, martial arts, vehicles chases.  Wow, it really is Fast and Furious in space!

5/6

Action Frame

Lin and cinematographer Stephen Windon find lots of neat ways to keep the frame moving at all times with plenty of dynamic angles to go around.  Sure, space gives great context with its Z-axis, but this is continuously demonstrated on planetary systems during expertly choreographed stunt work sequences.

5/5

Lead Performance

Chris Pine’s Kirk is featured more singularly than Zachary Quinto’s Spock this time around and while both do decent enough jobs portraying their individual characters, it is their chemistry as a duo that either fizzles out or never existed from the very first film.

3/6

Supporting Performance

Consummate comic relief in Simon Pegg’s Scotty is playful, Zoe Saldana’s Uhura is more of a prop, John Cho and Anton Yelchin’s Sulu and Chekov are effective sidekicks and Karl Urban’s Bones McCoy is the only one worthy of bringing a snide smile to your face.  BUT, yet another flat villain with a shoehorned back story that gets thrown in the audience’s faces during the 2 minute warning of the final act is yet another example of bad villains breaking movies.    

2/5

Music

Great use of original orchestrations of this new version of Star Trek in addition to the application of “classical” music.

5/6

Sound F/X

Equally great sound work on display for explosions, tech, weapons and spaceships.

4/5

“Moving” = 24/33

Digital F/X

Top marks here.  Visual effects are absolutely pristine and rival just about anything out of the Star Wars camp and they have Mickey Mouse money to pay for everything!

6/6

Special F/X

For as much digital reality that’s being thrown about, there also a ton of stunt work that’s on display.  This requires an extremely healthy amount of wire work and practical effects and both are integrated quite seamlessly.  

4/5

Costumes

I’ve still not been taken in by the bright colors and bland textures and functionality of the new Starfleet uniforms, but the alien designs somewhat make up for it.

4/6

Hair & Makeup

See above.  Sofia Boutella’s Jaylah character seems to serve one purpose and one purpose only: to show another way to present exotic, sexy, alien women without having to resort to cleavage.

3/5

Exteriors

From space to planetary-scapes, exterior locations are vast, well dressed and designed.

5/6

Interiors

Is it possible that any film can suffer from too much attention to detail regarding set design?  I haven’t found that to be the case yet.

4/5

“Picture” = 26/33

Hook

Captain Kirk is bored as a Captain in Starfleet?  I guess he wasn’t told all of his duties didn’t exclusively involve punching alien overlords in the face to save humanity.  I guess he needs another go to reinvigorate himself.

1/4

Conflict

Again, evil alien overlord wants to kill humanity.  Yawn.

1/4

Resolution

We know the good guys are going to win, but is it ever possible for them to do so while suffering some form of permanent loss?  No?  Ok.

2/4

Dialogue

Trek jargon?  Check.  Crew banter?  Check.  Bones McCoy?  Check.

5/6

Exposition

We really could have used some information on the primary antagonist much earlier in the film to give some depth to an “I’ll kill you all!” villain.  Throwing it in at the very end as a surprise twist is not satisfying, it’s trolling.

2/5

Character Uniqueness

By now, I would have expected our crew of the Enterprise to distinguish themselves from the originals beyond light remixes and Spock really came close in previous films only to revert to reliable first officer in Beyond.  Sulu kind of had a moment, but that apparently upset Mr. George Takei.  

3/6

Character Relatability

This is Karl Urban’s category as his character regularly calls out his fellow crewmen not just for the absurdity of their stances in certain situations, but also for what his own is called upon to do.  I still don’t connect with Kirk’s boredom, but he clearly needs a hobby.  Even Picard had Earl Grey, archeology, literature and his flute.

2/5

“Story” = 16/34

Overall MPS Rating:  66/100

This film has a lot to offer by placating to the average, unassuming viewer who isn’t looking for anything special, but will be upset by anything Beyond their attention span or general disposition.  Becoming something more generic increases one’s audience at the expense of intrigue, which brings us back to that cautionary tale.  Star Trek Beyond has affirmed that nothing is true in branding and everything is permitted in licensing so long as those old, rich, white studio executives keep collecting our cash with trivial efforts from con artists that can turn their heads with even the slightest promise of bigger dollar bills.  Star Trek has betrayed itself and it will take a “student” of the brand to transform it Beyond a space shoot ‘em up.

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Movie News Reviews

Movie Review: Star Trek Into Darkness

Back to the Past and Into the Future

A Film Review of Star Trek Into Darkness

By: Lawrence Napoli

 

Before getting right into this review, I’d like to chalk up a victory to internet speculation; which is basically two thumbs way, way up to all of you.  Back when J.J. Abrams was tapped to reboot this franchise with a throw back perspective of the original crew’s adventures, message boards all over the net lit up with likely plot points, villains and scenarios.  Abrams’ first adaptation in 2009 gave the audience a fresh new take on Kirk, Spock and the rest, but its success as a story was heavily dependent on plot points made famous in both the original series and feature films.  This brings us to the images leaked from Star Trek Into Darkness while in production and even more specific predictions hit the internet thanks in large part to the manner in which Abrams’ first story played out.  J.J. certainly played coy in response to all the rumors and speculation, but the fact remains that several key predictions of the online community regarding this film are accurate.  So again, I say to you all: well done!  Your insight serves you well.

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Tron or Trek?

The basic plot for this film continues to make similar allusions to the past exploits of the original crew which is at times its greatest strength as well as its greatest weakness.  What’s good about this aspect to the screenplay is the fact that the nostalgia generated from the audience does much to bolster the sympathy factor for every character as well as the stakes they are contending.  Of course, what’s bad happens to be predictability; specifically in regards to new characters that are introduced and situations that come off as far too familiar.  J.J. went on Jon Stewart’s Daily Show talking about how he continued to want to make these reboots appealing to more than just “Trekkies,” which is all well and good seeing how the “money demographic” of males 18-25 is less likely to be familiar with Kirk and Spock’s original adventures.  If these tales worked once before, why wouldn’t they work again with an even bigger budget?  However, what’s most impressive about the script is that despite all the action and all the past references is that writers Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman and Damon Lindelof still manage to make Star Trek Into Darkness an intimate exploration into both Kirk and Spock, what binds them together as well as what drives them forward.  This intimacy chains to the rest of the cast which really promotes a family dynamic amongst the crew and this makes the audience care that much more.  Overall, the script delivers a very accessible sci-fi adventure that focuses on action, but delivers dramatic character interplay minus the scientific jargon that tends to fill out the dialogue of standard issue Trek.  

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Star Trek’s version of WMDs perhaps?

As for the action, it is a cavalcade of CG wizardry, wire-work and wreaking havoc with pyro which is exactly what this rebooting effort has been all about thus far.  What’s interesting, though, is that Into Darkness continues to not favor starship warfare as the de facto action option.  Certainly a budget of $190 million dollars can afford us a glimpse into futuristic people doing futuristic things without the aid of toy models.  Just about every character gets put into harm’s way with their boots on the ground which makes for some satisfying chase sequences and hand-to-hand fisticuffs at various points throughout.  As important as those elements to a Star Trek adventure may or may not be, seeing the Enterprise (or its respective counterpart) in action has always been a mainstay.  As iconic a vessel as that starship will always be, it is severely underused in this film.  Granted, the plot gives the audience a myriad of exposition to explain this little detail away, but the Enterprise is still vital in our protagonists accomplishing their goals.  I would have liked to see a lot more space ship action, and I’d really like for the production team to dim the lighting and décor on the bridge a bit.  For crying out loud, it seems like the command crew is operating within a tanning booth in the middle of an Apple Store!

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More Enterprise please.

Star Trek Into Darkness continues to showcase some of the best examples of ensemble performances you’ll find in blockbuster films thanks to a number of larger names such as Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg and Karl Urban being comfortable with the smaller, support roles of Uhura, Scotty and “Bones” McCoy, respectively.  As much as I’d like to see more of the command crew stand out, shifting the focus of a Star Trek movie away from Kirk and Spock is like shifting the focus of an X-Men film away from Wolverine: It just isn’t going to happen.  Still, J.J. seemed very diplomatic in partitioning specific moments for everyone to shine as well as bringing new characters such as Alice Eve’s Carol into the fold who will undoubtedly play a more significant role in Treks to come.  Peter Weller (a.k.a. Robocop) takes a break from his voice over work to do some live action as the fairly creepy Admiral Marcus.  His talents are better served behind a microphone.

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Was this moment the real reason Alice Eve was tapped for this role?

And speaking of creepers, Benedict Cumberbatch as XXXX equates to the best performance you’ll see from a villain this entire summer.  Of course, I refer to his character as XXXX because it’s a major spoiler who he really is, and that gets instantly spoiled if anyone checks out imdb.com.  If you know your Trek mythos, allow yourself this additional little surprise by limiting your spoiler-free research to right here at cosmicbooknews.com.  That being said, this man has an incredibly intimidating voice that could redefine what it means to be a villain these days in Hollywood (and it already seems to be paying dividends in his additional film work as he has also been cast as the Necromancer in The Hobbit sequels). He doesn’t seem much to look at, but his domineering presence exudes from his dulcet tones.  Cumberbatch’s performance was a welcome return to respectable villainy unlike Eric Bana’s Nero in the last film which amounted to one of the worst villains ever conceived in the realm of science fiction.   

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This is how you do the stare down.

Chris Pine does a respectable job as he continues to embody a young James Tiberius Kirk, and Zachary Quinto continues to amaze with his various reproductions and slight alterations to Leonard Nimoy’s performance during the original television series.  Separately, these men accomplish everything required of their characters, but in the scenes they share, I seem somewhat lost in buying their friendship has evolved to such a degree in such a short time to make their decisions in the third act come from a natural place.  It’s not exactly a lack of chemistry I am describing as Pine and Quinto nail the knucklehead/straight man routine quite well, but with only the plots of two films to build their camaraderie, it feels like Kirk and Spock are still feeling each other out and this uncertainty would not translate to such reckless abandon, both exhibit towards the end of the film.  Still, their evolution as Kirk and Spock progresses despite the fact they take a giant step forward in their shared “bromance” here.  I’d like to see Pine take it down a notch in terms of projecting Kirk as a hot-head, so as to accentuate his suave and smarmy appeal.  But perhaps this balance is only attributable to the unique efforts of Mr. William Shatner

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Hunny, what if it was just us?  Would J.J.’s Star Treks still hold water?

Star Trek Into Darknessis a very fun adventure for both adults and kids, men and women.  There’s lots of CG eye candy, action and character intrigue.  It is a fine example of popcorn films doing their best to entertain.  A third Star Trek adaptation from Bad Robot and J.J. Abrams is inevitable, but that film will most certainly have to take more steps into uncharted territory than its brethren in terms of plot points.  It’s not enough for J.J. Abrams to remix the tales of old with the aid of youthful exuberance and an old Vulcan from the future giving you tips along the way.  There needs to be more separation before anyone with a cursory knowledge of Trek knows the entire story before it even hits the theatres.  Outside of this dependence on the past, the Star Trek reboots continue to prove as worthy diversions of summer fun.