Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)

The 2nd instalment of the new generation cast to cement their feet into the shoes of well established characters, settings and the famous ship, the Starship Enterprise. In the hands of JJ Abrams, the franchise is on the right course to expand and attract new fans. There will always be the die hard fans (and I'm not talking about the Bruce Willis films here guys!) who will object to their beloved characters and universe going in a different direction or in a particular style.

This is a reboot, get over it. If people are so objectionable over the way the Star Trek mythology is handled you can go back to your Star Trek: The Motion Picture and your Star Trek Insurrection's and remember how dull and awfully slow they were. Those films will never be able to convert non fans to the franchise but this one and the previous chapter will, I for one, am on board and can not wait to see how things continue you develop. 

 The sequel opens up with a bang as the crew (and the audience) are hurtled straight into danger. Kirk and co, are on a planet trying to save it's alien inhabitants from an erupting volcano. When things call for a drastic and immediate decision, Kirk disobeys Star Fleet code of ethics and saves the day. Unfortunately his superiors (and Spock) do not agree. Believing he will be assigned to a 5year exploration of deep space, he is instead call up to be reprimanded and loses his captaincy of the ship. Meanwhile in London, we are introduced to the mysterious John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch) who coerces a Star Fleet Officer with a promise to save his dying daughter for an exchange of a favour...I could go on with the plot, but it's safe to say it's up to the crew to stop Harrison's plot and there are plenty of twist and turns which will keep the viewers on their seat. 

All the cast return and put on their best impersonation of these well loved (and known) characters, some getting more screen time (Scotty) while others are reduces to little dialogue and actions (Sulu, Chekov and Bones) but that isn't really a criticism. If the characters were all given the same or more things to do, the film's run time would easily exceed 3+ hours. As it is, most of them are reduced to what their designated status and skill sets are to progress the plot's natural progression.

The main leads do perform an admirable display and imbue their characters with a lot of depth and emotion. There is a genuine connection that the audience can feel between Kirk and Spock. Benedict Cumberbatch's villain is a great deal more than a maniacal menace. There is a reason for his vengeance against Star Fleet and there is a great deal of control to his performance which is never over the top and provides the viewer with  sympathy to his cause.

There are nods and winks to the Star Trek lore, (with the most apparent coming near the end) and there is an utter respect to the old films and series. Things which both old and new fans can both enjoy and appreciate. What is totally different is the pacing of theses films. There isn't many scenes where some explosion or action sequence is on show, but that is punctuated with very talky, science fiction dialogue as it cuts back and forth between action and drama. It works very well.

Is this a better film than the previous effort. No. It's a continuation to the series which opens up many doors for it's characters and world to go into. It's a solid encounter for the crew of the Enterprise with a very polished finish (lens flair still intact!). It's an entertaining ride with some great touches of humour and dramatic performances, with plenty on offer for everyone. 

Acting: 4/5

Narrative: 4/5

Technical Merit: 4.5/5

Entertainment: 4.5/5

17/20

Iron Man 3

The third in the ever increasing popular Iron Man series, follows on from the enormous Avengers film where we find Tony Stark having to battle anxiety attacks and sleepless nights from his experiences fighting extraterrestrials in New York. Not able to cope or fully recover, Stark hides himself amongst his suits and gadgets neglecting his partner Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow in a more substantial role this time around). The story starts though with a flashback, going back to 1999, before Stark became Iron Man.

The events that unfolds, informs us of how a budding young scientist Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) comes to Stark with a new idea which unfortunately, he dismisses, this in turn results on his past decisions coming back to haunt him... Fast forward to the future and there is a more imminent danger in the form of The Mandarin (played with great joy and humour by Sir Ben Kingsley), who targets the US and threatens to kill civilians via bombings.

Stark ignores the publicity and news on the Madarian and doesn't see it as his duty to get involve but when  his ex-bodyguard Happy Hogan (Favreau), becomes one of the latest victims and suffers from major injuries, Stark issues a threat on national news and announces his address to Mandarin which was an unfortunately the wrong thing to do.....

There is quite a bit of substance to the story and there is a some choice dialogue littered throughout the film. Not really surprising come from the director Shane Black. Anyone who is familiar with his screenplays will know he has some killer quotable lines (just check out The Last Boy Scout or Kiss Kiss Bang Bang). Stark is once again imbued with great charm and retorts, but it isn't only the heroes who come out with funny dialogues, even the henchmen come out with some comedic lines.

This is a much improvement compared  to the last film, which did feel a little tired and more of warm up towards the big gathering of superheroes that was The Avengers, this time around Downey Jr is given more of a job of acting, instead of just his face in a helmet. The film's logically progression is to show what he can do with out his powers, or in this case his multi million dollar suits and gadgets....which is of course to rely on his wits and charm.

It's probably fair to say that this is more of Tony Stark movie than an Iron Man film. That's not to say it's a bad thing. There are still some amazing set pieces within the film to satisfy the action junkies (most notably standout would be the multiple passengers rescue in mid air). The plot just feels more meaningful and thought out. 

If this is to Downey's Jr last stint as Iron Man (he will reprise the role in the forthcoming Avengers sequel), this is a good send off to a character he has made his own and anyone looking to step into those red Iron boots, will have a hellava job to match (let alone improve) his interpretation.

Acting:4/5

Technical Merit:4/5

Narrative:4/5

Entertainment:4/5 

16/20

http://youtu.be/aV8H7kszXqo