tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2323383105577553414.post4951167631573982616..comments2024-02-24T00:25:39.415-08:00Comments on Examined Worlds: Spock, Death, and Mediocre Villainy: A Review of Star Trek BeyondEthanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13490888839784651097noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2323383105577553414.post-73938554241497999772016-07-28T08:54:40.093-07:002016-07-28T08:54:40.093-07:00Thanks, Malcolm! The Enterprise destruction is ge...Thanks, Malcolm! The Enterprise destruction is getting old, I agree. I guess it makes things dramatic in that they can't just leave the planet.<br /><br />I think there was an implied moral conflict between ideals of cooperation (which Star Trek has always prized) and survival-of-the-fittest quasi-Nietzschean individualism. Of course, they did almost nothing interesting with that conflict.<br /><br />I thought the "bees" were technologically cool, although somewhat at odds with Krall's stated individualistic ethos.<br /><br />I loved the nods to early Trek. I admit to getting a little misty eyed when Spock pulled out a picture of the alternative-universe crew from Ambassador Spock's things.Ethanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13490888839784651097noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2323383105577553414.post-7743040134390949002016-07-27T20:20:06.151-07:002016-07-27T20:20:06.151-07:00I thought this Trek was better than the first two ...I thought this Trek was better than the first two reboots. But I think the two major problems with it were the villain and the Enterprise-destruction. The latter is getting to be a trope close to the destruction of the Death Star in the Star Wars franchise. How many times do we need to see the saucer section digging up trees and rocks on some alien planet?<br /><br />I was hoping for something more meaty in terms of the villain--and my expectation was that the "bee" metaphor would be played out more thoroughly. Usually (as my movie-going partner pointed out) there is some moral dilemma or problem in Trek, and if the aliens turned out to be fighting for their own kind of unity (a major theme in this movie) rather than, well, whatever was going on in the "reveal", that would have been more interesting. Star Trek is better at world-building than Star Wars, I've thought, especially in motivating the alien life forms in compelling ways. Here they are basically just alien vampire bees.<br /><br />Still, there were lots of nods to early Trek, and a few scenes where I felt that Chris Pine has finally grown into the role. And while Uhura was still appendage-like, at least the romance was not the central thing, the women got to wear sleeves on their uniforms (some wore trousers, too!), and the movie didn't center on romantic intrigue/workplace sexual harassment.<br /><br />Oh, and another philosophical "moment" borrowed from the Corbomite Maneuver: "There is nothing unknown--only things temporarily hidden." I think the movie borrowed a bit from that episode, too.Malcolm Keatinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13770607352686714700noreply@blogger.com