"Star Trek Into Darkness"

#######  WARNING - This review does contain spoilers, so please be aware - ###########

After a huge amount of anticipation, "Star Trek Into Darkness" bursts onto the screen like the Enterprise racing across the stars in Warp Drive.

So what do our plucky crew of NCC-1701 have to contend with this time round?
A Star Fleet building in London lies in ruin after a seemingly unprovoked attack. The Fleet reconvene at their Head-Quarters, only discovering too late that the actual target was that very meeting. The initial attack was just to get the main players of Star Fleet all together.
Picking up the pieces and going through the evidence, they now know their attacker, one John Harrison, and Kirk and Crew are keen to undertake a mission of revenge, despite protestations from his commanding Officer Admiral Marcus.

So with this second "Star Trek" film, what else do we encounter?
Well, we have a beautiful blond haired Scientist called Doctor Carol Wallace, but what is her connection with Admiral Marcus?  A villain who has superior intelligence and strength, and is keen on genetics. There are scenes of two Starships facing off against one another, there are photon torpedoes that look suspiciously familiar, the Enterprise is in mortal danger having lost power and someone has to deal with the ravages of radiation to save the ship.......hang on. Wait a god damn minute. We have been here before. That's right, if any of the above does sound familiar, then that is because it does. It is a virtual copy of "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan".
Now, I know I should be objective, but when you love "Star Trek II: the Wrath of Khan" as much as I do, then you would understand how angry I was sat watching this new film.
I was sat questioning some of the issues on timelines especially as Kirk and the Villain are meant not to have met before their meeting in "Space Seed". Though even before that I found it difficult to get into the characters, their was a lack of engagement, which was probably not helped by the fact that a lot of the action was shot far to close up. If a Studio knows it is going to screen a film on the IMAX, then this should be catered for. There was no problem when viewing both "Skyfall" and "The Dark Knight Rises", and both of them were viewed three rows from the front. And with sequences like the attacks both in London and on Star Fleet, this can only hinder the spectacle of them, and thus ones enjoyment.

The greatness of the original film was that it stood on its own two feet, it introduced these well loved and well known characters, but from a new and fresh perspective, and despite being weary as to how successful it would be, it was pleasing to see they pulled it off so beautifully. This time round has been the complete opposite. Instead of carrying on with fresh new material, Director J.J. Abrams decides to take the majority of his writing, with a few tweaks here and there, from one of the most beloved "Star Trek" films ever. I would not regard myself as a Trekkie or Trekker but I have a huge amount of love for the first six movies. And seeing some great moments from that second film replicated here did me no favours, and did little for my enjoyment or temper. When I heard the lines "I think you'd better get down here" I was really shaking my head in exasperation.

Even if the action is too close for comfort at times, one cannot fault the visual effects, which are top notch.The rousing score courtesy of Michael Giacchino is worthy of note, and as ever the make-up is of the high standards that one has come to expect.
The regular cast members all reprise their roles wonderfully, though special mention to both Karl Urban as 'Bones McCoy' and Simon Pegg as 'Scotty', who thankfully provide some welcome relief.
Alas someone who does not fair as well is Benedict Cumberbatch. An actor I have enjoyed watching for some time, but here failing to convey any menace, and at times woefully over-acting.

I must confess that I have not seen the first film since the Cinema, and had forgotten the part about being in a parallel universe, and this would have explained a few things, and may have answered my queries over certain time line issues.
But even that being an allowance, this is a major disappointment, I was convinced that this would be at least a two visit film, but it will be the only viewing that my sanity can withstand am afraid.
Someone on Rotten Tomatoes summed it up beautifully..."A bad cover of your favourite song".

This second film has gone where no film should have gone........4 out of 10.

PS - And one of the four points it scores is for an old friend.

"Iron Man 3"

After the rather disappointing second film in the series, how has this second sequel faired?

Thankfully I can say that it is considerably better.
The World is need of Mr. Stark's metal creation once again, even though he is still recovering from the aftermath and effects of the attack on New York in "Avengers Assemble". There is a global terrorist at large called 'The Mandarin', wreaking havoc and spreading his words of vengeance via messages across television networks, and leaving a path of destruction in his wake.
Over at Stark Industries Ms. Potts has settled into her new role, and is a fine figure head for the Company. The Organisation receive an offer from a former acquaintance, Aldrich Killian, who is on the verge of a major breakthrough regarding redesigning human DNA especially when body parts are hurt / injured. It can basically reheal itself in seconds through this new process. At the moment there is a slight hitch, in that the body can get really hot at times, like a mini volcano, and some of the subjects have been known to explode, and causing quite a lot of damage along the way.
Killian seeks the help from the Stark Company to further his research, but they decline.
This is the second time that Killian has been left standing in the breeze by Stark, and is understandably pissed off. He seeks to get his own back on the cocky playboy with the cool toys.

The Mandarin looks to take aim at the biggest target of all, the President of the United States. There is an attack on Air Force One, and POTUS is taken hostage. Stark is attacked at his beachside property, and is left for dead, with his home and gadgets in ruins.
It all builds to the huge climax, which has a few surprises and no mistake.
As has become the staple diet of these movies, there are plenty of action sequences, involving some truly jaw dropping visual effects. It is when you see films like this, that we all know have far we have come. One of the highlights of the film has to be the 'barrel of monkeys' sequence.

As ever Downey Jr excels as the loudmouth cock sure Stark, Pearce is ok as scientist Killian, but for me Ben Kingsley steals the show as 'The Mandarin'. A great performance that I am sure everyone will be talking about.

There is a certain something missing from the film, and I can't quite put my finger on it, which is probably why I still rate the original as my favourite, but don't get me wrong, this is a highly enjoyable film, which is a flyaway smash hit......8 out of 10. 

"The Place Beyond The Pines"

The lead actor and Director of acclaimed film "Blue Valentine" are reunited for this latest movie "The Place Beyond The Pines".

Luke is a drifter, a real loner, going from town to town with the circus that he works at, employed as one of their bikers who cycle round the wheel of death. Ironically for someone who spends most of their time on a motorbike, he has very little drive. He just takes each day at a very leisurely pace, when revisiting a town, Luke meets up with a past fling, Romina, and discovers that he has a one year old Son.
This news has quite the effect on Luke, and he quits his job at the circus, keen to do all he can to be a good father, even though Romina has someone in her life. Despite his best intentions, the combination of Cofi, her partner, and Luke trying to be a Father cause quite the altercation, and this sees Luke getting locked up for a while. Upon release, understandably, Romina wants very little to do with him. Things escalate, and Luke again finds himself dealing with the Police, in the form of Police Office Avery Cross. Their lives start to cross, and it also means that Officer Cross will also encounter both Jason and AJ, when they become friends.
With various story strands all playing beautifully, they all converge as the film builds to its conclusion.

It is difficult to go much further into explaining the plot without giving any major pointers out, and that is the last thing I wish to do, as this is such a great film. See all the stars on the poster, well each and every one is well deserved.
I saw "Blue Valentine" for the first time recently, and have to say that whilst good, it did not blow me away like I expected, but this has more than made up for it. The acting, as one would expect, is excellent, and it is especially nice to see Bradley Cooper again step away from comedy to work on something more dramatic, and a great job he does too.

A nice slow burner, that will no doubt put some off, but those who like to be enthralled by a great script and compelling, with some outstanding performances, under the leadership of a talented Director, then this is the film for you......9 out of 10