Star Trek Into Darkness

So before I start this review I would like to say that I am one of those people who never really got into Star Trek until J.J Abrams's 2009 film. The 2009 reboot blew me away and I really loved it and therefore was looking forward to the sequel Star Trek Into Darkness very much. So was J.J Abrams second Star Trek film a film worth waiting for? As with all my reviews this one is spoiler free.

Following origins of Captain Kirk and Spock and the rest of the Enterprise crew in the first film, this one can dive straight into the action. This time round we join the Enterprise crew as they go after a starfleet member turned terrorist, John Harrison. The film is action packed and fast paced from start to finish, you are in for a great ride. Obviously there is a lot more to the plot, and as with a lot of films these days there are a lot of big twists and turns along the way. I was disappointed by some of the smaller subplots at the start, which were wrapped up so quickly it left you feeling whether they were even needed in the first place. The twists are great, however when some are revealed it isn't too hard to predict where the plot might go next.

J.J Abrams's first Star Trek film lacked a developed villain and this was the first thing they changed for Into Darkness. Believe the hype, Benedict Cumberbatch is incredible and indeed steals the show. He plays John Harrison who is a very well written character and one of the best sympathetic villains i've seen in cinema in a long time. However he does not overshadow the rest of the cast, especially with the Kirk/Spock bromance which also stands out and makes the film. The bromance brings the most funny, heartfelt and powerful moments to the film. If it wasn't for the great chemistry between Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto this film would fall short and I don't think even Cumberbatch could save it.

More of the supporting characters get more screen time this time round, most noticeably Simon Pegg's Scotty who has his own character arc in the film. Unfortunately some of the bigger characters of the first film seem to get less, such as Uhura who seems to be forgotten for the middle part of the film, and not to mention her relationship arc which gets touched on at the start but then forgotten again.

The cinematography is stunning and the lens flares seem less in your face than the previous film, I personally do not mind the lens flares that much and quite enjoy that Abrams brings his own style to his films. For a film that is effects heavy it is lucky that they look so good; not once was I taken out of the moment by some dodgy looking CGI. Even the practical effects were great, you get to see a few revamped Klingons which look great and if a threequel goes ahead we could be seeing a lot more of them.

J.J Abrams has made the perfect sequel, he has gone bigger, bolder and better! What I loved most about this film was that I was emotionally involved in these characters lives even though I have never been a massive Star Trek fan. Some of the scenes are very powerful and well written, the film doesn't come without a few flaws but for me it was one of the best sci-fi films I have seen. That is why I am rating it a strong 4.5/5.

I think it's fair to say that Star Wars Episode 7 is in good hands, especially since the latest Star Trek films have felt quite familiar...

What did you think of Star Trek Into Darkness? Please comment below.

Thanks for reading and live long and prosper!

Iron Man 3

So yet again I am sorry it has been quite slow recently here on my blog but I am back and ready to review Iron Man 3, you didn't think I'd miss this one out did you? And as always the review is spoiler free! The Avengers made a tonne of money so Marvel can now put more into their solo films making this the biggest Iron Man film to date, but was it the  best? The start of Marvel Phase 2 is here and it kicks off with a bang! After a lacklustre sequel is Iron Man 3 the best film of series so far?

In this instalment we see Tony Stark at his lowest after the event of The Avengers have taken their tole on his mental state and unluckily for him The Mandarin is at large. After series of attacks on America and one that hits too close to home, Tony must go after the worlds biggest terrorist. The story takes some elements of the Extremis story arc in the comics however new director and writer Shane Black only takes elements of this storyline and a few others to make his own piece.

As you may have already guessed Robert Downey Jr once again kicks ass as Tony Stark as does Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts and surprisingly Don Cheadle, who is less annoying this time round as War Machine/Iron Patriot, much better than Iron Man 2 as he was given a bit more to do this time round. New additions to the cast include Ben Kingsley who plays the brilliant role of The Mandarin but a different type of villain to the one you may have seen in the comics. We also get to see Rebecca Hall as scientist Maya Hansen and Guy Pearce playing Aldrich Killian, both great in their roles also.

After a not so great sequel, Iron Man 3 returns to the original by stripping Tony away of everything, no Avengers or S.H.I.E.L.D to help him, allowing us to see the man we saw in a cave in Afghanistan creating the Mark 1 suit. However the threequel does also feel very different to it's predecessors, sometimes this is not always a good thing with the film dipping it's feet in many different genres such as comedy, action, thriller and even at one point it felt like a family movie with the introduction of a child who stays at Stark's side for a short period of the film. Not as annoying as it initially may sound.

There is a lot of cool action in this film and the best of it is not when Tony is suited up, instead it is when

he only has parts of his suit on him or none at all. The full suit action was just as fun, though it does seem that they are a lot more breakable than the other films. The effects as always are pretty awesome and are at their best during a scene where Iron Man must save a bunch of civilians falling out of a plane. The look of the new suits are awesome as well and I am very happy that they decided on revamping War Machine to The Iron Patriot suit.

There are a lot of twists and turns in this film which is great and some really bold moves by Marvel. One twist however will leave the audience in two minds,

you will be either be happily surprised or disappointed  I am yet to make my mind up.

The writing from Shane Black is great and Tony Stark continues his funny streak from The Avengers some jokes may fall flat with some people but I had a blast. My criticisms of the film would be that some sequences were quite predictable and the ending seemed a bit rushed. The soundtrack also lacked the awesome ACDC tracks that I feel really complemented Iron Man in the first two films. The film as whole though is a lot of fun, it was a lot better than Iron Man 2 but failed to blow me away the way the original did. A lot of critics are saying it is better than The Avengers however I do disagree with this, either way this was a very good start to Marvel Phase 2 and I cannot wait to see what the rest of the films have in store and what Joss Whedon has up his sleeve for The Avengers 2! I am giving Iron Man 3 a rating of 4/5.

Remember to stick around after the credits and look out for yet another great cameo from Stan 'The Man' Lee.

Thanks for reading! What did you think of Iron Man 3? Please comment below.