We flew amongst the stars...

     



         First off I would like to send my condolences and prayers to the people of Moore and OKC. God is with you and he will lift you up in your time of need. That being said, I wanted to share my opinion on Star Trek: Into Darkness and Iron Man 3. I saw both movies this past Saturday and thought they exceeded my expectations. I usually read the reviews of most movies on IGN, Rotten Tomatoes or Coming Soon, but I wanted to view them without any interference or additional commentary.
       My sons and I went and saw Star Trek first. I'm a big fan of the original TV show and also The Next Generation. I tried to get into DS9, Voyager and Enterprise, but really couldn't commit to their mythology.
       I want to warn you that there may be some spoilers for those who've decided to rebel against the cinema establishment and not purchase a ticket to watch the movie. To be honest, it's really good. Go ahead and spend the money.
        I saw the first Star Trek movie and thought it was great. The sequel did not disappoint. It has JJ Abrams touch throughout the whole film which I've read that most Trekkies weren't too thrilled with the first one, but to me it's a fresh take on a classic that just needed a tune-up. He actually makes me excited about his vision of Star Wars.

         The story brings back a familiar villain, Khan, from one of the best Star Trek movies ever made to wreak havoc on Earth and Starfleet Command. Capt. James T Kirk and his crew are sent to kill him when he aids in the destruction of a Starfleet Archive building and later murders several admirals, captains and commanding officers at headquarters. He escapes to the Klingon moon, Praxis, and pretty much saves Kirk, Spock and Uhura from certain death when they encounter a Klingon Security Detail. They escort him back to the Enterprise and there we learn more about his primary agenda.

 That's just a brief synopsis of the film. What I wanted to touch on is the character of Khan. Benedict Cumberbatch is one of my favorite actors. His role as a modern Sherlock Holmes is why I watch the BBC show. When you can get an actor of his caliber, you can't pass up the chance of him portraying one of your characters. He was outstanding and gave the role a quiet villainy that had you empathize with him even though you knew he would kill you to suit his purpose.

          Such a great actor and I wouldn't have chosen him to play Khan. Interesting take, though. In the film, his code name was John Harris, which fit. As soon as he revealed himself as Khan, I was surprised. I smiled as I reminisced about Ricardo Montalban playing the character in the 60's and the 80's. He was the perfect Khan and in some ways so is Mr. Cumberbatch. I guess it just through me off. Eventually, I acquiesced and accepted it. I had no choice. It wasn’t like I could go and re-shoot it. However, if I could make some suggestions to JJ on his next big franchise; no smoke monsters, no island, and Luke, Han, Leia, Lando and Chewie better not be on an asteroid, lost and not know that they’re already dead.
         Next post will be my opinion on Iron Man 3.