If that sounds like it's setting Star Trek 3 up for a fall with an unsuitable director, well, you couldn't be more wrong. For one thing, Lin isn't going to be writing the script; for another, just because he directs one type of film doesn't mean he can't shift gears drastically into something more different. And hey, a guy who's as adept at shooting action as Lin being drafted into this more set-piece centric vision of Star Trek is a pretty smart move. The Fast And Furious films are guilty pleasures to be sure, but they're also films that never pretend to be something they're not. They're not intellectual treaties or meditations on the power of cinema. They're fun, dumb popcorn films. And in an age where such blockbusters film all their action in infuriating shaking cam to mask bad stuntmen and CGI, meaning you can never tell what's going on, Lin's cinematographer and editor always keep a steady hand. That quality (and clarity) of action scene could definitely benefit the Stark Trek films, with Abrams being a little too of the Michael Bay school. Lin also has a healthy dose of self-awareness probably everyone who works on the Fast And Furious does, how could you not? - as evidenced by his work on superlative, surreal and self-referential sitcom Community, having directed the infamous paintball episodes.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
