The first reboot film got many, many things wrong, but it was forgiven its faults for two reasons; one was the simple fact of it being a new Star Trek film, but the second was that it was hugely enjoyable. Yes, there was the small matter of killing nearly every Vulcan in existence but whats a film without a little drama and jeopardy. Into Darkness though was far too, well, dark. Thousands killed in terrorist attacks, countless bodies crushed by falling buildings, there was almost no joy to be had in the whole thing. Karl Urban did his best but there was just too much animosity and anger in the film for his good old Southern one liners to save it. Yes, there must be drama and peril, but going to the cinema to see a Star Trek film should be an entertaining experience, not a traumatic one. As noted, there must be drama and suspense, but that does not necessarily come with indiscriminate killing and a complete lack of empathy for the dead. There was a definite air of cold indifference to the loss of life during the first reboot films and that was an unwelcome addition to the milieu. Walking the tightrope of hitting all these points and keeping old and new fans happy cannot be an easy task, but a good film with a decent story shouldnt be too much to ask.
I.T. Consultant, technophile and Doctor Who fan. I like to talk about tech, take films apart and make excuses for Doctor Who's continuity errors. No other show has the power to make me feel like a big kid.
