Too Many Fistfights but Enjoyable

Rating: 8/10 (7 June 2013)

As with most my age (mid-sixties), I've been through them all. Every attempt to nuance the regiment of characters that have spanned the realizable galaxy that is the home of the Star Trek conglomerate. I am pleased that there is less self-caricature than previously, less smirking and lame attempt at humor. This is an admirable attempt at a really good adventure. One of the reviewers likened it to "Raiders" and its ilk. The problem for me is that while I was taken in once again by a pretty good adventure story with amazing special effects, when I left, I had nothing that stayed with me more than a few hours. One of the problems with the high-tech world and the incredible expense involved is that we slip back to the lowest common denominator, lest we lose a less hip audience. My contention is that we can have highly intelligent science fiction without catering strictly to the nerd element or comic book purists. That involves writing. That involves not having an incredibly complex set of circumstances resolved through a fistfight on some Harold Lloyd, moving girder set. I think the potential is there. How about stretching things a bit more. When "The City on the Edge of Tomorrow" appeared lo those many years ago, the arrogant wunderkind Harlan Ellison took the Trek people to a wonderful place by "writing a really good script." Since Hollywood can do things it never could before, how about tapping into it and doing something incredible. I thought that our refugee from Sherlock Holmes had a great sinister quality that should have been embraced. So much for that. He is pretty much talk and pretty vulnerable.
Again, I think this is well worth seeing, but I think that there is so much potential for something glorious.