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David McK (3251 KP) rated Star Trek (2009) in Movies
Aug 23, 2020 (Updated Jan 22, 2023)
JJ Abrams prepares for Star Wars
"Space. The Final Frontier. These are the voyages ..."
2009 big screen reimagining of the iconic 60s TV series, and I use that as the touchpoint deliberately: we're back to a (recast) Kirk and co instead of the Next Generation crew, or even those from Voyager/Enterprise/Discovery.
In retrospect, it also somewhat comes across as director JJ Abrams pitch for making a Star Wars movie: this is also lens flare and slow motion, with the action ramped up considerably from the TV series or even most of the previous movies. it's also the first of the three Kelvin-verse Star Trek movies: I'm unsure whether we'll get any more in that timeline, what with the tragic death of some of the (young) key actors - I'm looking at you, Anton Yelchin (Chekov) - and with others of the cast moving on to other bigger (?) sci-fi things - yep, that's you Zoe Saldana (Uhura).
The plot, as alluded to above, involves time travel, with the events thus kicking off an entire new timeline, that here sees Chris Pine taking on the role of James T Kirk - initially introduced as a kid, driving his step fathers classic car off a cliff (talk about setting out your stall early!) - and Zachary Quinto (then more famous as the villain Sylar from TVs 'Heroes') talking on the role of a younger Spock.
Most of the cast, I felt, was pretty much spot on - the only one that really rubbed me up the wrong way was Simon Pegg as Scotty, although even he grew on me a bit (I'm also not entirely sold on the aesthetics of the USS Enterprise here - more like USS Chibiprise!). We also have the 'passing of the torch' (as it were) from one character to another, with the inclusion of a certain key half-human actor who will forever be associated with that role ...
2009 big screen reimagining of the iconic 60s TV series, and I use that as the touchpoint deliberately: we're back to a (recast) Kirk and co instead of the Next Generation crew, or even those from Voyager/Enterprise/Discovery.
In retrospect, it also somewhat comes across as director JJ Abrams pitch for making a Star Wars movie: this is also lens flare and slow motion, with the action ramped up considerably from the TV series or even most of the previous movies. it's also the first of the three Kelvin-verse Star Trek movies: I'm unsure whether we'll get any more in that timeline, what with the tragic death of some of the (young) key actors - I'm looking at you, Anton Yelchin (Chekov) - and with others of the cast moving on to other bigger (?) sci-fi things - yep, that's you Zoe Saldana (Uhura).
The plot, as alluded to above, involves time travel, with the events thus kicking off an entire new timeline, that here sees Chris Pine taking on the role of James T Kirk - initially introduced as a kid, driving his step fathers classic car off a cliff (talk about setting out your stall early!) - and Zachary Quinto (then more famous as the villain Sylar from TVs 'Heroes') talking on the role of a younger Spock.
Most of the cast, I felt, was pretty much spot on - the only one that really rubbed me up the wrong way was Simon Pegg as Scotty, although even he grew on me a bit (I'm also not entirely sold on the aesthetics of the USS Enterprise here - more like USS Chibiprise!). We also have the 'passing of the torch' (as it were) from one character to another, with the inclusion of a certain key half-human actor who will forever be associated with that role ...
MPMcDonald (8 KP) rated Dauntless (The Lost Fleet, #1) in Books
Jan 12, 2018
This is the first military sci-fi book I ever read. Unfortunately, once I was done with the series, I couldn't find anymore like it. What I loved is that Black Jack Geary was the epitome of the reluctant hero and I'm a total sucker for that kind of character. The idea that he had been floating around in space in a lifepod frozen in susepended animation and wakes up a hundred years after he entered the lifepod is a great plot device. He wakes up to find out that he's become a legend and a hero, and yet he doesn't feel like one. After all, he lost his ship in the battle that sent him into the lifepod.
I didn't think I'd be able to follow the complicated space battles but they were so well written, I had no trouble at all. Of course, keep in mind, I have nothing to compare it too. I didn't even like Star Wars very much.
I didn't think I'd be able to follow the complicated space battles but they were so well written, I had no trouble at all. Of course, keep in mind, I have nothing to compare it too. I didn't even like Star Wars very much.
Michelle (114 KP) rated Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980) in Movies
Mar 16, 2018
Loved this film even though all three of the original films were filmed and seen before the first part of the Star Wars series. Mark Hamell, Harrison Ford, The late Carrie Fisher were the best as Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess Lai she soon should everyone that she was not some helpless princess who let everyone else do things while she sat back and did nothing. Her costumes were amazing, she was right in there fighting along with them to save their homelands/worlds from the Dark Lord Darth Vada. The ariel battles were fantastic. Storm Troopers were meant to be menacing when in fact they were quite funny at times. R2 D2 and 3PO where hilarious and Chewie adorable. The Jedi training was good. The shock about Luke's father I mean who would not be shocked and disgusted at finding out your father is Darth Vada and the girl you love turns out to be your sister.
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David McK (3251 KP) rated Pacific Rim: Uprising (2018) in Movies
Jul 12, 2020
I don't know why, but for some reason Asia (and Japan in particular) seems to have a thing for Giant Monsters (think Godzilla) and for Giant Robots (think BattleTech).
Or, as they're called in this series (and elsewhere? I don't know) Kaiju and Jaegers respectively.
This is a sequel to the best non-Godzilla Godzilla movie (in all but name), this time starring Star Wars own John Boyega as its reluctant hero, as the son of the "we're cancelling the apocalypse" hero from the first move, and who gets drawn back into the whole military training around the Jaegers 10 years after the events of that last movie.
Just in time, then, for him to be in place as the undersea breaches reopen and more of those Kaiju to come through ...
Dumb fun, but seemingly lacking something (although you can actually see what's happening in the battles this time around!) compared to the original, or to the various 'official' Godzilla/King Kong/etc movies.
Or, as they're called in this series (and elsewhere? I don't know) Kaiju and Jaegers respectively.
This is a sequel to the best non-Godzilla Godzilla movie (in all but name), this time starring Star Wars own John Boyega as its reluctant hero, as the son of the "we're cancelling the apocalypse" hero from the first move, and who gets drawn back into the whole military training around the Jaegers 10 years after the events of that last movie.
Just in time, then, for him to be in place as the undersea breaches reopen and more of those Kaiju to come through ...
Dumb fun, but seemingly lacking something (although you can actually see what's happening in the battles this time around!) compared to the original, or to the various 'official' Godzilla/King Kong/etc movies.
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David McK (3251 KP) rated Star Wars: Darth Vader, Volume 2: Into the Fire in Books
Oct 3, 2021
Darth Vader.
Both legs chopped off.
Only one arm.
Left on the lave beds of Mustafar.
No, we're not talking about the end of 'Revenge of the Sith' here, but about part of what happens to Vader in this, the second compilation of Greg Pak's run on the Darth Vader series of graphic novels (here, comprising issues 6 through 11), at the behest of The Emperor, who has found out about Vader's previous 'failings' from Volume 1 (Star Wars: Darth Vader by Greg Pak, Vol. 1: Dark Heart of the Sith in which he allowed his personal feelings to get the better of him.
This run also introduces Ochi of Bestoon - who The Emperor has sent to kill Vader - and actaulyl makes a better attempt at tying together the Original Trilogy and the Sequel Trilogy (with Vader discovering about, and travelling to Exegol and encountering the Sith Eternal) than any of those latter movies did!
Both legs chopped off.
Only one arm.
Left on the lave beds of Mustafar.
No, we're not talking about the end of 'Revenge of the Sith' here, but about part of what happens to Vader in this, the second compilation of Greg Pak's run on the Darth Vader series of graphic novels (here, comprising issues 6 through 11), at the behest of The Emperor, who has found out about Vader's previous 'failings' from Volume 1 (Star Wars: Darth Vader by Greg Pak, Vol. 1: Dark Heart of the Sith in which he allowed his personal feelings to get the better of him.
This run also introduces Ochi of Bestoon - who The Emperor has sent to kill Vader - and actaulyl makes a better attempt at tying together the Original Trilogy and the Sequel Trilogy (with Vader discovering about, and travelling to Exegol and encountering the Sith Eternal) than any of those latter movies did!
David McK (3251 KP) rated A Dance of Cloaks (Shadowdance, #1) in Books
Jan 30, 2019
Hmmm ... I'm not really sure what to make of this one.
It is a fantasy novel, and so has your usual fantasy stereotypes of merchants, thieves (and assassins) and magical beings/clerics, with the main protagonists of this falling into the middle of those categories.
This is set primarily in and around one city, which has
been suffering under a clandestine war between the various thieves' guilds and the wealthy merchants of it, and mainly follows Aaron Felhorn, who has been groomed from birth to be the heir to his father Thren - the leader of one such thieves guild. It doesn't focus solely on him , also including the daughter of one such wealthy merchant: if I'm honest, at one stage I thought it was going to turn into a Romeo and Juliet scenario (it didn't).
I also wasn't aware until I read the authors note at the very end that this was actually the second edition of an earlier story: a 'tidied up' and improved version, as it were. I also wasn't aware that this was also meant to be the back-story to a character previously introduced in another series (kinda like the Star Wars prequels in that respect!), so perhaps suffers from having to create a story to explain how the character becomes who he becomes - kinda like the Star Wars prequels had to explain how Darth Vader came to be!
Based on this novel alone, I'm not sure if I would have picked up any of the sequels, but with that knowledge in mind I may yet change my mind.
It is a fantasy novel, and so has your usual fantasy stereotypes of merchants, thieves (and assassins) and magical beings/clerics, with the main protagonists of this falling into the middle of those categories.
This is set primarily in and around one city, which has
been suffering under a clandestine war between the various thieves' guilds and the wealthy merchants of it, and mainly follows Aaron Felhorn, who has been groomed from birth to be the heir to his father Thren - the leader of one such thieves guild. It doesn't focus solely on him , also including the daughter of one such wealthy merchant: if I'm honest, at one stage I thought it was going to turn into a Romeo and Juliet scenario (it didn't).
I also wasn't aware until I read the authors note at the very end that this was actually the second edition of an earlier story: a 'tidied up' and improved version, as it were. I also wasn't aware that this was also meant to be the back-story to a character previously introduced in another series (kinda like the Star Wars prequels in that respect!), so perhaps suffers from having to create a story to explain how the character becomes who he becomes - kinda like the Star Wars prequels had to explain how Darth Vader came to be!
Based on this novel alone, I'm not sure if I would have picked up any of the sequels, but with that knowledge in mind I may yet change my mind.