-The film acknowledges Kirk's ill-preparedness to serve as captain and he matures and becomes aware of his flaws/failings to a much greater extent
-Spock is more likable; his developing friendship with Kirk serves as the emotional core of the film
-The beginning of the film sets up the conflict well
-As Harrison, Benedict Cumberbatch is effective at evoking an ambiguous situation
-Great acting from the Enterprise crew
Failings:
-The end of the film completely falls apart and cheapens the emotional impact
-Harrison's identity is underwhelming and not incorporated into the film's story structure well
-Both female characters fail in their endeavors with disheartening frequency
-Kirk comes across as more of a lecher than his TOS counterpart did, especially with the implications surrounding Chapel's departure (This also will make any sort of romance between Carol and Kirk extremely problematic given that Chapel is Carol's friend. I can't imagine becoming involved with someone who treated a friend of mine so poorly.)
-The bedroom scene with the aliens is kinda creepy, not because it's threesome, but because it involves women who look like twins and are likely genetically related. Imagine sleeping with someone at the same time as your sister. Yikes…
-Uhura's role revolves entirely too much around Spock. There is exactly one scene of hers in which he was not present and even then, she was still speaking with Kirk about him. She remains horrifically underdeveloped because although she's the third most prominent character, besides work-related facts, the only thing we know about her is that she was Gaila's roommate.
-The Spock/Uhura romance simply doesn't work. Probably the biggest issue here is that it is reduced to a vehicle for Spock's emotions. A revealing instance is seen during Spock and Uhura's argument, as Spock is talking about the emotions he experienced when his planet was destroyed, the camera pans over and focuses on Kirk — indicating that this scene is really all about what will happen between them later in the film and furthering their friendship.
-Not enough Mc Coy — Karl Urban cares about the character; it shows
Although there are many more points of criticism than praise, I did enjoy the film. However, it could have been a great film but falls short in a myriad of ways.
Better and Worse than the 2009 Film
Improvements:
-The film acknowledges Kirk's ill-preparedness to serve as captain and he matures and becomes aware of his flaws/failings to a much greater extent
-Spock is more likable; his developing friendship with Kirk serves as the emotional core of the film
-The beginning of the film sets up the conflict well
-As Harrison, Benedict Cumberbatch is effective at evoking an ambiguous situation
-Great acting from the Enterprise crew
Failings:
-The end of the film completely falls apart and cheapens the emotional impact
-Harrison's identity is underwhelming and not incorporated into the film's story structure well
-Both female characters fail in their endeavors with disheartening frequency
-Kirk comes across as more of a lecher than his TOS counterpart did, especially with the implications surrounding Chapel's departure (This also will make any sort of romance between Carol and Kirk extremely problematic given that Chapel is Carol's friend. I can't imagine becoming involved with someone who treated a friend of mine so poorly.)
-The bedroom scene with the aliens is kinda creepy, not because it's threesome, but because it involves women who look like twins and are likely genetically related. Imagine sleeping with someone at the same time as your sister. Yikes…
-Uhura's role revolves entirely too much around Spock. There is exactly one scene of hers in which he was not present and even then, she was still speaking with Kirk about him. She remains horrifically underdeveloped because although she's the third most prominent character, besides work-related facts, the only thing we know about her is that she was Gaila's roommate.
-The Spock/Uhura romance simply doesn't work. Probably the biggest issue here is that it is reduced to a vehicle for Spock's emotions. A revealing instance is seen during Spock and Uhura's argument, as Spock is talking about the emotions he experienced when his planet was destroyed, the camera pans over and focuses on Kirk — indicating that this scene is really all about what will happen between them later in the film and furthering their friendship.
-Not enough Mc Coy — Karl Urban cares about the character; it shows
Although there are many more points of criticism than praise, I did enjoy the film. However, it could have been a great film but falls short in a myriad of ways.