Posted by Drew Dietsch | Posted
How do you pick the worst Star Trek movie? There are too many criteria to judge. Do you go with the person you find most boring? What about the one with the dumbest plot? Perhaps you should pick the movie that effectively killed the movie franchise for over five years?
These are all valid metrics for judging the worst Star Trek movies, but we need to look at this decision through a broader and deeper lens. There are many ostensible reasons to call the Star Trek movies the worst. Some were misunderstood, others were despised. is Star Trek V: The Last Frontier A ridiculous vanity project with a climax that deserves to be laughed at? maybe. is Star Trek: Nemesis weak and unusual transmission next generation ship? surely.
But these criticisms alone don’t earn it the title of worst Star Trek film. To achieve that status, you need a story that cuts to the core of Star Trek’s optimism and hope. It has to be offensively stupid in the plot department, lazy and slightly profane in concept, and secretly an insult to everything Star Trek stands for.
There is only one choice for the worst Star Trek movie. Star Trek Into Darkness.
The worst Star Trek movie ever
There are many deeper reasons. Star Trek Into Darkness This is easily the worst Star Trek movie, but before we get into it, let’s look at some of the film’s more immediate problems and flaws.
The most urgent problem is Star Trek Into Darkness I want to sleep in bed Star Trek II: The Wrath of KhanProbably the fan favorite entry in the entire series. There’s nothing inherently bad about a movie remaking or reimagining elements of a previous hit. Star Trek Into Darkness handle it Khan’s Wrath I’m embarrassed about that part.
Benedict Cumberbatch’s performance is simultaneously grand and quiet, never reaching the melodramatic pleasures of Riccardo Montalban’s interpretation of the iconic character. Most egregious is the tone-deaf remix of the memorable “Khan!” Zachary Quinto screams delivering his riff at that moment, and it’s just… *sigh*.
What to pay attention to Star Trek Into Darkness I’m doing my best with a truly atrocious script. J.J. Abrams struck gold with casting the 2009 series reboot, but a good cast can’t save a story full of poor motivations for the characters, leaps in storytelling logic that don’t hold up if you think about it for a moment, and the overall tone is constantly that way. It is at war with itself.
title Star Trek Into Darkness It definitely evokes the feeling of, “Oh, this Star Trek movie is going to be serious business!” That’s certainly what the movie wants you to believe, but the harsh changes from facial grimness to goofy character beats clash so hard that they break apart upon impact with one another. The film never finds its tonal rhythm.
relevant:
Star Trek: The Deep Space Nine Conversation That Changed Television History
Some of the reasons are: Star Trek Into Darkness When it comes to filmmaking, it’s a mess.
chaos behind the camera
When JJ Abrams acquired the feature film franchise in 2009. star trekHe inserted into the series a special sense of manic action energy. To be fair, next generation The film certainly established that tone, but the filmmaking style remained relatively grounded. A big part of this was the fact that pure digital camera work had not yet advanced to a level where it could render believable landscapes and fluid camera movements.
But that ability existed around ’09. star trek It was rolling and Abrams made the most of it. Driven by this aesthetic and energetic choice, he increased the number to 11 in one year. Star Trek Into Darkness And it’s unbearable. It’s an onslaught of noise and visual chaos that disrupts the storytelling function.
But that filmmaking choice wasn’t as jarring in the 2009 film. Because it seemed to match the thrilling tone of the movie. Star Trek Into Darkness‘The decision to go bleak while maintaining the visual language of a more thrilling adventure story adds to this dissonance.
And yet, all of these issues and more – the bad villain handling, the bad characterization, the problematic portrayal of female characters – are truly Star Trek Into Darkness Worst Star Trek movie.
The Cunning of Star Trek Into Darkness
When we talk about the worst Star Trek movies of all time, we have to consider more than just how the movies work on their own. Star Trek Into Darkness It fails as a sci-fi action movie, but what’s downright disgusting is the way it ties in the history of Star Trek with its vision and ideals.
Screenwriter Roberto Orci said: Star Trek Into Darkness as an allegorical vehicle for his own abhorrent conspiracy theories about the 9/11 attacks. It may sound ridiculous, but including a tribute to “post-9/11 veterans” at the end of the film re-colors the entire film.
The details of what I read in the film are well documented elsewhere, so I won’t parrot every observation. Instead, I wonder why this particular aspect truly Star Trek Into Darkness Worst Star Trek movie.
As a fictional concept, Star Trek is meant to represent the most optimistic possibilities for humanity. Yes, there have been important episodes throughout the franchise that have tested the integrity of Star Trek’s ideals. deep space nine – but it always came from a place of sincerity and heart for the world Star Trek wanted to create.
Star Trek Into Darkness It removes that hope and replaces it with blatant cynicism. It maligns Starfleet and the Federation by casting them as inherently corrupt organizations led by leaders intent on inciting war at all costs. It rips out the heart of Star Trek and replaces it with something so rotten that it’s impossible to even watch the movie without feeling sick.
It’s not that the world of Star Trek can’t handle self-critical, dark stories. deep space nine My favorite Star Trek series is a big reason why I’m willing to hold a candle to the ideals and practices of the Federation and Starfleet. But the creator behind it deep space nine Clearly has a deep and understanding love for Star Trek, and the key creators behind it Star Trek Into Darkness Please do not share. Instead, they were able to use Star Trek to spread an inhumane worldview that was ugly in itself but became even uglier when conveyed through the world of Star Trek.
And it is clear that these creative forces brought about this terrible thing. sequel, Star Trek BeyondSwitching directors and writers resulted in the best reboot movie ever. And the film was also able to evoke critical feelings about the Confederacy without resorting to an insidious political agenda.
This is the biggest reason Star Trek Into Darkness This has to be the worst Star Trek movie. You can debate the fictional and technical merits of every other film, but none of them actively express something so toxic at their core. If you like Star Trek, you’ll love its attitude toward humanity and the belief that we can work together for the greater good. If you like Star Trek, you’ll love Hope. Star Trek Into Darkness It’s a desperate, vindictive, immoral blight on the name Star Trek.
If that doesn’t make it the worst Star Trek movie, I don’t know what does. I’ll take a god who needs a spaceship for this any day.
