Star Trek Into Darkness - Set Phasers to Fun!

*Note - this review contains spoilers.

J. J. Abrams seems to be coming more and more ubiquitous in the world of film. After having re-booted the Mission Impossible franchise he then moved on to Star Trek, and is the new guy at the helm for the newly announced Star Wars trilogy. If you need a re-boot, Abrams is your man. After 2009's Star Trek went down such a treat, there has been much hype surrounding its eagerly anticipated sequel. Having established an alternate timeline in the first movie Abrams now has carte blanche as he is no longer constricted by the story lines of the original series. What we thus have is the crew of the U.S.S Enterprise boldly going where no script writer has gone before; or do we?

This time round the crew of the Enterprise must rally together when a Starfleet agent goes rogue and begins a one-man assault on Kirk and his crew. Assigned with the task of tracking down the agent they know as John Harrison, the crew of the Enterprise are led to question their mission when they learn the true identity of their target. John Harrison is actually Khan - a genetically engineered super-soldier awoken from cryo-sleep after three hundred years, determined to have vengeance against his creators. This is where we have the old meeting the new. In the original film franchise, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, is widely considered as the best of the film series, and fans are very protective. What we have here is Abrams opening Pandora's box and meddling with things that perhaps shouldn't be meddled with. Despite this, thanks to the casting of the wondrous Benedict Cumberbatch, he manages to pull it off! There were mixed feelings amongst die-hard fans about Khan being resurrected, him being such an iconic figure, yet Cumberbatch is evil personified, half Hannibal Lecter, half Severus Snape. What this allows is a Khan for a new generation. Cumberbatch brings his own take to the character and claims him for his own, making him a ferocious, hyper-intelligent embodiment of cunning that perhaps makes him the toughest opponent yet faced by Kirk and his cohort.

So, how do the rest of the cast fare? Well, Chris Pine is no William Shatner. His Kirk is a booze and woman loving 'jack the lad' yet always managing to find his conscience at the requisite time. Zachary Quinto, as in the first movie shines as Spock, almost looking like a digitally-rendered youth of his predecessor Leonard Nimoy. Like his portrayal of the evil Sylar in Heroes, Quinto plays the cool, logical Spock with great deopth and complexity of character. Simon Pegg is once again hilarious as engineer Scotty, and Zoe Saldana (amazing in Avatar) and newcomer Alice Eve (daughter of Trevor) make up the eye-candy, which is sadly all their characters are there for. Karl Urban (Eomer, The Lord of the Rings), sadly seems somewhat pushed to the sidelines in this adventure as Dr. 'Bones' McCoy, which is a shame. Better luck next time Karl!

Outside of the acting talent, the film is a visual wonder and fest for the senses. Colour, sound, and amazing special effects abound, making this perhaps the most exciting installment from Abrams to date. Perhaps not as tight in terms of plot as its predecessor, yet with a much more frightening villain, the film is a successful sequel and with a third film in the works, as well as Abrams work on the new Star Wars franchise, if space really is the final frontier, then Mr. Abrams is surely to become master of the universe.

Dead Man Down - Revenge Is Sweet

Venturing into the auditorium the other night I didn't know a thing about Dead Man Down, save it starring Colin Farrell and Noomi Rapace (never a bad thing). Not expecting greatness, I was therefore pleasantly surprised when I emerged two hours later having experienced a well-crafted and taut example of a revenge thriller.

The film follows Victor, played by Farrell, a member of a powerful gang headed by no-nonsense gangster Terence Howard. The film opens with Howard's character Alphonse in the midst of receiving powerful threats to the lives of him and his gang members, seemingly from an anonymous source. What we (the audience) knows that Alphonse does not, is that the threats are coming from within the gang. Victor is a man on a mission as he seeks to right a wrong done against his family several years previously. Enter Noomi Rapace's Beatrice, who like Victor, is seeking revenge for a crime committed against her - and she wants Victor's help. So follows a suspenseful thriller that has a lot going for it. The relationship between Victor and Beatrice is perhaps the most interesting element of the film. Both with their own personal demons they slowly begin to develop a relationship that gives depth to an otherwise run of the mill gang flick.

Colin Farrell, like Jason Statham, or dare I say it, Danny Dyer (shudders), as always plays Colin Farrell - the brooding alpha male who kicks ass, and gets his leg over along the way. It's a shame really because in the hands of a much better and nuanced actor, the complex character of Victor could have been explored with much greater depth. Noomi Rapace, whom first stole my heart in The Girl With the Dragoon Tattoo saga, once again proves why Hollywood is investing their time in her. She has a presence that demands attention and becomes more in this film than the stock damsel in distress, standing out as a multi-dimensional character of her own. Terence Howard is also on top form, giving us a chilling performance as the increasingly paranoid gang leader Alphonse. It's also nice to see Dominic Cooper doing well across the pond and even nicer to see a cameo from Armand Assante, playing a ruthless New York crime lord.

Dead Man Down isn't going to set the world alight. What it is though is an above average thriller with an intelligent and developed plot. My only two qualms are these. Firstly, at just over two hours the pace begins to wane slightly in the middle and we feel as if we could have reached the film's climax twenty years earlier. Secondly, Farrell's character Victor is seemingly Hungarian and we are supposed to believe he deliberately worked to Americanize his accent. The fact that Farrell's American can't help reveal the fact that he's Irish makes this supposed four year eradication of any trace of an Hungarian accent completely absurd!

If you're stuck for something to watch when all you see in your cinema listings is Iron Man or Star Trek then give Dead Man Down a watch - dodgy accents aside!

I'm So Excited (Los Amantes Pasajeros) - Carry on Flying!

Pedro Almodovar, Spanish film-maker and the genius behind films such as Volver and The Skin I Live In, takes to the air for his new film, the comedy I'm So Excited. The film focuses on the passengers and crew on a flight from Spain to Mexico. Finding out halfway through the flight that there is an engine fault forcing an emergency landing, the plane's trio of highly camp stewards must step up and keep the passengers' minds off the possibility of imminent death. Armed with booze, drugs, and a repertoire Liza herself would be proud of, the stewards do their best to remain professional, whilst trying to deal with problems of their own.

The action (for the majority) takes place solely on the plane and feels very much like a play - a diverse range of characters and a storyline that would have audiences in a theatre rolling in the aisles. Javier Camara steals the show as chief steward Joserra. A penchant for tequila as well as chief pilot Alex, Joserra has his work cut out trying to attend to his own demons whilst trying to keep everyone else calm. Cecilia Roth is also perfect as the ruthless and beautiful Norma, whose made a lifelong career in the sex industry exploiting her famous clientele. It is also nice to see cameos from Antionio Banderas and Penelope Cruz. Frequent collaborators with Almodovar, the pair play a small yet intrinsic part at the beginning of the story.

Yes, the film is hilarious, camp, and absolute filth but Almodovar doesn't give us a one dimensional film. There are also moments of pathos and real drama as we learn a bit about the lives of the passengers on board, all with their own personal demons. Balanced with the hilarity, this helps zip the film along at a fair pace - all towards its conclusion which is done with great subtly and suspense as we, along with those aboard the plane, wonder if they'll touch down safely.

The film has received mixed reviews thus far. I think we all expect Citizen Kane every time we get an Almodovar film - after all the man is a genius. We have to treat this as for what it is though - a light-hearted comedy that sets out to make us laugh - and we do. The film is hilarious, moving and has some genuinely laugh out loud moments. My only gripe was that our trip of stewards didn't give us more cabaret. I tell you, when I go on holiday this year, if the cabin crew don't break into a song and dance routine, I'll be one unhappy chappy!