Star Trek: Into Darkness

If you haven’t seen this film yet, then where have you been?! I’ll split this into two parts, one with no spoilers and one that goes a bit deeper into the film but will have some spoilers with it. I’ll try to keep them to a minimum but no promises.

There has been a lot of speculation surrounding this film and who the villain will be. The name John Harrison was dropped to try and send people down a route and while it worked for some, there were a lot of people who had doubts. There was a strong suspicion that the villain of the film would be Khan and viewers are set for a tense journey to find out the truth.

It’s not very often a sequel surpasses the original in such a large manner but Star Trek: Into Darkness does exactly that. It builds on the foundations laid in the first film and allows it to grow into something even more spectacular. There was a lot of talk about the trailers giving too much away of the film but that is not the case, there is a lot more to this film than first shown and that is partly why it is so good.

The Main Features

The story is fantastically well written and there were few faults I could find. The characters come across even better than they did in the first film, as their relationships have grown and the actors have been able to grown into the roles.

Visually, the film looks stunning, much like the first one. Boundaries have been pushed to create parts of the film that can be considered eye candy to science fiction fans but every scene had a purpose, even if it was a reference to the original Star Trek films.

Overall, this is definitely one of the best films of the year, and one of the best sci-fi films in a very long time. One piece of advice, watch Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan to pick up on some jokes and twists made against it!

More Details, Along with a Few Spoilers

This film had me hooked – it really did. The direction I thought it was going to take, with a terrorist based plot on Earth, was implied in the trailer. While there is a good chunk of the film set on Earth, there is plenty of space travelling, and time on other planets, with a story that does have hints of a terrorist story but with a much deeper plot to unravel that will have us questioning not only the heroes but the villains.

We see a ship that crashes into the ocean on Earth and the shape and angle implies we are seeing a disaster occurring to fans of this franchise but there is more happening than we are led to believe which will leave your mouth hanging open.

Tensions are running high throughout this film as Kirk is faced with a situation that he is unfamiliar with, and the real growth of this young captain is going to be laid down for all to see. My only real complaint is how quickly the film ended and the route they took about. It was a clever trick and the reference was brilliant but as soon as it was mentioned, I knew what was going to happen.

Overall

Fans of the original franchise, the new franchise and science fiction films in general will love this film. Film lovers will enjoy the well-made and extremely well-paced film that will not leave you bored. The one spoiler I want to tell you about, the one that was all the talk of the rumours, I can’t talk about. You’ll have to find out for yourself.

A new show of domination in Spain, 2013

The Spanish Grand Prix gave us another view of the dominance of Fernando Alonso. His driving skills showed us why, even in an uncompetitive car last year, he was still in the title fight until the end. This race was almost Sebastian Vettel-esque from some of his races in the last few years.

The Stunning Spaniard

Without the mistakes in 2 out of the five races, Alonso would be leading the championship. If the car keeps developing, he will be leading it soon enough regardless. It was smooth sailing after the bold overtakes on the first lap and from there he was doing just enough to keep himself safe. Vettel has managed to control races like that recently but this shows how much Alonso wants to win this year. There’s no pressure after the season Ferrari had last year and how close they came so unless something drastic happens soon, it could be good season for them. Massa also had a good race to reach a podium finish from ninth. His form is constantly improving and I would love to see a race victory for him this year at least once.

Salvaging the Points

It was damage limitation for both McLaren and Mercedes this weekend. The former still trying to understand why they have lost so much pace with this car and the latter not able to improve the tyre wear during a race. McLaren should be happy with a double points finish, even if it is in the lower half of the top ten. It still seems strange to be saying that about the team who had the quickest car at the end of last year, and both Jenson Button and Sergio Perez were downbeat despite how well their races went.

For Mercedes, a pattern is emerging. It wasn’t as bad this weekend for Nico Rosberg, still finishing in the points but Lewis Hamilton, passed by both a Williams and Button, was also not happy, as was clear in his post-race interview. Monaco might help them, as it is difficult to overtake there and they are very quick in qualifying but I think they’ll still miss out on the pit stops.

Red Bull and Tyres

One good thing about this post being a week late is that I’ve been able to keep track of the on-going Pirelli tyre situation. Red Bull are still not happy but as has been pointed out, it wasn’t long ago they won a race from four pit stops. How quickly they change their minds about how efficient the tyres are and how good they are for the sport.

Pirelli have announced they want to change the tyres as early as the Canadian grand prix next month but no matter what decision they make, someone won’t be happy. Where is the line between changes that should be made and those that shouldn’t. Safety is the most important thing, and we have seen some worrying incidents with the tyres but I don’t agree that last year’s tyres should be used or even much harder tyres. If it’s the bonds that are the problem; then strengthen the bonds, they’re not amateurs and will probably have a way of doing so.

I’m not solely convinced that four stops during a race is too many. I enjoy the multiple pit stops and working out who’s where. It can be a little confusing but how many people focus on EVERY car on the track at once. Generally you’ll follow the drivers you want to win, or do well, and those around them, while on the lookout for others who do well or do not. More than four stops would definitely be a problem, but four isn’t too bad. If everyone does three stops it will become processional again and that won’t be so fun, the fact we are getting a mix means there is always something going on and I enjoy that.

Summary

While not the most exciting race so far this year, there wasn’t anything inherently bad about it. It’s quite possible we would be saying it was dull if it was Vettel who rushed to victory but having Alonso show his worth is refreshing. He’s a force to be reckoned with this season once again, and as for the tyres, we’ll have to wait and see.

Results

1 – F. Alonso (Ferrari)

2 – K. Raikkonen (Lotus)

3 – F. Massa (Ferrari)

4 – S. Vettel (Red Bull)

5 – M. Webber (Red Bull)

6 – N. Rosberg (Mercedes)

7 – P. Di Resta (Force India)

8 – J. Button (McLaren)

9 – S. Perez (McLaren)

10 – D. Ricciardo (Toro Rosso)

11 – E. Gutierrez (Sauber)

12 – L. Hamilton (Mercedes)

13 – A. Sutil (Force India)

14 – P. Maldonado (Williams)

15 – N. Hulkenberg (Sauber)

16 – V. Bottas (Williams)

17 – C. Pic (Caterham)

18 – J. Bianchi (Marussia)

19 – M. Chilton (Maurssia)

20 – J. E. Vergne (Toro Rosso) - DNF

21 – G. van der Garde (Caterham) - DNF

22 – R. Grosjean (Lotus) - DNF