I am a big fan of Benedict Cumberbatch and love his performances on Sherlock and Doctor Strange. That said, as talented as he is, his turn as Khan in Star Trek Into Darkness did not work for me. How can you try to recreate on of the greatest villains to grace the silver screen? Ricardo Montalban gave such an iconic performance that I can understand why Cumberbatch chose not to try an imitation, but the result was a character that bore very little resemblance to the classic Star Trek adversary. They should have just gone with an original villain.
I'm still scratching my head over Star Trek Into Darkness. I just rented Star Trek Beyond and that was another head scratcher. I think what has been gained as far as action and special effects has been lost in story. I enjoy the new Star Trek films and the characters. I'm just expecting more since there's that constant comparison to the Classic Trek.
ReplyDeleteI agree with all that you said, Ross, except that last sentence. I'm in agreement with revisiting classic Star Trek events, including the reemergence of Khan, but a different casting would have been in order. I would have favored Antonio Banderas.
ReplyDeleteI think that Benedict Cumberbatch got caught in the same trap that Tommy Lee Jones did (in his turn as Two-Face), among other actors. He got cast as a really interesting character, and he worked very hard to make the part work - but the best acting in the world can't get past a POS script and story, or horrid directing.
ReplyDeleteYour final observation was completely accurate. This was the second movie in a new series (and don't think otherwise; Abrams worked VERY hard in the first movie to establish that this was a new universe with characters with the same names, that's all.) And he COULDN'T COME UP WITH AN ORIGINAL STORY? If he ran out of ideas that fast, there's a REAL problem.
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ReplyDeleteWhat ELS said in his second paragraph....
ReplyDeleteIn space, everyone will hear Superman scream:
ReplyDelete"KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!"
Is Benedict Cumberbatch going to be one of the aliens in that post-Thanksgiving crossover on CW?
ReplyDeleteCary Comic said...
ReplyDelete"In space, everyone will hear Superman scream:
"KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!""
Using his 'super-ventriloquism', of course...
^_^
@Simreeve:
ReplyDeleteAh, yes! The undeniably superior joys of the Silver Age. :-)