My complaints about the previous movie apply to this one: tries too hard, but delivers very little, instead coasting by on known and lesser known references to the old franchise. Doesn't bod well for the Star Wars sequels, since the prequels were bad enough at times about not being their own thing and just trying to glide by on "hey, that's a reference to..."

Lot of action to distract you from a threadbare plot made from recycled bits of better movies/episodes.


My score: 6/10

SPOILERS

1. The opening...meh. I saw the leaked preview. Spock and Kirk are amazing swimmers.

2. I agree McCoy comes across as a parody and I cannot blame Urban too much except maybe he was miscast.

3. Villain reveal was in place of actual characterization (spoiled it for myself accidentaly days ago  ). Cumberbatch is good, but thats  the thing, they had to have a decent actor to make up for Khan being another disposable villain. And let's not question the backstory, he's 300 years behind the times, never said to have an engineering background, but is a speed reader and can develop superiour tech.  Wouldn't it have made more sense that the Section 31 tech came from Nero's ship in the last movie?

4. Weller's character...Admiral Marcus, more villainous than he really should be. It's not like Trek hasn't played the warhawk starfleet officer card before and done it much better.

5. Carol Marcus. Okay, so...in one universe Carol Marcus is a civvie scientist who distrusts Starfleet, in this one she's the Starfleet bigshot's daughter?

6. Khan cries.  Who doesn't cry in this movie?   Peter Weller's character and the mute Keenser.

7. WE CAN RADIO SCOTTY ON EARTH (from the Klingon border). THEN SPOCK ON NEW VULCAN. But we cannot send out for help? 

8. Klingon ships are of the erector set motiff. Because, god forbid anything look too sleek like that old Trek franchise.

9. Klingons all wear helmets, because WE CAN HAVE ANOTHER REVEAL. Or something.

10. Foot chase...really...in Star Trek? There was already so much running around the ship that it got old.

11. Hey, a tribble...because, you know STAR TREK.

12. Take off those red shirts! You guys wanna die or something?  Then they don't! Ha! Averted trope!

13. Why did Khan save Kirk in space? Because Scotty hadn't opened the door?

14. Khan beamed over Enterprise's guys but not the mostly stunned Adm. Marcus goons. So did any of them wake up or survive the crash...we aren't supposed to care, but...whatever.

15. Did anyone think Kirk was gonna die...I mean, because they weren't paying attention to McCoy's talk of Khan's blood sample earlier? Another telegraphed bit.

16. The enemy ship's crash was so gratuitous. Fitting because the ship was, too. EVILPRISE! Bigger, darker and better armed! (The big bad warship reveal is a Trek joke at this point, too.) Also, conveniently small crew for plot purposes.

Khan: "Heck EVEN ONE GUY CAN OPERATE THE SHIP. Wink-wink."

17. "Hey, I'm Captain again...here's a speech...it's a year later say, how come we aren't at war with the Klingons?" Did we tell them what happened? They believed us? Even though they'd sooner choke a chick than talk.

18. Killing Pike was a mistake. I like Greenwood more than the main cast. Also, we get Kirk wants revenge angle...that lasts for 15 minutes until he realizes Spock is right.

19. For all the vintage references, what's the deal with the "toss in a new alien at inappropriately distracting times"?

"How' are the engines?"

WEIRD CREATURE IN STARFLEET UNIFORM THAT WE'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE replies "Still non operational, sir!"

And never Andorians or Tellerite or any TNG aliens, but new ones that say "Hey, look at this CGI".

20. Oh, boy, guess who is on ice for a wrathful awakening?

If there's a show I watch when I have nothing better to do that is SUPERNATURAL.

I actually avoided it when it first aired, thinking it was another monster of the week show shot in dreary Vancouver where all the monsters look human or take human form. Over the years I'd catch the intro or even leave the t.v. on and see an episode now or then. Then when I was working an evening shift, I started watching TNT's 3 hour block of it in the AM after waking up. I watched the later seasons first (the show is NOT hard to follow). And when they got back to season 1, I realized that every thing I thought about the show was correct...it started out a dreary monster/demon of the week ho-hum series. I think the funny thing about the show is how much it has in common with CHARMED, which TNT replays before Supernatural.  Siblings at the center of THE cosmic good vs evil struggle.   Constantly battling demons. Missing parents. Yup. Supernatural is a chick show! 

That means I've watched Charmed. I admit it. I've watched some of the new Beauty and the Beast, which is pretty lame...Lana from Smallville as an NYC cop. Yeah, right...

DR WHO is another one I can take or leave. Some times it seems really engaging, other times it's shovel full of nonsense that takes its mythology a tad too seriously.

Family Guy is another one. Sometimes I watch, but lately, I do not. I think part of the thing is that all the characters are detestable on some level.

Bob's Burgers I almost got into. But sometimes it's just irritating.

I'm not impressed by SHIELD's trailer, it has the "Gunn" actor from Angel that I thought was not a good actor. I suspect a lot of teasing of characters that won't appear due to movie obligations, like Birds of Prey series teased Batman and Batman villains but didn't use them even during the Batman movie franchise's downtime.

I'm amused Reign, the CW's late in the game attempt to cash in on Game of Thrones, and NBC's Dracula, a late in the game attempt to cash in on vampire schlock.  (3 years from now they'll make their own zombie shows)

I dunno...all these genre soap operas are funny, since in the past soooo many have failed. I won't be watching Drac, because big 3 genre shows I've watched in the past all got cancelled.

An ebay seller in China has lots of 100 clone blasters for $9.99 with free shipping. Mix of CW (i think) and older movie style, who knows what you'd get of each? 50-50?

I'm debating getting some, just because I pick up used figures sans accessories.

I didn't order anything, either. Hasbrotoyshop had a few decent figures, but even with the code, after shipping I was better off ordering from Amazon....which I did not.

In another entry of the "stores you didn't know existed, much less carried toys" department, JediTempleArchives reports finding 2012 items such as vintage boxed starfighter class vehicles ($15), Movie Heroes figures  ($5) and the 2013 12" figures ($5) at Gabriel Brothers discount clothing stores, a regional chain not within 100 miles of me.

When in doubt, go to www.addall.com and search out of print books, they'll give you list of that book being sold at all major book selling sites.  Of course, in some cases you can do better selling locally.

Death Star Trooper...  Who, for reasons unknown, was called the Imperial Navy Commander on his vinty card.

Imperial Navy Trooper is what they are. But they never call them that.  I prefer to think of them as "Imperial Navy Death Squad Star Destroyer Trooper Commanders".

I don't have luck finding SW stuff at Goodwill or Yardsales either...  I dream of that same dream, but no luck for me.  I think it's more miss than hit generally.

Lot more miss than hit, and if there's a  craigslist garage sale ad that mention Star Wars product specifically, you better be the first person there! 

Some summer weekends I could hit 30+ sales and not find anything toy wise worthwhile.

Just buying some junk lots off ebay would be more economical, given the cost of gasoline (as well as the hours of your weekend wasted looking at ceramic frogs, holiday decorations, fast food toys, romance novels, religious materials, VCR tapes and all the other dreck that is commonly found at yard sales).

But then  I wouldn't have my sub-collection of incomplete ROTS Jedi starfighters and handless action figures!