There are plenty of things wrong with this movie, next to its obvious problems.

It isn't just its main concept that's a bad and totally wrong one for a comedy but also the way it got handled. I actually would have been OK with this movie and its concept, if only it would have been able to actually amuse me and make me laugh, every once in a while. After all, it's not like having an offensive main plot line with some despicable characters in it is anything new for a comedy to feature but in this particular movie it just doesn't work out too well.

I also don't get what these type of movies are trying to do and tell with its story. What are the things that we are supposed to take out of it? That no matter how much you misbehave, lie and steal, you always still should get some sympathy? Because that surely was the approach the movie is taking with its story in its second half, which also was the point that I completely started to loose interest and all respect for this movie.

The Melissa McCarthy does some absolute horrible- and at times just plain rude things to the movie its main character, played by Jason Bateman. And it's all really uncalled for really. All things considering, the Bateman character is extremely polite and patient with the Melissa McCarthy character, even though she is pretty much busy messing with- and destroying his life. Yet somehow, the movie really expects you to still like her and sympathize for her character. But how is that possible, if the movie doesn't show any redeeming qualities about her character?

The movie seems to think it's able to get away with everything, just in the name of comedy. It doesn't always work out that easily though. You may be able to get away with it once you first establish a solid foundation for the movie, with an amusing and engaging comedy concept and some good, likable, characters to care for. All things this movie forget or just simply failed at.

Thing I specifically didn't really liked about the movie its comedy is that it's all some very rude stuff. Some things are absolutely uncalled for and pretty needless for its main plot as well. It wasn't ever really that funny and it came across like some very random stuff that absolutely wasn't ever needed to help to move its main plot forward. I really didn't liked how basically ever character they came across on their trip, seemed to dislike the Jason Bateman character, for no real good reason and absolutely disrespected him and treated him like dirt, while he actually is being the nicest guy out of this entire movie.

strangely enough I still liked the acting. Yes, I even liked Melissa McCarthy's performance. Despite the fact that I couldn't stand her character and even hated her at points, I still couldn't dislike McCarthy's performance. I believe it really shows that none of the actor's were at fault but it truly was the movie its script and directing approach by Seth Gordon that turned this movie into an absolute horrible one.

There were actually also still some side-plots that seemed like interesting ones but by the end of the movie, they were nothing but some wasted potential. For instance, the plot lines involving the Robert Patrick, Genesis Rodriguez and T.I. (who?) character all could had been potentially good and fun ones but the way they were handled in this movie only made them seem like some absolute pointless and needlessly distracting ones.

A just never really funny movie, with a poor concept and handling of it.

4/10

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The 2009 movie "Star Trek" was a great and successful one, that breathed new life into the franchise, by getting J.J. Abrams involved and make a fresh start with the series. Now that the 'freshness' of it is gone, does this movie still impress as a a science-fiction movie and sequel? Sure it does!

In my opinion, the Star Trek movies never really have been very spectacular ones to watch and they often picked a somewhat philosophical approach to things and rather than resolving things by action, they preferred talking and negotiating with their adversaries, who at times weren't even visible villains for the movie. Nothing wrong with that but in most cases it also resulted in some very dry and ultimately also lackluster, boring movies. That's all something you just can't say about the new generation of Star Trek movies. They are fast going ones, with plenty of action and even space battles, while at the same time still managing to give you an engaging story, with three dimensional characters and some real emotions to it.

Not that the story ever gets too complex though. As a matter of fact, this movie features a pretty straightforward story in it, without all that many side-plots or other distractions. It makes the movie perfectly understandable to follow for its mainstream audience, while giving the more hardened science-fiction lovers and Star Trek fans in particular still plenty to digest (especially when you are familiar with "Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan" of course) and feel impressed with, story-wise. There are still plenty of things going on beneath the surface of the movie but it never gets in the way of its main story, or causes the movie to slow down. It even has some unexpected twists and turns to it, without going overboard with it.

Thing that the story also does particularly well is to give the movie a sort of adventurous vibe to it. Afer all, space travels are one big adventure, in which people head into the unknown, facing difficulties and unexpected things they never imagined to come across. This movie perfectly captures that feeling and besides also does a great job building up toward some great moments. The action and tension makes you want to hold your breath at times, even though you of course also know that everything is eventually going to end up alright. After all, this is of course still a prequel to the very first Star Trek movie and TV-series, so you just know that nothing serious could ever happen to Kirk, Spock, Bones, Scotty, Uhura, or any of the other main Enterprise crew members. But the fact that the movie still manages to make you feel nervous and insecure about any of their faiths should tell you something about the effective way it's buildup and handles all of its action and drama.


Still the main thing that this movie has going for it is its action. It's literally action packed, with not just space battles or lasers but also explosions and some good old fashioned fistfights, that always has been a big part of the Star Trek franchise. It all makes this a perfectly entertaining science-fiction action adventure.

It's of course also a great movie to look at, with its wonderful special effects and just overall visual style. I love the new style and atmosphere of these new Star Trek movies. The sets, costumes, it all looks great and truly manages to create a world and universe of its own, that you believe in and want to be a part of.

I'm still also impressed with Chris Pine's performance of Captain Kirk. Not just necessarily because of his acting abilities but the way he perfectly, yet subtitle, mimics William Shatner's earlier performance of the same character. I also feel that all of the other Enterprise crew members finally get to do some more and show what they are capable of. This always has been a big complaint of mine about most of the Star Trek movies. I feel that this movie has some pretty evenly divided screen time and isn't just all about Kirk and/or Spock. Benedict Cumberbatch is also a great addition to the cast and a wonderful 'villain' for this movie!

it is what it is though; some specular and perfectly entertaining science-fiction, action and adventure. It does all the things that it needs to do and it does it well but that is no reason to overpraise this movie as well. It's one that is going to keep the series thankfully going and probably for a very long time as well but not one that is going to make any lists of best- or most innovative genre movies of all time.

8/10

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After the crew of the Enterprise find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction. From: IMDb.com

Directed by: J.J. Abrams

Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Chris Pine, Zoe Saldana and others

Current release date: May 17, 2013

After the crew of the Enterprise find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction. From: IMDb.com

Directed by: J.J. Abrams

Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana and others

Current release date: May 17, 2013

After the crew of the Enterprise find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction. From: IMDb.com

Directed by: J.J. Abrams

Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana and others

Current release date: May 17, 2013

When a mild-mannered businessman learns his identity has been stolen, he hits the road in an attempt to foil the thief -- a trip that puts him in the path of a deceptively harmless-looking woman. From: IMDb.com

Directed by: Seth Gordon

Starring: Jason Bateman, Melissa McCarthy, John Cho and others

Current release date: February 8, 2013

After the crew of the Enterprise find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction. From: IMDb.com

Directed by: J.J. Abrams

Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana and others

Current release date: May 17, 2013

After the crew of the Enterprise find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction. From: IMDb.com

Directed by: J.J. Abrams

Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana and others

Current release date: May 17, 2013

A comedy centered on a man and the woman who steals his identity. From: IMDb.com

Directed by: Seth Gordon

Starring: Jason Bateman, Melissa McCarthy, John Cho and others

Current release date: February 8, 2013

Watch trailer

As the nation states Euromerica and New Shanghai vie for supremacy, a factory worker begins to suspect that he's a spy, though he is unaware which side of the fight he's on. From: IMDb.com

Directed by: Len Wiseman

Starring: Colin Farrell, Bokeem Woodbine, Bryan Cranston and others

Current release date: August 3, 2012