Jack Ryan Reboot

I have been a fan of the Jack Ryan character since The Hunt for Red October (in fact that is what I named my red Saturn 4 door - Little Red October).  I have also liked every actor that has portrayed him and Chris Pine is no exception in this new spy thriller.  Starting with his origin story, we see Jack in grad school and then the Marines where he injures his back in a helicopter crash.  This incident was discussed briefly in Red October as Jack goes on his first assignment on an aircraft carrier.  The commander is giving him a hard time but his superior explains what an amazing guy Jack is, that he couldn't walk after a helicopter crash while a marine, but worked hard in rehab to be able to walk again.  We get to see this scene, finally, in the new Jack Ryan as well as how he met and fell in love with his wife Kathy.  Jump forward 10 years and Jack is in the CIA working on Wall Street, investigating illegal accounts set up by a Russian businessman.  Kenneth Branagh, who is also the director of the film, plays this roll and is an excellent villain.  This is where the film really gets exciting.  There is espionage, car chases, gunfights and intellectual cat and mouse games as Jack tries to stop the Russians from destroying the American economy as well as downtown New York.  Overall, I really liked the film and hope it does well enough in theaters to warrant a second film with Chris Pine at the helm.  While this story doesn't follow any of Tom Clancy's books, it has the tone and feel of them and feels like it could have been penned by the author himself.  Here's hoping for more Jack Ryan!

Star Trek and J.J. Abrams do it again with Into Darkness

     I was a huge fan of the Star Trek reboot back in 2009.  Granted, I was already a Star Trek fan and had seen all of the films when they aired in theaters as well as most of the TV series, but still the reboot was fantastic and I didn't think it could get any better.  So almost 4 years later, the second installment of J.J. Abrams reboot appeared in theaters a few weeks ago and I loved it!  I have now seen it twice and I think my favorite thing about it is it's energy.  It is a non-stop roller coaster of a ride but there is still comedy infused through it all as well as tender moments of friendship and loss.  SPOILER ALERT coming in the next paragraph so don't read any further if you haven't seen the film yet.....
     My favorite character since childhood has been Captain Kirk, and Chris Pine plays the cocky young captain so well that at times I really feel like I am watching a very young William Shatner, but with a little more energy.  His mission this time, to save Earth and his crew from John Harrison (SPOILER ALERT... He is actually Khan!) is actually a sort of retelling of Star Trek II : The Wrath of Khan but in a totally different and creative way.  Some people didn't like the subterfuge since J.J. Abrams was quoted as saying that this movie was not about Khan, but I think he was trying to keep some of the mystery there for the audience.  Benedict Cumberbatch, who plays Khan, is definitely very different than Ricardo Montalban who played Khan in the original series, but I for one LOVE the change (and the lack of fake chest muscles).  He is a spectacular Khan and he is so sly that you keep changing your mind on whether he is good or bad.  By then end of the film, when Kirk sacrifices his life to save his ship and crew from the damage Khan has done, you realize his innate evil.  You also realized that just like Kirk, you were suckered in to Khan's lies.  In the original Wrath of Khan, Spock was the one to sacrifice himself to get the Enterprise back online and out of danger.  I really liked the switch here where Spock has to become the hero and go after Khan to avenge his friend's death.  By Kirk putting his life on the line, he is doing his penance for believing Khan and putting his crew and ship in danger. He has become like his dad who saved 800 lives even though he knew he was going to die.
     My only complaint about the film is that I wanted to see more of Scotty, Sulu and especially Bones. I love the cast of this reboot and I just wanted more of these characters along with Kirk and Spock.  Maybe in the next film....