Actors John Cho and Simon Pegg — pilot Sulu and engineer Scotty in the story, respectively — revealed that all three screenwriters, Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman and Damon Lindelof, were huge fans of the original films. Their enthusiasm becomes evident through their use of the idiosyncratic humor that was so enjoyable about the television series. “Star Trek” aims to both be its own unique film and also stay relatively faithful to its source material. J.J. Abrams allows this to happen, as he’s not quite the Trekkie that the writers are. “J.J. was more of a ‘Star Wars’ fan,” Pegg said. “He came into ‘Star Trek’ as an outsider.” Pegg adds that this helped Abrams avoid feeling “slavish to the source material,” thus opening the doors for more creativity. It informs his filmmaking in a way; he relaxes a little bit, especially in this second installment.

In fact, Cho and Pegg noted that they saw Abrams’s love of “Star Wars” transfer in significant ways to the “Star Trek” franchise. The “Star Trek” television series had a sleeker look, whereas “Star Wars” was somewhat more “analog and dirty.” Abrams marries the two: “Aesthetically speaking, (the marriage) formed a brilliant bridge (from) all the clean lines and the fantastically futuristic bridge to the industrial metal of the engine room, which J.J. intended to look like the guts of the ‘Titanic.’” What’s so refreshing about Abrams’ style is that he allows this sleek and majestic spaceship to become a character in the movie. So much of what tires audiences about today’s filmmakers is that many of them seem to be enamored with close-ups, a technique that places the actors more front and center but doesn’t allow other elements to breathe. Fortunately for us (specifically our eyes), Abrams relaxes the camera and allows the audience to see the actors actually occupy physical space on screen. He gives us a Starship Enterprise that breathes with its own persona.

What really elevates this movie to heights of glory is actor Benedict Cumberbatch. Cho pays his co-star a huge compliment: “If I hadn’t worked with him, I wouldn’t know his physical dimensions just based on his work. In ‘Sherlock’, he seems mortal and 5’8”. But in this, he seems like he’s 6’4” and 220 pounds. He just seems enormous and imposing. That’s a testament to how good he is.” Cumberbatch is indeed a transfixing presence, as he supplies exasperated revelations and flashes of entropic terror throughout. “He’s terrific,” Cho said, “and beautiful.” Pegg quickly agreed, “Yeah, he’s beautiful . . . He’s a great guy. Lovely man. And he turns on that villain so well, and he’s got such a beautiful voice.” So beautiful, in fact, that his voice made him pregnant, Pegg joked. Indeed, talking with the actors, it seemed as though the two were paralyzed by the genius in their midst.

Even beyond Cumberbatch’s performance, what’s so pleasing about “Star Trek” is that every element seems to click, from the lively rapport to the terrific action sequences — probably Abrams’ forte. The filmmakers’ hard work brings together a smart and enjoyable sequel. “(Abrams) is a born storyteller,” Cho said. “He approaches (his movies) with boundless enthusiasm. This movie plays like that. It’s joyful.”

Braulio Ramirez covers film. Contact him at bramirez@dailycal.org.

The post Star-crossed fandoms appeared first on The Daily Californian.

When the Danny Phantom-esque boy flies out of the water, his translucent skin, amazingly delicate veins adorning his hands and silver hair softly bristling in the cold wind are exceptionally visually striking. This birthlike scene introduces Jack Frost, the handsome teenager who uses his powers to manipulate blizzards and icicles.

If the opening scenes aren’t indicative of an evolution in animated film, the shaken-up physical appearances of Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, the Sandman and Jack Frost are. The machete-wielding, tattooed, Russian Santa leads the Guardians, made up of an Australian iron-pumping Easter Bunny; a mute, dwarflike Sandman; a peacock-hued, avian-looking Tooth Fairy and the now hoodie-clad Jack Frost. When Boogeyman Pitch Black returns to Earth threatening to turn all childrens’ dreams into nightmares, the Guardians need a new partner to help them fight.

These aesthetic decisions were anything but taken lightly by director Peter Ramsey. Even though he only recently made his directorial debut with the TV movie “Monsters vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space” in 2009, he has an extensive artistic storyboard background that clearly influenced his most recent work.

Ramsey’s decisions were made in close collaboration with William Joyce, writer of “The Guardians of Childhood” series, off of which the film is based. But the writer and director chose to stray from the 13-book series, setting the film hundreds of years later and freeing themselves from feeling an obligation toward textual accuracy.

Ramsey’s modifications to the world of the Guardians stand out the most in the movie’s majestic settings.  The Easter Bunny’s underground lair is a lush paradise filled with giant totem eggs as the protection for the pastel hard-boiled eggs that pad along on their little feet through the grass. For Ramsey, the rabbit’s burrow below the rugged Outback completes “the idea that there is life even in the most unlikely places, and the Easter Bunny is the one who protects that,” he said in a round-table interview.

Bunny, just like the other characters, has a way of traveling through time instantaneously, whipping the story back and forth in a frenzy of action and adventure. Ramsey said he wanted to design the movie for those who “really likes superhero movies or action movies.” But Ramsey adds to the one-dimensionality of the action genre by including the nostalgic, tender factor that the characters embody.

But what Ramsey wishes viewers to really understand is that the Guardians’ protective powers would be nothing without the kids who believe in them. This is the main problem that Jack Frost faces as the protagonist, as he needs kids to believe in him for him to become a true guardian. “It’s about finding whatever is special inside of you and sharing that with the world that creates belief.”

Ramsey makes a clear distinction between his use of these characters in comparison to their depictions in the past. “We wanted to take very seriously the fact that people do believe in (figures like the Guardians). As much fun or as light as it is sometimes, it’s kind of built on pretty serious ideas,” he said. This perhaps is why the film is more mature and has a message beyond just entertainment for kids. Adults as well can view the film with nostalgia and a childhood spirit that isn’t as accessible anymore.

Big stars help to make the film attractive to older audiences as well. The strong personalities associated with each character pair perfectly with the voice talent of Chris Pine as Jack, Isla Fisher as Tooth, Alec Baldwin as Santa, Hugh Jackman as Bunny and Jude Law as the villain, Pitch Black.

The character development leaves none of the iconic children’s characters out, and each has his or her moment to shine. In fact, Ramsey says one of the biggest challenges was “not to let any of the characters fade into the background.” This makes no clear favorite character (though he notes that Santa is especially popular), because “everybody gets their moment, (and) that’s when they become a favorite character.”

At first, Jack Frost doesn’t seem like he will be a favorite character, because we have seen him as villainous in past depictions. As the film goes by, however, we see that Frost, as the outsider, offers an effective approach. Ramsey explained that the film “needed a character that the audience could experience the Guardians for the first time along with … (and) that he has to eventually rise to the occasion and become one of them himself.”

This theme of coming-of-age and fitting in is perhaps what resonates most with the film, as both Frost and Pitch Black battle to be acknowledged. The question of whether each character would put his or her fate in the hands of the children of the world is the dividing factor, when both characters just want to be believed in. The desire to be noticed reverberates with any audience, with Ramsey adding that “everybody knows how it is not to be noticed or not to be seen or heard.” To watch even the characters who have supernatural powers struggle with that concept leaves viewers of all ages affected and reminded that even the smallest possess power.

Contact A.J. at akiyoizumi@dailycal.org

The post ‘Guardians’ rises above limits of animated films appeared first on The Daily Californian.