Zodiac: Signs of the Apocalypse (2014)

Last night, I spent relaxing (and finishing some physics homework) and had no motivation to hit the blog. By now, everyone has probably heard about the passing of Sci-Fi icon Leonard Nimoy. For me, he not only etched his way into my mind as Spock, it was his work on In Search Of that sparked my interest into the unexplained. He will definitely be missed. #LLAP  - Now to the blog, next up is the 2014 made for television disaster flick Zodiac: Signs of the Apocalypse.

Plot/ When a mysterious planet crosses the sun global catastrophes are unleashed. A rogue scientist is the key to deciphering the symbols and humanity's only chance at survival.

Yes, I knew exactly what I was in for when I started watching this one: a predictable, CGI filled, made for television disaster flick, and that is exactly what I got. I did find the subject matter interesting; the theory of Nibiru or Planet X causing major disasters has been growing for decades. Ironically, it is popping up more and more into pop culture, even making its way into the last Star Trek movie. Unfortunately, the characters were flat, the CGI sloppy, and the scripting and performances were uneven at best. In the end, while this one offers nothing really new and is rather unbelievable (a car outrunning a tsunami), it is a mindless trip toward the apocalypse and perfect for background fodder when working on something.

Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)

As the days creep toward the holidays, it is fun to occasionally venture into a few blockbusters. Usually, I stay away from them, as they are often watered down and miserable. Fortunately, there are times where I roll the dice and come out surprised. In this one, the mention of Planet X or Nibiru was that moment. Next up, 2013s Star Trek Into Darkness.

Plot/ 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.

As someone who is not a huge Star Trek fan, and one that hates reboots, I actually have intentionally stayed away from this series for some time. Now, after watching this one, I may have made a mistake. While it does stray from the intricacies of the original Gene Roddenberry platform, it does take the series into a direction that is at least interesting and action packed. Having not watched many of the original series of movies, my memories are stuck with the original series I watched in my youth, I was able to appreciate some of the modern ideals that were added. The action was solid, the plot made sense, and there was some layered character development throughout. Sure, some of it was predictable, and there were some plot holes mixed in with the clichéd moments, but this did little to offset the underlying themes put on display. In the end, I may not be a Star Trek purist and that may have allowed me a different insight, but I definitely found this one of the more Sci-Fi films in some time, and it made me want to explore this universe some more. If you have not seen it, give it a shot.