Star Trek Beyond (Spoiler Alert!)

I have been a Star Trek fan ever since I laid my eyes on the Enterprise and her handsome captain, James T. Kirk, somewhere in the 80s. Truth be told, there wasn't another handsome dude on board, except for an odd crewman or two who would usually be the first one to get vaporized in an alien attack or bumped off during a trip to an alien planet. I was fascinated by the tricorder readings, the communicator, the equipment that could beam the crew from anywhere, the shield that could go up at the press of a button, the cloaking mechanism and of course, the different alien species (though they often bore a startling resemblance to humans!). Okay, enough of the nostalgia. To cut the long story short, there was no way I was going to miss out on the latest offering, the imdb ratings be damned.

So the story goes as follows. The Enterprise, on one of its 5-year missions, finds itself docked at Yorktown, a Starfleet base. A scientist is seeking help to rescue her team which has been stranded on a remote planet in a yet uncharted territory. Since the Enterprise is the only vessel which can venture there, captain Kirk agrees to help her, little knowing that someone who hates the Federation is waiting there to take control of his ship. The enemy does take control of the Enterprise but Kirk and his teammates manage to destroy her instead of letting her fall into enemy hands. In the process they find themselves stranded on the planet without any means of contacting the Starfleet.

There is not much in the plot by way of novelty, if truth be told. The storyline of someone disgruntled with the Federation hellbent on destroying it has been explored before. I wish they had taken us to a new civilization instead. A new planet perhaps, inhabited by people, who instead of bearing a striking resemblance to humans, are actually humans, but have managed to make a better life for themselves. They have succeeded where we have miserably failed. They are where we could have been, if only we had made different choices. Interesting, huh? Alas! The writers have chosen to venture into the much-charted territory, with the result that the rest of the movie just becomes a story of how Kirk and team manages to fight the odds and get back to civilization, once again.

I confess that there were times when I found myself quite unable to follow the plot - things got just too technical. I have said before that I am not too happy with the subplot of Uhura and Spock. The Spock that I seem to remember from the old series was more interested in (or fascinated by!) the strange life-forms or planets. He also didn't seem to be much of a man of action, save an occasional bit of a skirmish to save good old Jim. But here he, with good old Bones at the wheels, is shown to be rescuing Kirk as he is about to fly off the starbase. Speaking of that base, the innumerable intersecting pathways and buildings erected at a twisted angle to the space made me dizzy. I am sure I would have never been recruited by the Federation. :-) Chris Pyne does a good job of playing the slightly reckless, fearless James Kirk. But he doesn't have William Shatner's killer smile. :-( And I had eyes only for the good old doctor. Karl Urban looks so cute that I think Uhura is certifiably mad not to fall in love with him. (A confession is in order here. I watched the totally unwatchable Dredd just for Karl Urban and was hopping mad when he didn't take that mask off even once during the entire movie!). I would have happily traded places with Spock to be stranded on a remote planet with him and wouldn't have dreamed of ever getting back to mother Earth. Speaking of Spock, I am not sure exactly what he has in mind as far as the rebuilding of his race goes. Is he planning to open a harem and sire as many children as he can? I hope not. Oh, and it was very hard to watch the Enterprise go down though. I have come to love that ship and so was happy when they showed it being rebuilt (but of course!) towards the end of the movie.

I hope that the next time the writers will find it in their heart to boldly go where no one has ever gone before, as far as the plot goes.

The other day, on one of the Whatsapp groups, someone fowarded a new take on the tale of Mahabharata. The Pandavas symbolise your five senses - sight, smell, taste, touch and sound. And the Kauravas represent 100 vices that attack your senses everyday. The key point is that your senses can fight these vices if you let Krishna, who symbolizes your inner voice, ride your chariot i.e. your life. So why did Drona and Bhishm, the elders who were supposed to uphold truth and justice, join the Kaurava camp? Because they were not perfect and had their faults, just as the elders do in real life. And you may find yourself fighting them for the greater good.  Karna is desire, the brother of the senses. He is part of you but stands with the vices. He feels wronged and makes excuses for being with the vices, just as your desire does when it gets the better of you.

Very interesting, huh? I know. Pretty convincing too, I bet. But doesn't it sound too paternalistic? How can you explain what happened to Draupadi using this framework? I put the question to the group but got no answers.

Murder On The Links - Agatha Christie

I know, I know. I have been devouring Christie books as if possessed. But honestly, can you blame me for not getting enough of her contribution to the genre? I had said that it was time for another Ms. Marple adventure. I, however, again ended up with the Belgium detective with an egg-shaped head and an exquisite mustache.

The story begins when Captain Hastings runs into a very beautiful, and modern by his standards, girl in a train. Cinderella - that's what he calls her because she goes away without giving him her real name. Poirot has a mystery on his hands when Hastings joins him. Someone called Mr. Renauld has written to him from France saying that his life is in danger and he needs Poirot's help in solving the matter at hand. Poirot and Hastings start at once for Merlinville, France. But it seems that they are too late because on reaching their destination they are informed that Mr. Renauld has been murdered during the night. The examining magistrate and the Commissary of Police extend all the help to Poirot but Mr. Giraud from the Sureté isn't too keen to have Poirot on the case. Things seem simple on the face of it but Poirot figures it out that there are several perplexing issues which are vital to the solving of the case. Who left the front door ajar? Why has Mrs. Renauld's watch gained 2 hours? Why was the body left at a place where it would be soon discovered? What was the significance of the piece of lead pipe found next to it? And finally who is the perpetrator?

The best part about the book is that you can piece together several facets of the case from the crumbs that Christie leaves for the reader. You even feel confident at times that you will be able to solve it on your own. Of course, I couldn't. But when all was revealed at the end, I realized that it was entirely within my ability to reach the conclusion. Guess I have a long way to go when it comes to employing my little grey cells :-)