Star Trek (2009)

Star Trek is a 2009 American science fiction film directed by J. J. Abrams, written by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, distributed by Paramount Pictures. It is the eleventh film based on the Star Trek franchise and features the main characters of the original Star Trek television series, portrayed by a new cast. The film follows James T. Kirk (Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto) and Dr. McCoy (Karl Urban) aboard the USS Enterprise as they combat Nero (Eric Bana), a Romulan from their future who threatens the United Federation of Planets. The story takes place in an alternate reality due to time travel by both Nero and the original Spock (Leonard Nimoy). The alternate timeline was created in an effort to free the film and the franchise from established continuity constraints.

Development of the film began in 2005. Filming took place from November 2007 to March 2008 under intense secrecy. Midway through the shoot, Paramount chose to delay the release date from December 25, 2008 to May 2009, believing that the film would reach a wider audience.

The film earned high critical praise, gaining a 94% on Rotten Tomatoes. It has become the highest-grossing film in the Star Trek series; as such, it is credited by the media as a reboot of the series. It was nominated for four Oscars at the 82nd Academy Awards and won the Academy Award for Best Makeup, making it the first Star Trek film to win an Oscar.

In 2233, the Federation starship USS Kelvin is investigating a "lightning storm" in space. The Romulan ship Narada emerges from the singularity and attacks the Kelvin. Narada's first officer, Ayel (Clifton Collins, Jr.), demands that Captain Robau (Faran Tahir) come aboard to discuss a cease fire. Narada's commander Nero (Eric Bana) is initially silent, but when Robau mentions the stardate, Nero suddenly kills Robau and resumes the assault on the Kelvin. The Kelvin's first officer, George Kirk (Chris Hemsworth) orders the ship's personnel evacuated via shuttlecraft, including his pregnant wife, Winona (Jennifer Morrison). To protect the shuttlecraft, Kirk sacrifices himself by steering the Kelvin on a collision course. Seconds before impact, Winona and George agree to name their newborn son after Winona's father - Jim.

Several years later, Spock (Jacob Kogan), growing up on the planet Vulcan, is discriminated against for being half-human. As an adult (Zachary Quinto), he decides to join Starfleet after the Vulcan Science Academy slights his (human) mother (Winona Ryder) as a "handicap". On Earth, James Kirk (Chris Pine) has become a reckless but intelligent young man. After a bar fight involving Uhura (Zoe Saldana), Kirk meets Captain Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood), who challenges him to emulate his father's heroism and join Starfleet.

Three years later, Commander Spock accuses Starfleet Academy Cadet Kirk of cheating during the Kobayashi Maru simulation, which Spock himself had programmed. The disciplinary hearing is interrupted when Starfleet receives a distress signal from Vulcan. With the primary fleet out of range, cadets are mobilized to crew ships waiting in orbit. Leonard McCoy (Karl Urban) and Kirk board Pike's command, Enterprise. Realizing that the "lightning storm" observed by Vulcan is similar to the one on the day of his birth, Kirk convinces Pike to raise the shields and thus be ready for the oncoming trap.

The Enterprise arrives at Vulcan to find the rest of the fleet destroyed and the Narada drilling into Vulcan's core. After the Enterprise is attacked by the Narada, Pike surrenders, giving Spock command of the ship and promoting Kirk to first officer. Kirk, Hikaru Sulu (John Cho), and Chief Engineer Olson perform a space jump onto the drilling platform, disabling it. However, it has drilled deep enough for Nero to launch "red matter" into the core, creating an artificial black hole. The black hole consumes the planet, killing most of the population, including Spock's mother.

As Nero tortures Pike to gain access to Earth's perimeter defenses, Spock maroons Kirk on Delta Vega for mutiny after Kirk argues against Spock's orders. Kirk encounters Ambassador Spock (Leonard Nimoy), who explains that he and Nero are from the future. 129 years in the future, the galaxy is threatened by a volatile supernova. Spock intended to use the "red matter" to create a black hole to stop the supernova, but did not arrive in time to stop the supernova's blast from destroying the planet Romulus, killing Nero's wife. Nero attacked Spock's vessel with the Narada, and both were caught in the event horizon of the black hole, sending them back in time. Nero captured Spock and stranded him on Delta Vega to watch Vulcan's destruction.

Spock and Kirk walk to a nearby Starfleet outpost, where they meet Montgomery Scott (Simon Pegg). With Ambassador Spock's help, Kirk and Scott beam onto the Enterprise in flight. Following Ambassador Spock's advice, Kirk mocks Spock's lack of emotion to provoke an emotional response. An incensed Spock chokes Kirk before he recognizes his emotional compromise; he relinquishes command to Kirk. Spock talks with his father, Sarek and then decides to work with Kirk and joins Kirk in a bold plan for a sneak attack on the Narada. After the Enterprise hides itself under the gas clouds of Titan, Kirk and Spock beam aboard the Narada; Kirk rescues Pike while Spock uses Ambassador Spock's ship to destroy the drill. Spock leads the Narada away from Earth and then programs his ship to collide with the Narada. Just prior to impact, the Enterprise arrives and beams Kirk, Pike, and Spock away. Ambassador Spock's ship and the Narada collide, igniting the "red matter" and creating a black hole that destroys the Narada and almost claims the Enterprise.

On Earth, Kirk is promoted to the rank of Captain and given command of the Enterprise, while Captain Pike is promoted to rear admiral. Spock encounters his older self in a Starfleet hangar; Ambassador Spock has selected a planet for the surviving Vulcans to colonize. He dissuades his younger self from resigning from Starfleet to help his species, encouraging him to do what feels right, instead of what is logical. Spock remains in Starfleet and becomes first officer under Kirk's command. The film ends with the Enterprise going to warp as Ambassador Spock narrates the "where no man has gone before" monologue.

Transformers Revenge of the Fallen

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is a 2009 American science fiction action film directed by Michael Bay and produced by Steven Spielberg. It is the sequel to Transformers (2007) and the second film in the live-action Transformers trilogy. The plot revolves around Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf), the human caught in the war between two factions of alien robots, the Autobots and Decepticons. Sam is having visions of Cybertronian symbols, and being hunted by the Decepticons under the orders of their long-trapped leader, The Fallen, who seeks to get revenge on Earth by finding and activating a machine that would provide the Decepticons with an energon source, destroying the Sun and all life on Earth in the process.

With deadlines jeopardized by possible strikes by the Directors Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild, Bay managed to finish the production on time with the help of previsualization and a scriptment by his writers Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, and series newcomer Ehren Kruger. Shooting took place from May to November 2008, with locations in Egypt, Jordan, Pennsylvania and California, as well as air bases in New Mexico and Arizona.

Revenge of the Fallen was released on June 24, 2009, and was a box office success, setting records upon release, and grossing a total of $402 million in North America and $836 million worldwide. It was the second most successful film of 2009 (behind Avatar) and 11th overall domestically, and the 24th highest-grossing film of all time and fourth highest of the year (behind Avatar, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs) internationally. Despite its success at the box office, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen received mostly negative reviews by film critics and won three awards at the 30th Golden Raspberry Awards ceremony.

Thousands of years ago, there was a race of ancient Transformers who scoured the universe looking for energon sources. Known as the Dynasty of the Primes, they used machines called Sun Harvesters to drain stars of their energy in order to convert it to energon and power Cybertron's AllSpark. The Primes agreed that life-bearing worlds would be spared, but in 17,000 BC, one Prime, thereafter dubbed "The Fallen", constructed a Sun Harvester on Earth. The remaining Primes sacrificed their bodies in order to hide the Matrix of Leadership — the key that activates the Sun Harvester — from The Fallen, who swore to seek revenge upon Earth.

In the present day, two years after the events of the previous film, Optimus Prime is seen leading a special forces unit known as NEST (Networked Elements: Supporters and Transformers), a military organization consisting of American and British troops and his own team of Autobots aimed at hunting the remaining Decepticons on Earth. While on a mission in Shanghai, China, Optimus and his team destroy Decepticons Sideways and Demolishor, being given a warning by the latter that "The Fallen shall rise again". Back in the United States, Sam Witwicky finds a splinter of the destroyed AllSpark, and upon contact the splinter fills his mind with Cybertronian symbols. Deeming it dangerous, Sam gives the AllSpark splinter to his girlfriend Mikaela Banes for safe keeping, and leaves her and Bumblebee behind to go off to college. Upon arrival, Sam meets his college roommate Leo Spitz, who runs an alien conspiracy website, and Alice, a co-ed who makes unusually strong sexual advances on him.

Decepticon Soundwave hacks into a US satellite and learns the location of the dead Decepticon leader Megatron and another piece of the AllSpark. Ravage and Reedman attack the base, retrieve the shard, and use it to resurrect Megatron, who flies into space and is reunited with Starscream and his master, The Fallen, in the Nemesis. The Fallen instructs Megatron and Starscream to capture Sam in order to learn the location of the Matrix of Leadership.

Back home, Decepticon Wheelie tries to steal the shard, only to be captured by Mikaela. After having a mental breakdown and uncontrollably writing Cybertronian language in class, Sam calls Mikaela, who immediately leaves to get to him. With Sam's outbreaks worsening, Mikaela arrives at campus just as Alice — revealed to be a Decepticon Pretender — tries to strangle Sam with her robotic tongue. An irate Mikaela, Sam, and his roommate Leo drive off, crashing into Alice and killing her, but are captured by the Decepticon Grindor, who delivers them to Megatron. The Decepticon known as "The Doctor" prepares to remove Sam's brain, but Optimus and Bumblebee manage to arrive in time and rescue Sam. Optimus attempts to hold off Megatron while Mikaela and Leo escape with Bumblebee. Megatron calls for reinforcements, Grindor and Starscream join the fight, and begin to overpower Optimus. Optimus kills Grindor and rips off Starscream's arm, but gets stabbed by Megatron's blade and dies. Megatron and Starscream retreat as the Autobots arrive to rescue Sam, but too late to assist Optimus.

After Optimus Prime's death, The Fallen — aware that only another Prime can kill him — departs the Nemesis. Megatron orders a full-scale assault on the planet. The Fallen speaks to the humans, demanding they surrender Sam to the Decepticons or they will destroy the world. Sam, Mikaela, Leo, Bumblebee, the twins and Wheelie regroup, and Leo suggests his online rival "Robo-Warrior" may be of assistance. Upon reaching Robo-Warrior, he turns out to be former Sector 7 agent Simmons. Ever since Sector 7 was terminated, Simmons has been working at a deli and living with his mother. He informs the group that the symbols Sam has been seeing should be readable for a Decepticon. Mikaela then releases Wheelie, who cannot read the language, but identifying it as the language of the Primes, directs the group to a Decepticon seeker named Jetfire. They then find Jetfire disguised as the SR-71 Blackbird in the center of the museum at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, and reactivate him via the AllSpark shard. After teleporting the group to Egypt, Jetfire tells that he changed his allegiance to the Autobots, and translates the symbols, which contain a riddle that sets the location of the Matrix of Leadership somewhere in the surrounding desert. By following the clues, the group arrive at a tomb where they ultimately find the Matrix, but it crumbles to dust in Sam's hands. Believing the dust of the Matrix can still revive Optimus, Sam collects the dust and instructs Simmons to call Major William Lennox to bring the other Autobots and Optimus' body.

The military arrives with the Autobots and Optimus' body, but so does a new wave of Decepticons from orbit, and a battle ensues, with the Autobot/NEST team largely outnumbered. During the battle, several vehicles come together to form Decepticon Devastator, who unearths the Sun Harvester from inside one of the pyramids before being destroyed by a US Destroyer's railgun with the help of agent Simmons. Jetfire arrives and destroys Mixmaster, but is mortally wounded by Scorponok. Jetfire then kills him by smashing his head with his fist. The Air Force carpet bombs the Decepticons, but Megatron avoids the bombings and fires at Sam, killing him. Sam then has a near-death experience where the Dynasty of Primes meet with him and acknowledging his courage and will to risk his life to save Optimus, revive him and rebuild the Matrix.

Sam awakens, and goes on to revive Optimus just before The Fallen ambushes him and his allies, slaughtering a few soldiers, stealing the Matrix and taking off to activate the Harvester. Jetfire sacrifices himself and surrenders his parts so that Optimus can incorporate them in order to fly to the Harvester and ultimately stop The Fallen. Now upgraded, Optimus successfully destroys the Harvester and engages The Fallen and Megatron in the ruins. Optimus blasts part of Megatron's face off, rips off the Fallen's face with his stick, and kills The Fallen by taking out his spark and crushing it in his hands. With the battle finished, Megatron and Starscream retreat to the Nemesis. On the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis, while heading back to the U.S., Optimus thanks Sam for his bravery and sends another message into space hoping to find more Autobots, saying that humans and Transformers both share a common past, and a future they will face together.

During the credits, Sam is seen returning to college.