• Words By | Alicia Jackson
• Pen Name | Yori
• Twitter | @AnAmazingFeat

•  “Spikenard & Carmichael (The Heart Chakra)”
• “J.K. Rolling” (feat. Adria Jennee)
• “L.O.L.”

Still going strong after his controversial decision to forgo college, Jay Complex gives us The Underdog II: (L)abour (O)f (L)ove.  The Bahamian rapper thrives on mellow beats and tight flows in order to connect with his audience.  The child of this marriage are tracks that initially relax the imagination and entice a deeper acceptance of Jay’s words.  

The tape opens up with a set of eerie chords and percussion riffs on “Spikenard and Carmichael”.  The beat drops and Jay Complex comes in with an intelligent flow marred by inquisitive undertone.  Through the key of the beat and Jay Complex’s distinct tone of voice, the opener for the mixtape lays the foundation of what to expect. Jay doesn’t rest his pen or imagination and immediately follows “Spikenard & Carmichael” with “J.K. Rolling”.  He taps into the inspirational story of J.K. Rowling, the infamous writer of the Harry Potter series, for content and vision.  Jay mirrors Rowling’s initial struggles with homelessness, reciting:

“When it’s all said and done make sure you roll one/

Make sure you live while you’re alive, death is no fun…”

STREAM | Jay Complex – “J. K. Rolling” (feat. Adria Jenee)

Adria Jenee‘s vocals on the hook draw in the mellow mood that Jay Complex wants to exude from his music. The mixture of Jay’s rapid delivery and Adria’s smooth melody creates a comfortable contrast that allows the listener to vibe in while zoning out. This mixture of smooth beats and rapid-fire deliveries is not rare occurrence. The first chords of “Venus Moonshine” are melodic with a slight reverb, yet Jay attacks the song in a way that rides the tide of the notes.  Dash enters on the hook and chills the track again.

STREAM | Jay Complex – “Venus Moonshine” (feat. Dash)

“Super Villian Music” showcases JC’s aptitude for penning songs with broader subject matter.  Jay’s talents as a writer do not come into play, and the tone and the lyrics do not match.  The song’s lyrics call for a more sinister beat and a darker delivery.  Jay has mastered using the distinguishable tonation of his voice to his advantage, however he has not learned how to vary that tone in order to further deliver a message.

Truthfully, Jay’s downfall comes in sheer abundance of these tracks; his lack of vocal moderation leads to a feeling of redundancy and a tiresome feel. Once Jay learns to control his voice in order to vary it, he will be able to deliver more unique and memorable tracks. That being said, Jay Complex has mastered his ability to further himself on easy-going instrumentals.  He utilizes every bar that his producers give him without overpowering the laid back feel of the sounds reinforcing him, making Underdog 2 a solid play from start to finish.

(click here to download, via bandcamp)

The Redefined Rating

3 out of 5

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• Artist | Black Hippy (Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolboy Q, Ab-Soul, and Jay Rock)
• Song | “U.O.E.N.O” (Freestyle)

Who promotes as well as TDE, in all honesty? After a seemingly normal promo drop, the “U.O.E.N.O” beat drops and Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolboy Q, Ab-Soul, and Jay Rock all decide to toe-tag the beat. We can retire this instrumental now, right?

Please?

On a sidenote, the good kid, m.A.A.d city tour kicks off tonight, so be sure to check the info in the video for dates and all of the goodness. – LJ

–> Download it here, via AudioMack <–

“Kept in a small bowl, the Goldfish will remain small. With more space, the fish will grow double, triple or quadruple its size.”

This is the magnification of an entire area code from the perspective of one man. Produced entirely by Melvin Junko, Rap’s exclusively by the 518′s own GM (aka Mr.Not You). If you’re not familiar this is something gritty, grimy & glorified.

Gigantificationism (The 5One8 EP) is here for you and yours, like it or not. 5One8…”

I heard a couple of tracks from this as they were being cooked up, and I’m glad to see that he’s come through on releasing this one. GM’s been working, if you couldn’t tell, and Gigantificationism (The 5One8 EP) is ten tracks deep. That being said, this is promising to be a fun listen (at the LEAST), so be sure to download it and check back for the review. - LJ

–> Download it here, via Bandcamp <–

R.E.A.L Tha Poet’s been featured on the site a few times, and his latest release, Glass Ceilings, is sure to get the review soon, as well. I got a chance to spin this a couple of times already, and it’s safe to say that R.E.A.L is doing his best to put on for his homestate of Kentucky with a bit of a lyrical spin that you my not be used to, especially coming from there. With production duties mainly helmed by J-Ideas, this is a solid project from front to back that deserves your attention if you’re looking for something new. – LJ

Some may say that Jermaine’s gassed…. Maybe. But I’m enjoying the sudden confidence.

• Words By | Leon Sullen, Jr.
• Pen Name | K1ng Eljay
• Twitter | @K1ngEljay

You may be surprised to know that I’m more excited about J. Cole’s Born Sinner more than any other album this year (as of right now). I’m aware that Drake, Eminem, Dr. Dre, and others may still be in the running this year to release and I’m completely aware that Kanye West is dropping in June… Actually, that’s the reason for this J.O.K.E.

“Instantly the lightbulb [turned on]… it got real. I made one phone call to somebody that would know, just to make sure first. As soon as I got it confirmed, I was like, ‘Yo…’ The idea hit me instantly: ‘You got to go to that date. I’m not going to sit [here]… I worked too hard to come a week later after Kanye West drops an amazing album. It’d be like, ‘Oh and J.Cole dropped too, a week later.’ Nah. I’m going to go see him on that date….”

J. Cole | (Source: HipHop-N-More)

Before any of this happened, and before Kanye decided to campaign by streaming his mugshot on various buildings and making racially charged singles, J. Cole had dropped a contender for single of the year with “Power Trip”, and two incredibly well-done EPs for his fans. Cole’s confidence didn’t come out of nowhere; he’s had it from the beginning with this one. His movements were different this go around, and it doesn’t seem as if he’s trying to get into the game like on his debut, The Sideline Story. This time, it seems like he’s more calculated because he knows what he’s doing. The proof is in the pudding, and that pudding is the slow bubble turned cascade effect his single has had, all while retaining his ability to crash a stable internet server in a moment’s notice in an ADHD musical climate.

He did that twice this year, by the way.

So out of nowhere, Kanye announces his release date for June 18^th, a week before J. Cole’s 2^nd LP is slated to drop. We know that Ye’s going to have the collective of critics on his crotch area, but what happened next solidified another reason why I rock with J. Cole musically.

Within a couple of days, J. Cole moves his date up to match Kanye’s Yeezus.

Hey, is his eyes closed or..

Cole essentially said that he’d rather grab a #2 spot going for it all than getting the safe #1 slot a week later. In short, he’s going all in because he’s THAT confident in the product he’s created for consumption, to go against an artist who arguably hasn’t released a “bad” album or project himself (ARGUABLY). Almost instantly, J. Cole removes himself from the “J. Cole or Wale” question that was lingering and plunges himself into a higher category of comparison…

I may have just ruined a childhood image to prove a point…

Does he realize how big of a set he has to have to say, with the utmost confidence, “Yeah, Kanye’s great, but I got him this time”? Does Jermaine realize how big of a target he’s painting on himself to spearhead that idea himself? Does he understand what he’s truly doing?

This may sound weird, but yes, I think he does…And I think that slightly irrational surge of  confidence is why I’m excited.

Not only is this a great thing for music in general, but the friendly competition presented swiftly becomes one of the most intriguing storylines in music this year. Wale’s got Jerry Seinfeld, cool, but J. Cole and Kanye drop on the same day. Eminem’s coming back, sure, but Born Sinner and Yeezus is dropping on the 18^th.

Detox is coming….well… probably not. But Jermaine and Kanye got something special lined up in June.

Look at how #Gifted these two are, since I mentioned Wale earlier.

J. Cole’s been calculated and quiet for the longest with this project, from the out-of-nowhere trailer drops on his Youtube dating back to the fall/winter of 2012, to the BornSinner.com videos that highlight his lyrics by letting the focal points of the punchlines narrate their own story. The calculated aspect, that’s all Cole, but whether the “quiet” part is due to Jay-Z’s overshadowing hand or not, that remains to be seen. The bottom line right now – and my point –  is that everything he’s done, in hindsight, was for a reason, and if J. Cole’s so confident in his project to grab a few smooth stones and go at the Kanye-Goliath with a sling, then he’s going to get my $20 with ease when the day finally arrives.

It’s been a long time since someone’s proven via their actions that they believed in themselves, and weren’t just saying it just to say it. Tyler’s Wolf was a dope album (to me), but he undercut himself on the promotion by calling it trash to lower expectations. Inversely, Wale may have HURT himself by calling his album a classic (again), inflating expectations (and, maybe his ego in the process…). I guess when it comes down to it, it’s just refreshing to see artists believing in themselves and showing it through actions. Words don’t really mean anything at this point (and neither does the #AudioAmbien shots on Twitter, but I’m sleep), so J. Cole’s looking to show and prove yet again…

…What better way to do that than to do it against one of his idols?

Regardless of how the sales end up, watching J. Cole’s confidence skyrocket within the last months is fun, and will continue to be fun as long as he keeps the quality coming. But for now, we wait…

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• Words By | Leon Sullen, Jr.
• Pen Name | K1ng Eljay
• Twitter | @K1ngEljay

The Favorites

• “3 Wishes”
• “Kenny Lofton” (feat. Young Jeezy)
• “Head Bussa”

J. Cole’s been somewhat quiet with his movements, but one of the last drops we got from him as we approach his upcoming LP release date for Born Sinner is this. Truly Yours 2 serves as the second edition of his impromptu song drops, and this one’s just as much quality as the first edition that dropped earlier this year (click here for that review). Including hidden guest features from Young Jeezy, 2 Chainz (don’t run, they fit here perfectly), and Bas, it’s going to be interesting to see what the album sounds like if the first quotable rings true:

“Now this right here is not a preview of what the album’s gonna bring you, or nothing like that…”

STREAM | J. Cole – “Cole Summer” (Prod. By J. Cole)

From the outset, Jermaine opens up in an MTV Diary / Stream of consciousness type of way as he addresses one of his favorite seasons on “Cole Summer” (note: this is the same song that featured infamous lines about the Mowry sisters that caused a Twitter firestorm). Even though the mood is somewhat somber, it becomes clear that this is nothing but a random drop of songs together as “Kenny Lofton” kicks in (featuring a surprise verse from Jeezy) and “Chris Tucker” (featuring 2 Chainz); even though you could make a case for him keeping “Kenny Lofton” for the album due to how well it works, both songs garner instant reactions from the listener, which is a good thing. “Head Bussa” has an embedded bounce that makes it fun to listen to, while “Cousins” features Bas and has them reflecting about their respective family members, and the Jake One-produced “3 Wishes” has Cole taking a clever approach to wanting better for the people around him, all while weaving through an extended verse with more detail that can be illustrated here.

STREAM | J. Cole – “Kenny Lofton” (Prod. By Canei Finch)

If one of the “knocks” against Cole has been his lack of using other producers, then that argument is muted for now, as he recruits Jake One, Canei Finch (“Kenny Lofton” and co-produced “Chris Tucker”) and Ron Gilmore (“Cousins”) to make this EP sound a bit more diverse without straying too far from his comfort zone. Thankfully, Cole’s comfort zone is pretty diverse in itself, and Truly Yours 2 easily gives his fans more to be excited about. If these are just throwaways (in spirit, at least), it may turn out to be an exciting moment when Born Sinner finally releases.

(click here to download the EP for free)

The Redefined Rating

4.5 out of 5

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• Words By | Joe Coad II
• Pen Name | Joe Hova
• Twitter | @HotMixPrinceJay

The Favorites:

• “Numb”
• “That Dope/The Dopest Pt 2”
• “When I’m Drunk” (feat. YE Ali)

The term “dysphoria” comes from the Greek language, meaning “a state of feeling unwell or unhappy; a feeling of mental discomfort.” This is the concept for the entire album, Dy$phoria,  from Los Angeles singer Lyfe Harris. He’s not crazy, though; it’s all about love situations that aren’t technically “love”. They might be broken relationships or even the “what are we?” situations that many of us have went through at some point in our lives.

The production for Dy$phoria is very dark and gloomy, which helps set the tone for the duration of the project. The opening song, “Numb”, tells a story about Lyfe relying on casual sex and pills to cope with his current situations. It’s very haunting thanks to the vocal engineering.

“Ever since he broke your heart it ain’t the same/

I’ll f**k you from the back to ease my pain/

Cause them b*****s broke my heart don’t do the same/

We just started baby twerk until you can’t…”

Many of the tracks play out like the aforementioned song with sex, drugs, and heartbreak being the topic of discussion. One of the reasons it doesn’t sound repetitive is because those topics are relatable to most of us. Thanks to the production and small things that the normal ear won’t notice, such as voice tweaks and including a female voice that seems to be begging Lyfe to come back to her, it doesn’t sound like you’re listening to the same song on repeat.

One of the best parts of the album is the scene stealing verse that fellow Vintage Club member YE Ali spits on “When I’m Drunk”. He’s able to paint a picture of dealing with an ex who still has feelings for him and wants to remain f**k buddies which will hopefully in turn lead to them getting back together. Lyfe and YE complement each other in a way that you’ve never heard before and their chemistry is some of the best in music at this point.

Lyfe Harris makes music that isn’t fake; most of it is somber, but it might also help you get through a situation. It’s almost as if he’s speaking directly to someone when creating his songs, like he knows exactly what they’re going through and wants to help them. He has a knack for making good songs and has a star power to his music. It should only be a matter of time before he’s writing for the A-list stars.

(Click here to stream/download Dy$phoria, via Bandcamp)

The Redefined Rating

4 out of 5

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• Words By | Timothy Bain
• Pen Name | Bane
• Twitter | @Timmaaay_

The Favorites

• “Ballin’ Out” (feat. Jeremih & Diddy)
• “Gifted” (feat. The Weeknd)
• “Drink Freely” (feat. Rico Love)
• “We Go Wherever We Want” (feat. Ne-Yo & Raekwon)

It’s been a long time coming, but Bad Boy/MMG/Coke Boys’ own French Montana drops off his debut album, Excuse My French. The opinion on French and his music is split, and understandably so. The Moroccan-born Bronx rapper will never be hailed as a great lyricist, and there are people who only enjoy rap for lyricism, not to mention those that only appreciate Montana for his adlibs (HAAANH), good beat selection, or his “fun” raps. For most, when listening to Excuse My French, expectation will be key. He’s been criticized for his feature-heavy songs, with many discrediting his ability because they perceive he cannot carry a song by himself. This album sees Montana with only five featureless tracks, but if his strength is in bringing the right people on a track together, who are we to tell French that he should stop? The album is exactly what is expected from Montana, in both the positive and negative way.

French Montana’s debut album would not have been right if there was no appearance from Max B, and “Once In A While” opens with an inspirational telephone dialogue from the incarcerated rapper. The Reefa-produced track features a sample of Kanye West’s “Barry Bonds”, and the beat features a looped sample chanting “once in a while…” in the background which complements the energy of the track. The album features a beat palette that is expected of French, which is a mix of the high energy, “ignorant” vibes, but with a soulful feel at times. On “Trap House”, Montana grabs his MMG boss Rick Ross and CM’s Birdman to go in on a Jahlil Beatz cut, while on “40”, along with Trey Songz and Fabolous, Lex Luger provides the backdrop to talk about their exorbitant amount of everything, from cars to chains. If the listener was expecting to hear songs of substance, they obviously had the wrong expectations this album, because with his Coke Boys affiliate Chinx Drugs on the track, French continues to rap about material things.

“Pop That” is the Montana’s biggest song to date, which samples Uncle Luke’s hit “I Wanna Rock”, and cameos from Rick Ross, Drake and Lil’ Wayne. At an obvious attempt to recreate the magic he achieved with “Pop That”, French brought back Rick Ross and Lil’ Wayne, added 2 Chainz, and used a Mike Will beat for “Marble Floors”. This formula should have been enough to create a hit, but a lackluster Mike Will beat (rare occurrence) and a prototypical song was not enough. French again tried to create chart topping magic, grabbing the Trinidad born Nicki Minaj for “Freaks”, which featured a sample of the reggae classic, “Murder She Wrote.” This idea of this song looks good on paper, with a rap star with Caribbean roots as a feature, but the song did not panned out as Montana wanted. A song that could have done better than “Marble Floors” and “Freaks” was originally on Mac & Cheese 3, and French was smart enough to include it as a bonus; “Ocho Cinco”, features Bad Boy’s MGK, Los, Red Cafe and head honcho Diddy, and produced by the Chief Keef’s former favorite , Young Chop. With a clever title and hook, this song featuring Bad Boy’s finest would have been the perfect lead single, even if it would not have experienced the success “Pop That” did.

The strongest tracks on Excuse My French are feature-heavy, but good music equals good music, even if they’re not solo tracks. The Beat Bully provides a triumphant backdrop for “F*** What Happens Tonight”, which opens with a classic DJ Khaled monologue, and features a powerful hook from the Gully Gawd, Mavado. Montana and Ace Hood held their own on their respective verses, but French managed to get cameos from hip hop legends, Snoop Dogg and Scarface. On the Cardiak produced “Ballin’ Out”, Jeremih goes off on the hook and the verse, with Montana and Diddy following suit with theirs. With another hip hop legend in tow, “We Go Wherever We Want”, meets the expectations. Wu-Tang’s Raekwon is in rare form on the Vinylz beat, which also features a strong chorus from Ne-Yo.

STREAM | French Montana – “Ballin Out’ (Feat. Jerimih and Diddy)

Ever since the emergence of The Weeknd, rappers have been keen on using his feature formula for their singles. While normally when you feature a singer, he or she complements the track, when you feature the Weeknd, it sounds like the main artist is the feature. “Gifted” sounds exactly like you expect it to, which is a good thing. If the formula is not broken, why fix it? French Montana glides over the beat while the Weeknd opens the song with his usual haunting vocals, and provides an infectious hook. “Drink Freely”, a song that should have been on the standard edition, features Rico Love on the hook and the beat, and is as smooth as the Diddy-owned Ciroc.

STREAM | French Montana – “Drink Freely” (feat. Rico Love)

It’s a shame that the solo tracks (“Ain’t Worried About Nothing”, “When I Want”, “I Told Em”, “Bust It Open”), are the songs with the lowest replay value, even though “Nothing” was received positively and “Bust It Open” sounds like a featureless “Pop That.” However, this is expected from a French Montana project, and his core fans will be pleased with this album, even though the lack of any production from Harry Fraud is extremely disappointing. With a myriad of features, quality production, and whole lot of HAAANHs, Montana accomplished what he was meant to do – which is to drop a debut album that would please his fans and hopefully attract a few more, on a large scale. In the wider scheme of things, dropping a debut album on Bad Boy Records is a feat within itself, and this alone could breed success for him.

(click here to support on iTunes)

The Redefined Rating

3 out of 5

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• Words By | Leon Sullen, Jr.
• Pen Name | K1ng Eljay
• Twitter | @K1ngEljay

The Favorites:

• “Err-Body” (feat. T.I., Young Dro, Trae Tha Truth, Chip, B.o.B, & Shad Da God)
• “Man Down” (feat. Yung Booke, T.I., and Young Dro)
• “Here I Go” (feat. Young Dro, Shad Da God, T.I., Spodee, & Mystikal)

T.I’s done a great job at the helm of his Grand Hustle squadron. He’s one of the few people who have staunchly refused to leave his partners behind, and has found ways time and time again to make them relevant and maintain his musical presence simultaneously. It’s a rare feat that most artists can’t manage to say they’ve done, let alone in the South. With that said, Tip continues to push forward his rap agenda at this point with this Grand Hustle collaborative drop, which is incredible in its own right when you consider that he truly has no reason to rap anymore (outside of his love for music).

G.D.O.D (Get Dough Or Die) is the label-wide mantra, and it’s reflected in almost every way on this mixtape with the same title. Featuring everything that T.I’s assembled all-stars have to offer (including – but not limited to – B.o.B, Travis Scott, Trae Tha Truth, Young Dro, Spodee, Lil’ Duval, Iggy Azalea, and more).

STREAM | Hustle Gang – “Err-Body’ (Feat. T.I., Young Dro, Trae Tha Truth, Chip, B.o.B &amp; Shad Da God) [Prod. By The Superiors & Sarah J]

Most of the team shows out, while stunting and/or flexing over various (but redundant) topics that revolve around the same cliche rap topics, money, clothes, girls, violence, rinse and repeat. However, it’s a formula that’s remained constant for Tip’s mixtapes, so it makes little sense to alter it now, especially since there’s nothing for him to prove. However, it’s impossible to ignore how the team seems to thrive when either taking turns on a posse cut (such as “Errbody” or “2 F**ks“) or when focused on a specific angle for the song. The latter aspect is seen perfectly on the last two songs featured: “Man Down” features aggressive verses all around, while the David Banner-produced “Chasing Me” sounds as if it could be on a radio in the near future thanks to the additional vocals from  Kris Stephens.

STREAM | Hustle Gang – “Man Down” (Feat. Yung Booke, T.I. &amp; Young Dro) [Prod. By Stroud]

Even with its issues of redundancy, it may be worth the download just to hear the return of T.I. slaying feature spots, and – surprisingly – the rebirth of Young Dro, who chooses this project to have an incredible relapse back into the Dro of old. From the split duties with the Yung L.A. shots at the beginning, to the relentless verse that serves as the outro to “Man Down”, Dro delivers for almost every time he’s featured, whether we’re judging on the lyrical ability or the entertainment factor. To be fair, no one truly gives a horrible performance; Dro’s appearances were just that solid.

G.D.O.D. is a solid project that will whet appetites for quality street music, and even features clever odes to songs of old (“Here I Go” is a great example; this song flips the original Mystikal classic and actually snags the veteran emcee to tag it with a new verse). Even with the must-listen singles and features, this isn’t something new that’s worth flipping out about. It’s solid… and to be honest, I don’t think that’s a BAD thing in this situation, per say. Instead, it gets the point across that the Grand Hustle team has a limitless view of potential of capitalized correctly.

But if I recall, so did T.I. at one time and he turned out okay. It should be fun to watch what happens next.

(click here to download, via LiveMixtapes.com)

The Redefined Rating

3 out of 5

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• Words By | Charles E. Singletary
• Pen Name | Profex
• Twitter | @Profexxion

The Introduction

I wasn’t around to pen the review for J.J. Abrams first journey into the stars, but I was definitely impressed. I grew up watching Next Generation with Profex Sr. and hearing stories about the original from my uncle, but never considered myself a Trekky. Any “space journey” fiction intrigued me as a kid (hence my love for Ender’s Game) and the Star Trek lore always intrigued me, just never as much as Star Wars.

The rekindling of the franchise in 2009 was an opportunity for a fresh start. These modern takes were made for people much like myself: Curious, but not entirely informed. Most times, as a fanboy, I condemn the liberties taken when writers get a hold of these stories that we hold near and dear. It took a different perspective for me to truly understand, though.

Its definitely true that some writers get a little wild with additions/subtractions to existing material, but I think the Trek movie got it write. With Into Darkness bringing one of the most infamous Trek villains to the screen, will the energy built by the first film carry over, progress, or fizzle out?

• Genre | Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi
  
• Rating | PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action, violence, and Khan. Shall we begin?
  

The Reel Quick Review

Things begin with a bang, with (now) Captain Kirk, played well by Chris Pine (Unstoppable, This Means War), still early in his Enterprise career. The surveyal of a remote planet goes awry and the dynamic between Kirk and Spock is placed front and center. Kirk’s headstrong approach is an exact counter to Spock’s ever logical stance. Not to take away from Pine’s Kirk, but Zachary Quinto (Heroes, American Horror Story) has truly made his portrayal of Spock a highlight of J.J. Abrams’ films. The cold calculating character would be nothing without the brief glimpses into the emotion of his human side, and its in these moments that Quinto shines.

On another note, Abrams struck pure gold with Benedict Cumberbatch’s intense illustration of the enigmatic Khan. I’ve never seen Wrath of Khan, but I knew the story and was interested to see how the original would be reflected here and what new twists would be introduced to the story. Not only was everything Khan related good writing, but Cumberbatch (The Hobbit, Sherlock) stole nearly every scene with his sinister demeanor. I say nearly only because he “overacts” a couple moments, but he’s fairly consistent. Seems his genius role as Sherlock wasn’t a fluke after all. The supporting cast is as solid as ever as well, especially Simon Pegg, but the main trio is a treat to watch.

On top of the great acting, the story is good and well paced. After about the first 20 minutes, things take an intense turn and keeps you on edge until the credits roll. The action is epic, the humor….humorous, and the fan service is top notch.

Per the Abrams norm, the production is also stellar through and through. The CG is beautiful and the set pieces are incredible. The used a specific warp shot a few too many times for my liking, but it was a really good shot and I’d have probably done the same in their position.

The first Star Trek was the sum of incredible parts. Into Darkness doesn’t add anything super new (except an arguably better villain), but perfects the same cogs that made the first movie work so well. All these things come together to make Into Darkness the best movie I’ve seen thus far this year.

Easily.

The Quick Recap

• + Great Pacing
• + Beautiful Production
• + Benedict Cumberbatch (Khan) Slays
• + Zachary Quinto (Spock) Slays Again
• + Awesome Story

TheRedefined.com Rating

5 out of 5

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