J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek films are just as famous for their amount of lens flare as they are for being ruthlessly entertaining slices of sci-fi cinema. In fact, one eagle-eyed Star Trek fan has now gone to great lengths to count the amount of lens flare used in both Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness, and in the process has revealed that J.J. Abrams uses the special effect an astonishing 721 times just in the origin story alone.
But that's just the tip of the iceberg. Because in Star Trek Into Darkness, J.J. Abrams tries to overdose us on lens flare as he uses the special effect a further 826 times. Seriously, I think he has a problem.
At first J.J. Abrams’ use of lens flare actually brought a cool sci-fi chic to Star Trek. Not only did it help to make the 2009 blockbuster visually unique but it even heightened the drama. Plus, it also made scenes look much, much cooler. I have to admit that I’m not sure why it did that, but it just did. By the end of Star Trek Into Darkness though, Abrams’ use of the lens flare had become a problem. In fact, it was so overwhelming that some scenes were almost unwatchable. But it’s not just moviegoers who have noticed Jeffrey Jacob Abrams’ penchant for the lens flare. The director himself is more than aware that he had a problem.
J.J. Abrams actually apologized to Crave Online for his use of lens flare in Star Trek Into Darkness, and he even confessed that he was borderline addicted to the special effect.
Of course J.J. Abrams doesn’t have to worry about Star Trek fans lambasting his use of lens flare anymore since he won’t be directing 2016’s Star Trek 3. Abrams has now moved on to a galaxy far, far, away, but that hasn’t stopped some Star Wars fans from registering their concern that lens flare could be strewn all across The Force Awakens.
However, now that J.J. Abrams has admitted that he has a serious lens flare problem, I can imagine that he will be avoiding the special effect like the plague. J.J. Abrams will be more than aware that if he does use an abundance of lens flare in Star Wars: The Force Awakens then it could eclipse any/all of the good work that he brings to the blockbuster. We’ll be able to see if the lens flare junkie has relapsed when Star Wars: The Force Awakens is released on December 18.
