I should say that it was very difficult to not start this off with “to boldly go where no one has gone before”, but I suppose that in a way I did just that by mentioning it. I’ll do my best to avoid any spoilers but I do need to question did the latest Star Trek boldly go where no Treks had gone before or is it simply a new take on an older film? I’m sure the Trekkies will have plenty to argue about on that subject after seeing “Star Trek Into Darkness”.
I WILL TRY TO KEEP THIS FREE OF SPOILERS BUT READ AT YOUR OWN RISK IN CASE I MISS ANY.
The sequel to 2009’s successful quasi-reboot (courtesy of an alternate timeline that would make Doc Brown proud), follows Captain Kirk and the young Enterprise crew as they are faced with the challenge of hunting down a terrorist seemingly bent on the Star Fleet’s annihilation. Their manhunt will lead them behind enemy lines, into no-win scenarios, and most of all into conflicts with their morality.
J.J. Abrams once again is at the helm for “Star Trek Into Darkness” and he brought his lens flares with him! Returning to the sequel are Chris Pine as Captain Kirk, Zachary Quinto as Spock, Karl Urban as Bones McCoy, Zoe Saldana as Uhura, Simon Pegg as Scotty, John Cho as Sulu, Anton Yelchin as Chekov, and Bruce Greenwood as Admiral Pike. New to the movie are Benedict Cumberbatch as the terrorist John Harrison, Alice Eve as scientist Carol Wallace, and Peter Weller as Admiral Alexander Marcus. The entire cast knocks it out of the park but Benedict Cumberbatch really shines as a villain who knows to command a monologue.
Speaking as a fan of 2009’s “Star Trek”, it’s sequel did not disappoint. The stakes were more personal this time around and I felt genuine stress over the fate of the crew in a quite a few instances. Although the film contains several callbacks, and flat-out reinterpretations, of one of the most popular Trek movies, I thought they managed to keep it fresh more often than not. And like most summer blockbusters, “Star Trek Into Darkness” is filled with an exuberance of action set-pieces and explosions, but thankfully it never dumbs itself down to simply being mindless entertainment. In fact I found the film’s true conflict to be that of doing the right thing even when it comes at a cost. As for my opinion, I think “Star Trek Into Darkness” might be the most fun you’ll have at the movies this summer and is well worth the price of admission.
Also if you’re in the mind to watch it in 3D, you will not be disappointed. The action looks great through the glasses and so does the space travel for that matter.
