2009's Star Trek signaled a great divide for the science fiction franchise. J.J. Abrams rebooted the property and brought a film that had much more action, and much less philosophical themes that defined the previous films and shows. Into Darkness continues with this new hyper-Star Trek and delivers another well acted, tightly edited and directed sci-fi action movie. Those who pine for the morality plays that defined the originals will be disappointed, but if you liked the reboot, Into Darkness comes through. All of the original cast is back, and so is Abrams' frenetic style, making this new Trek a worthy summer film.
James Kirk (Chris Pine), now captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise, is relieved of his command for violating the prime directive of Star Fleet (holla Star Trek fans) in order to save his first officer and friend, Spock (Zachary Quinto). When Star Fleet is attacked by a mysterious defector named John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch), Kirk goes on a personal vendetta to bring the assailant to justice. But the mission is not as simple as it seems, and Kirk's loyalties to his crew and his command will be tested in order to bring justice.
Growing up I watched a lot of the shows and films of the Star Trek: The Next Generation crew. In fact, Star Trek: Generations played a part in me coming to know Jesus, so these movies and shows hold a special place in my heart. I don't have much experience with the shows or films of the original crew, but TNG was all about exploring difficult questions and themes. One of, if not my favorite, episode of TNG was about Captain Picard regretting a stupid decision he made during his youth, but coming to realize that it shaped who he became when he is shown what his life would be like had he not made it. The android character Data was always in the middle of questioning what actually made someone human. The production values of the show were pretty low, and looking back now they seem incredibly cheesy, but they weren't about the action or special effects. And from what I've gathered, the old series with William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy is the same way.
Die hard fans of the old series were disappointed by Star Trek (2009), and they once again will be disappointed by Into Darkness. James Berardinelli, one of my favorite movie reviewers, does a great job explaining the generational differences between Trek fans. The new films have brought many new fans to the franchise, and I like them for what they are, not what they should or could be. Into Darkness is strongest when it is exploring the friendship between Kirk and Spock. The first one made a big deal about these two becoming unlikely friends, and Into Darkness gets to develop this relationship. Even though Spock is dating Uhura (Zoe Saldana), she mostly takes a back seat to Kirk and Spock. I cared much more about that relationship than the one between Spock and Uhura. There are several emotionally satisfying scenes, and the play between these to characters is what elevates the action.
True to Abrams' style, the action is fast, intense, and prolonged. Star Trek is not historically an action franchise, but these two new movies are chock full of it. The action is best when it involves the villain, Harrison. Cumberbatch does a great job of creating a compelling bad guy. I really liked the twists with his character, and he was way better than the generic side villain that comes in about halfway through the film. His "twist" is seeing coming from miles away, and I thought this story was the weakest part of the movie (I don't want to be specific so as to not give anything away, but as soon as this guy comes on screen you'll pretty much know how his story plays out).
Kirk is given somewhat of a love interest played by Alice Eve, but she's mostly just there as eye candy (including a ridiculously unnecessary and gratuitous scene with her in her underwear). The rest of the cast plays their part well, and Simon Pegg's Scotty is just as funny as he was in the first. I love Karl Urban as 'Bones' McCoy, and I'd like to see him given more screen time in possible future installments.
While there are definite attempts by Abrams' to throwback to the original Trek, Into Darkness, as well as its predecessor, should not be compared to the older films. As it stands on its own, Into Darkness is a worthy sci-fi action movie, that is elevated by the relationship between its two leads.
3.5/5
Trying not to sound like an old "you kids get off my lawn!" type, but it's really difficult to not compare it to the old films (one in particular) when this movie tried to copy it shot for shot with one (albeit major)detail switched. If that particular movie referenced (trying to avoid spoilers) wasn't my favorite movie as a kid, I might have actually like this one.
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