PARAMOUNT | DIRECTOR J.J. Abrams STARRING Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Benedict Cumberbatch, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, John Cho, Alice Eve RATING M/PG-13 Reboot, reboot, reboot. It’s an interesting word. Some misinterpret the meaning and remake a film with a few twists of the story. Some make a pointless rehash. But then there are others that can save a franchise; namely J.J. Abrams, now one of the biggest names in filmmaking. He, along with screenwriters Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, saved
Star Trek in 2009 from its critical and commercial failure, steering the franchise from merely its extensive fanbase and made it cool. With this sequel, Abrams ups the ante, the spectacle and the darkness, making Into Darkness one of the best
Trek films yet.
Beginning with a classic blockbuster prelude, we arrive to see the end of an Enterprise adventure, with Spock (Zachary Quinto) attempting to stop a volcano from erupting and destroying an entire planet. The scene is a breathless and intense opening for a film that only gets faster as it goes.
After that heated introduction,
Into Darkness shifts to a manhunt to find the renegade John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch), who’s just attacked Starfleet archives in London.
Star Trek, as a franchise, is known for tackling real-world issues - something the 2009 film lacked - but here it couldn’t be more obvious. While several big villains in recent films have been undercooked, Harrison is a terrorist, a brutal, calculating, cerebral and terrifying one-man army that’s not afraid to take down and destroy anyone in his way. Cumberbatch brings chilling evil to the role; he accurately described him as having “Hannibal Lecter quality”, which he delivers on.
"The movie is engaging, funny and ridiculously entertaining." The threat that Harrison brings means we don’t get much bonding with the Enterprise crew. as they’re forced to act quickly under some pretty dire consequences. Luckily, we do get growth from Captain Kirk (Chris Pine), who still had charming swagger and a carefree attitude at the conclusion of
Star Trek. In
Into Darkness, he’s forced to take responsibility for his actions, grow up and earn the chair. He’s still inexperienced, making rapid-fire decisions that could benefit one cause but damage another. The bromance between Kirk and Spock also plays centre stage to many scenes, but the latter’s romance with Uhura (Zoe Saldana) is in pretty paint-by-numbers territory.
The film plays with longtime
Trek themes that reinstate conflict of interest, marking several crucial points of the movie. Abrams’ keen eye for visual flair (and lens flares, too) brings colourful and inspiring action and icons (we spend a decent chunk of the film in future-San Francisco, and travel to many distant planets), plus there’s subtle and not-so-subtle winks and nods for Trekkies to find (Klingons,
Wrath of Khan callbacks and more). The plot twists and turns, with revelations that will surprise and shock both newcomers and die-hard fans alike.
However, despite the impressive fan-service and solid acting, the switch is still flicked to pure popcorn cinema.
Star Trek Into Darkness is engaging, spectacular, funny and ridiculously entertaining. Abrams and his team of writers, Orci and Kurtzman, as well as
Lost’s Damon Lindelof, use as many tricks as they can to keep the viewer entertained. There’s explosive action, warp-speed chases, cracking humour, tense sequences and Alice Eve in her underwear. The film never takes a breath, rocketing through a downhill slope. It’s an awesome thrill ride that stamps its way into sci-fi history as one of the best tales on the Enterprise. While it’s unclear whether we’ll see Abrams back on board, his
Star Trek legacy will be felt for years to come.
VERDICT: ★★★★ 1/2 (Awesome)
A visually spectacular and engaging Trek installment, Into Darkness is pure fun and excitement for both fans and newcomers.