Yes, it’s a cheesy title. Yes, I’ve been away for a long time. Yes, I’m back, I think. But the newest exploration into the universe of Star Trek, subtitled Into Darkness, is well worth coming out of nowhere to give it a full review. Star trek: Into Darkness is large enough to title it EPIC!
Star Trek: Into Darkness
After the very able and stellar reboot of the Star Trek series last year by director J.J. Abrams, it was a question of how good could a tired, old genre get? Where could it go from there? Well, the resounding answer is up, up, and UP! The second installment of the newest Star Trek era is an amazing flick of action, jubilation, and even sadness. Yet there is so much I can’t say because it would spoil the film for those who haven’t yet ventured out to take in the new worlds. (Shhhh…. there are secrets!) I’ll try not to spoil any of the twists and turns, but it’s so hard… the movie just makes you want to yell them out! Just let it be known: Star trek: Into Darkness will make you gasp, laugh, grin, and cry all at the same time.
I must also mention the writing team here. Even though I mention Abrams many times, he has not written the screenplays. he only plays in the world they create The team from the first movie is back, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman. Together they made a great first film with great characters and scenes. This time they are joined by Damon Lindelof who also wrote for the TV series LOST, and the films Prometheus and the new World War Z. Together this team is phenomenal!
Starting from the very action-packed opening scene, you learn more about the characters of the new Abrams Trek world. There are some old traits from the original Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock, the resident Vulcan first officer. (Kirk was originally played by William Shatner in the series and movies and now very aptly played by Chris Pine in the reboot, and Spock is now played by Zachary Quinto, the psycho killer from the TV series Heroes, the original was Leonard Nimoy.) I can’t say enough about Quinto’s performance. He IS Spock for one thing. His portrayal goes so much deeper than one could hope from a Vulcan, but remember, he is half human too. Their reinvention of these characters is more than just an homage to the originals, it’s a wonderful exploration of more than just the surface of them. They bring more of the inner tensions to the surface for everyone to see. There is even the typical comic relief between the two as we’ve seen before, but with new twists (remember, Spock is dating the human Uhura which is just ripe for poking fun at. PS. Uhura is played by Zoe Saldana.). Their inner tensions and feelings become ripped wide open as this movie moves on.
But the film goes far beyond these characters. There is a new threat, played by Benedict Cumberbatch. His portrayal is just plain chilling. I was very impressed by Cumberbatch in the British series Sherlock, which I highly suggest for everyone to see, but here, he turns the somewhat cold and calculating, but still human, Sherlock Holmes into a much darker and deeper antithesis to Kirk and Spock. He plays it so well, even then, you can’t tell whose side he’s on for there are many enemies to pick and choose from in this universe. I would love to tell you more… even go into a scene by scene description, but it would be a spoiler for many. Just rest assured, you won’t be disappointed.
This film is action packed, much like the first. You rarely get moment’s rest and there would barely be time to get to the restroom and back before something else major happens. Make sure you “go” before you go to the movie. You don’t want to miss anything. there is more than enough happening on the ground and in space to keep any fan of science fiction thrilled. The fight scenes are spectacular and the space battles amazing. Not too much of a spoiler, Abrams even briefly introduces the Klingons in this installment, and they are somewhat different than the original. (I found this personally interesting when reflecting on the development of Klingons over the years. The original TV series had them as just regular humans with Mongolian style mustaches. LOL! Then the original movie series introduced the menacing ridges on the head and sharp teeth.)
Abrams also gives us some background from the histories of Kirk and Spock. This movie still takes place in the time period before we meet the crew of the Enterprise on its five year mission to explore the universe. That’s what makes some of the writers’ choices so unusual, amazing, and thrilling to the original fans of the series. Remember, the first Abrams’ Star Trek disrupted the timeline of the original so things happen differently in this timeline. There are many instances where you discover how Kirk, Spock and the others develop into the characters they are to become. It’s a fantastic voyage to watch and follow.
The overview? Well, the film comes out nothing short of amazing. It definitely leaves you wanting to walk right into the next theater and find out what happens next. So much happens, yet you are left just wondering what is next… and how can they top this? Indeed, it will be hard for the writers and Abrams to plot the next course. there is so much inter-weaved into Into Darkness to satisfy not only the true Star Trek fan, but the newest members of that growing group put under the spell by the first film of this series. This film is very satisfying. I rate Star Trek: Into Darkness a 9.5 out of 10! And that’s only because a perfect ten would include me in it. 🙂
Zenzland 