I am going to start out by saying that I have never really been a "Trekkie" as I have always been more of a fan of Star Wars instead of the old Star Trek series and movies. Yet when they did the reboot in 2009 with J.J. Abrams at the helm, I saw it and really enjoyed it. So from the moment that I heard that they were doing a sequel I was excited to see what they would do and my excitement only grew when I saw the first trailer for Star Trek Into Darkness. I am very pleased to be able to say that even with such high expectations going in it did not disappoint me in the least. Abrams has truly set the bar high in the world of Sci-fi movies for not only all other directors, future directors , but himself as well. Star Trek Into Darkness had a little bit of everything and I want to go and see it again only this time in the IMAX 3D.
Chris Pine reprises his role as Captain James T. Kirk. He showed a lot more growth with Kirk's character from the first movie. While I am sure there are some out there that have not liked his portrayal, personally I enjoyed the brash, cockiness he has had to go along with his learning what it truly takes to Captain a starship as a part of Starfleet. Zachary Quinto as Spock was great and it was nice to see him be able to give more emotion to the role. Quinto showed a lot of range and I thought it was even great to see that they gave Spock a couple of great one-liners that had me laughing throughout. The friendship although fragile at times between Kirk and Spock really worked and the success of the two of them together is due to the chemistry that Quinto and Pine had together. While they are key aspects to Star Trek Into Darkness, it is really Benedict Cumberbatch in the role of Khan that makes this film so strong. Where in the previous installment I felt like the villain was just okay. Cumberbatch gives a performance that any actor playing a villain ought to study. His character has such a cold calculating aspect that you almost pity and feel sorry for what Khan went through because of Starfleet and the path that led him down to being the antagonist for the story. Yet, even with all of this I was simply in awe with his presence onscreen and some of the jaw dropping things that his character does throughout the movie. The rest of the supporting cast all do admirable jobs and it is nice that all of the subsidiary characters seemed to get their own moments of character growth. Bones and Scotty got their great comedic moments throughout, the analogies that Bones had throughout had me cracking up throughout the film.
The story that is brought to the screen for Star Trek Into Darkness was a simple yet layered story. Unlike some of Abrams past movies where nothing is as it seems, Star Trek Into Darkness while it still has some of that to some extent, but I found that the story was full of layers, but not one where the layers are out to confuse me. Star Trek Into Darkness is truly a fast paced action blockbuster with moments of slowing down to give the compelling human element that is vital for the character development and it is what makes the audience care about all of the different characters. Yet, part of what makes the story work is that the intense action makes the characters bond as almost a baptism by fire aspect. The other aspect that makes the story work so well is the soundtrack that Michael Giacchino brings once again. The music captured the essence of everything that Abrams was trying to bring about in the Star Trek world. The music is the perfect mixture of original Star Trek music with updated sounds for today.
The action and set pieces are pretty awe inspiring I can only imagine what all of this would look like on an IMAX screen. Abrams has a great ability to film action sequences with such a flair that it only makes these action sequences put me more on the edge of my seat. The cinematography and visuals worked so well on this film, I loved the futuristic look of the cities and the sweeping views we get through these cities were just awesome to see. the first shot of seeing the Enterprise as it rises from underwater only shows from the beginning what visually stunning film the audience is in for. The smaller comedic aspect that takes place throughout the movie was great for the action and only made everything all the better in my opinion. While I love the edge of your seat aspect that comes from the intensity in edge of your seat movies, without the comedic aspect to help lighten the movie throughout from time to time allows for everything to not completely overwhelm the viewer with the intensity.
Star Trek Into Darkness is a movie that not only met my expectations going in, but went above. The acting worked well together, but it was really Benedict Cumberbatch as the antagonist is what truly made Start Trek Into Darkness to work so well. J.J. Abrams continued to show that as a director he is definitely a top tier director particularly in the Sci-fi genre. He has definitely raised the bar with his combination of story telling ability with action and visuals that really put the audience on the edge of their seat throughout the film. I am giving Star Trek Into Darkness four and a half buckets of popcorn out of five. Star Trek Into Darkness is a movie that I would definitely say is well worth the price of a movie ticket and is one that I even want to go see again only to see it in the whole IMAX experience.
-The Movie Man
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