Star Trek Into Darkness

STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS

Director : J.J Abrams

Year : 2013

Genre : Science Fiction

Rating : ****

'Star Trek Into Darkness' is the sequel to the hugely successful 2009 'Star Trek' which rebooted the popular science fiction franchise from the 1970's, 80's and 90's to great commercial and critical acclaim. Directed by JJ. Abrams and starring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg and Karl Urban, the movie features a large majority of the cast from the 2009 original and just like the original, all of the actors give fantastic performances and work well together as an ensemble. With a fast paced story, brilliant special effects and a psychotic antagonist played by Benedict Cumberbatch, 'Star Trek Into Darkness' is one of the most entertaining and exciting films of the Summer. However unlike the 2009 film, 'Star Trek Into Darkness' lacks the character development and exploration of the relationship between Kirk and Spock; the main ingredient that made the original movie so interesting to watch. While the CGI effects are first rate and the acting is way above par for what is essentially a trashy science fiction movie, I would have liked more character interaction and less big budget set pieces to involve us more in the psyches and thoughts processes of each person on screen. But these aren't really criticisms; this is what I would have personally liked to have seen and as a movie itself, 'Star Trek Into Darkness'  is still a very enjoyable film that ticks all the boxes necessary for a perfect Summer blockbuster.

After a powerful member of the Federation turns against the fleet and murders many of it's officers on Earth, Captain Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise set off into deep space on a dangerous manhunt to capture the unstoppable one man - wave of destruction who not only threatens the survival of Starfleet, but the entire planet.

Director J.J Abrams has clearly become the 'go - to' guy for science fiction and thanks to the fantastic success of TV shows like 'Revolution' and 'Almost Human' and films such as 'Super 8' and of course 'Star Trek', he has made his mark on the genre; even so much as being chose to direct the upcoming 'Star Wars VII'. Telling a very simple story but with a huge amount of ambition and imagination, Abrams has succeeded in turning 'Star Trek' from what was a cult hit into a global cinematic phenomenon; a franchise that has so far earned nearly $900 million dollars at the box office and is sure to make more with DVD and Blu-ray sales. Having never experienced anything to do with the 'Star Trek' franchise at all (having been somewhat put off by the idea thanks to my boredom of 'Star Wars'), I went into the series with a huge amount of trepidation. However, having watched 'Star Trek' a few nights before watching 'Star Trek Into Darkness' and now having seen both  parts of the reboot, I immensely look forward to catching up with the rest of the cinematic universe. Expanding the science fiction world beyond shootouts in space and futuristic weaponry, Abrams has managed to create a world full of diverse and intriguing characters, heartbreaking and poignant backstories and complex and hard hitting realism. Now, I may giving credit to the wrong person and all congratulations should be going to original creator Gene Rodenberry; but from what I can see from 'Star Trek' and 'Star Trek Into Darkness', this franchise is certainly above the usual science fiction tropes and conventions that I find so irritatingly dull and generic. 

Integrating the special effects into the story seamlessly, Abrams never allows the CGI to solely tell the story and even though there are a healthy number of computer graphics in the film, they never seem to upstage the actors or divert from the overall narrative. Of course being a science fiction film, a lot of imagination and thought has gone into the cinematography and mise en scene and thanks to fantastic set designers, costume designers and the masterful eye of director of photography Daniel Mindel (whose work also includes 'Enemy Of The State' and 'Domino'), 'Star Trek Into Darkness' recalls the late 1960's and early 1970's; the golden age of the genre when Stanley Kubrick and Doug Trumbull were making their cinematic opuses '2001 : A Space Odyssey' and 'Silent Running' respectively; movies which have clearly influenced the look and the visuals of the film. The special effects themselves are of course, incredible and while I personally am not a fan of the overkill of computer graphics that seems to have infested the Hollywood blockbuster today, I can tolerate them when a used in such a way like this where even though obvious, carry an air of subtly and help to add to the dimensions and the scope of the movie. Hats off of to Abrams who succeeds in created a big budget science fiction epic that concentrates just as much on plot, characters and themes than on post production effects and flowery graphics.

Once again, Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto are absolutely brilliant as Kirk and Spock respectively and help to make both 'Star Trek' and 'Star Trek Into Darkness' completely unmissable. Pine is great as the headstrong but layered Captain Kirk and Zachary Quinto (who for me was the best thing about 'Star Trek') gives an Academy Award worthy performance as the noble and logical Vulcan Spock. It is unlikely that Quinto will be even longlisted for an Oscar because it is very rare that the Academy chooses genre pieces for awards; but they should this time because he is the glue that holds the entire movie together. Despite the fact that the actors on screen are playing aliens, mutants or humans in deep space, none of the performances ever drip of laziness, tongue in cheek or parody and this helps to add to the realism of the film and the conviction of both the direction and the story. However while Pine and Quinto are great, they are completely overshadowed by a terrifying performance from Benedict Cumberbatch, for me one of the best British actors working today who brings a vicious urgency and Hannibal Lecter - like menace to the central antagonist Khan;  a superhuman who has been cryogenically frozen for 300 years. His scenes are fantastically creepy and utilising a slow and deep voice, Cumberbatch takes his basic character and turns him into the most memorable blockbuster villain since Heath Ledger's Joker. The supporting cast are great and every actor puts their all into their characters; making each one memorable and extremely likable. It is very rare for a film like this to have such a unanimously brilliant cast and thanks to Abrams stunning direction and a fabulous and evocative screenplay written by Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman and Damon Lindehoff, 'Star Trek Into Darkness' becomes so much more than a traditional science fiction movie; it becomes a story of love, a story about friendship and a story about what it means to be human.

Moving along at warp speed, 'Star Trek Into Darkness' zips along very well and despite being over two hours long, it never drags and contains so much material, action and fantastic dialogue to hold our attention. As a non 'Star Trek' fan, I do not know how close to the lore or mythology the movie is but for me as an outsider, 'Star Trek Into Darkness' is a perfect Summer movie and along with 'Despicable Me 2', is a blockbuster highlight of 2013. It may not be completely flawless and contains as much implausibility as the latest superhero movie, but for pure entertainment and cinematic pleasure, 'Star Trek Into Darkness' is a bullseye and one that I can't wait to experience again when I buy it on blu - ray in the near future.