Great Action Flick, But Check Your Brain At The Door...

Rating: 6/10 (26 May 2013)

Probably the primary reason you will find such mixed reviews of this movie is due to 2 different audiences. This is a well-acted, extremely fun action flick. It is a terrible science fiction movie with a very poorly thought out plot.
The film is aimed at the same audience that thoroughly enjoyed Independence Day, and, if you are such a person, you will have a blast watching Into Darkness. Knowledge of Star Trek really isn't required, although there are a lot of homage references to past Star Trek shows / movies as well as specific references to a previous Star Trek movie. The characters are well acted and there is plenty of action sequences in both space and on the ground that satisfy. There is plenty of chemistry between the primary characters that will undoubtedly be used to good effect in future installments.
Unfortunately, the plot is not something to think about too closely. My 11 year old son pointed out a big problem himself with how things wrapped up (yes, 11 years old) which should be a big red flag. As someone pointed out, it really feels like a bunch of sets were put together, and the plot strung together weakly to utilize the sets.
At the end of the day, this is an appropriate sequel to the 2009 reboot, and anyone that uncritically enjoyed that movie will uncritically enjoy this one as well. Those that had issues with the 2009 reboot will find no solace in this movie either. I highly recommend the movie as a generic action flick and enjoy the ride.