The most ambitious Star Trek film to date.

Rating: 9/10 (3 November 2013)

This second installment of Star Trek follows a now experienced James Tiberius Kirk as he captains his crew on the prestigious USS Enterprise. He has now taken to the chair but not Spock's lack of emotion when it comes to certain situations. As a result of compromising a mission to save Spock's life, Kirk is relieved of his captaincy and is demoted to first officer. This doesn't last long as there is an attack on Starfleet's archives in London by an enemy that no one is aware of but Fleet Admiral Alexander Marcus. Kirk is then sent with his crew to find the attacker with limited knowledge about who he really is.
Star Trek Into Darkness is definitely the most ambitious Star Trek film as it has almost everything you want in a Sci-Fi film. I'm not familiar with the past Treks but from what I hear they didn't manage to explore some of the things the modern adaptations have for instance Earth during the 2200′s and Kronos. Thank god for the development of modern technology for we wouldn't be exposed to such awesome sites as these. Thus heaps of satisfied fan-boys.
What I love about this film is that it's more than just a space adventure, it's nothing like Star Wars as people might think. From what I've read Star Trek has always been about developing stories that encompasses drama and character, not so much about the thrills of space shootouts. Star Trek Into Darkness definitely has the action and large scale thrills that previous installments lacked but it also has a strong plot and story line. It's more of a space crime thriller than a full on action which I found quite refreshing. The action actually had substance, it wasn't just silly and gratuitous, there was a believable reasoning to each action sequence.
What really differentiates Star Trek from any other space film is its filming style and overall look. We get too indulge our eyes to a colorfully crisp film with heaps of lens flares, which I actually like a lot. It gives the franchise a new identity but also gives the impression that the future is bright. The film's opening is probably the best example of a beautifully filmed shot of vivid colors aided massively by a great set.
I like how this film tried it's best to film as much as they could authentically, making it really hard to pick out what's real and what's CGI. Huge props to them because it improves the film massively. The design as a whole is awesome, I don't usually notice costumes that much but they're freaking NAICE in this film, I want nothing more than to have a Starfleet jacket now.
Performances and cast don't need to be mentioned as they were as solid as the last film. Slowly giving their own twists to their previously acted characters. I like the chemistry that they have which makes you as a viewer really buy into the crew being another family for these characters. What does need to be mentioned is the villain played by Bennedict Cumberbatch who is just phenomenal. I think quite a few people may agree with me when I say he's gotta be the best villain of 2013. His character is more than just a ruthless super human, he actually show's genuine emotion which almost makes his actions justifiable emphasized when he asks Kirk "is there anything you would not do for your family"; then the mind games ensue. On the first viewing these mind games are great fun making the film a whole lot more tense; who's telling the truth and who's your enemy? Overall, great popcorn flick with more substance than your used to in your average blockbuster film.