Star Trek: Into Darkness

Rating: 9/10 (29 May 2013)

Trekkies and mainstream audience galore rejoice as JJ Abrams returns to direct his latest installment, Star Trek: Into Darkness – A name befitting the film exceedingly well. The Plot - The movie picks up a year after the events portrayed in the previous installment. James T. Kirk is in command of the Enterprise, and the audience is treated to a visceral introductive piece that sets the pace for the rest of the film. While in the previous installment, the crew fought a Romulan bent on revenge that ultimately alters reality, this time around Kirk and his crew have their hands full as they are pinned against an academy officer who, for reasons unknown, swears a vendetta against the entire federation and executes his devious plans by deploying heinous terrorist acts. The Acting – While it is very unlikely that any of the cast members, Benedict Cumberbatch included, will receive any academy award nods, one would be hard pressed to argue that the acting here is not spot-on. The two leads, Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto reprise their roles as young Kirk and Spock, and they do so with great confidence and authority. Clearly no one can replace William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, however Pine and Quinto serve great justice to the iconic characters with abundance of winks and tip of the hat moments that cater even to the hardcore fans of the original series and movies. The two play off each other really well, and there is great chemistry among the entire cast as-well. Benedict Cumberbatch who plays the villain provides a stellar, engaging, and oftentimes moving performance, and he does so effortlessly. The Action – JJ holds no punches when it comes to cinematic set pieces as he provide much of a spectacle as he does truly engaging edge of your seat explosive visceral sequences. From the moment you see the enterprise rising out of the water accompanied by the unforgettable score booming in the background, you know you are in for a treat when it comes to action and special effects. JJ knows how to work the camera, special effects, action, GCI, and he is not afraid to showcase it, even at the risk of over-indulging for the sake of over indulging. Final Verdict – Although JJ Abrams manages to hit most of the right notes here, this movie unfortunately suffers from some flaws that hold it back from being a true masterpiece, namely character exposition. The villain here, although menacing, simply does not reach his full potential as a result and ultimately feels like a rehash of a much greater villain. Further, while there is depth to the characters, the movie appears as if it is sprinting across the emotional exposition without letting it breath properly. The movie also runs a tad too short with just about two hours and ten minutes until the credits roll, and could have definitely used additional character arcs and revealing story boards, namely the villain. However these flaws do not detract heavily from what the movie has achieved. It is best to view this movie objectively for what it is as opposed to what some might believe it is supposed to be. It is not a remake, rather another chapter in JJ Abram's reboot franchise, and it works. 8.5/10