Strong sequel to the Star Trek revival from 2009

Rating: 7/10 (17 August 2013)

In 2009 the Star Trek franchise was given a serious upgrade with the monster budget blockbuster Star Trek - The Future Begins. It was directed by JJ Abrams, who took the movie into a different direction. It was a very vivid movie with lots of humor, action and of course outstanding special effects. Many true Star Trek fans didn't like it, because it was way different than the old Star Trek movies and series, but I really loved it, so I had high hopes for the sequel Star Trek - Into Darkness. And I wasn't disappointed.
Into Darkness starts with Kirk saving Spocks life, but by doing that breaking fundamental laws. Kirk of course doesn't care at all about those rules. His friend's life is way more important. Spock on the other hand reports the violation, which costs Kirk his command of the Enterprise and drives a wedge between their friendship. After a terrorist attack on the Star Fleet headquarters shakes things up dramatically, Kirk goes after the man responsible. The rest of the story I won't reveal in case you are reading this before you watch it.
Where Star trek 2009 could be annoying for Star Trek fans, because it was so different than the old Trek stuff, this one will probably be even worse. Many elements from old Star trek movies are used, including a very important character: Khan. But the new Khan is played by a white British actor, whereas the old Khan was an Indian man. The name Khan doesn't fit the looks of the chosen actor at all. Also some of the dialogue from the old Trek movies is used, apparently. So Trekkies be warned. there might be a lot you will not like, or disagree with.
There are other issues with the movie, though small ones. Especially some of the supporting actors get very limited screen time, where I feel they should have had much more. Scotty, Sulu, Chekov, Bones, Uhura and the Star Fleet commander played by Peter Weller all get their moments, but not enough to let their characters develop in the way I feel they deserve. Also, the storyline feels less important than the chases, fights and other exciting moments. It all goes by so fast that it feels like you will miss something if you blink.
So much for the cons. Because this movie has a lot of pros. Especially the cast. We can scream until we lose our voice that Khan should be played by an Indian guy, or at least someone from an exotic country, but Benedict Cumberbatch is absolutely awesome as Khan. He is cold, unreadable, unpredictable, and has such an air of power around him. The Trekkies who feel bad about Khan not being played by an Indian guy should give Cumberbatch a chance. He will not disappoint, believe me! Peter Weller is also great as the Fleet commander. The rest of the main cast we know from the 2009 movie, and they do a good job as well.
Other important strong points of the movie are: high pace (a bit too high for me, but many will love it), impressive special effects (especially the encounter with the Klingons looks very good) and the plot has a few twists that I found very nice. The plot of the 2009 movie was pretty straightforward, so I feel it was a good decision to make the plot of the sequel a bit more complicated.
I enjoyed watching this movie a lot. Of course it was slightly less impressive than the 2009 movie, because we already knew most of the cast and what the special effects would be like, but the bad guys were great and I never left the edge of my seat. Into Darkness isn't perfect, and the Trek fans should keep in mind that it's going to be way different than they would expect from the old movies and series, but it's very entertaining and exciting, and I'm already looking forward to the next one!