late in the ratings, but what a terrific film!

Rating: 10/10 (1 March 2014)

I just had the pleasure of finally watching Star Trek Into Darkness, and this is my first review. I was raised watching the original ST series, and watch reruns to this day. Never "got into" any of the other incarnations of the series, as to me they never were quite the same - missed the nuances and interactions of the original crew of the Enterprise.
This movie, and the previous Star Trek movie in 2009, have absolutely blown me away! As a "purist" fan, I enjoyed every minute of this movie, and can't wait to watch it again. The actors have fully embraced their characters. I laughed at each reference to the original series, and found the new dimensions to their stories believable. Kirk, Spock, Uhura, Bones McCoy, Scotty, Chekov, and Sulu are all real again, not re-presentations, but true to their original core. The changes in reality are believable, and easy to follow. It does open a whole new way to consider and possibly build from the original shows, which never had the benefit of big budgets and special effects. One special element that hasn't changed and shines in this movie is that,even with technology, nothing beats hand to hand combat and the human spirit! Same as it ever was, but so much more polished and amazing to see what our current techno-cinematography can add. Not once in this movie did the special effects take away from the spirit of the film - just made it more spectacular. Can't wait for the next one!