Star Trek Launches Into the Darkness

Rating: Null/10 (7 June 2013)

After rejuvenating the venerable Star Trek franchise in 2009, director J.J. Abrams follows his first highly successful film in the series with this year's highly anticipated sequel. Star Trek: Into Darkness is, as the title suggests, a somewhat more dangerous movie than its predecessor. Fans needn't worry, though—if the new film is darker, it's no less fun. In fact, it might be the second-best Star Trek film yet produced (the best, of course, being 1982's The Wrath of Khan).
Abrams certainly has a fine eye for spectacle. Into Darkness has some of the broadest, most expansive set pieces you'll see this year. The reaches of space and hyperspace are epic vistas against which Abrams throws numerous fantastic action sequences that leave the viewer dazzled and breathless in equal measure. And when the action descends to earth, leaving the monolithic star ships behind for more solid footing, Abrams knows how to handle the smaller scale as well. The result is almost constant excitement and near total audience absorption.
Amazingly, none of this comes at the expense of characterization, and really a Star Trek film that doesn't help us learn more about the iconic protagonists Trekkies have followed for so many years can't be counted a success. True, Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock are the main characters, but the rest of the ensemble cast gets quite a bit of time in the spotlight as well. Dr. McCoy, Mr. Sulu, Scotty, Lt. Uhura, and Mr. Chekhov each get a chance to shine, and every one of them adds something of value to the plot. The cast does a great job from top to bottom, starting with Chris Pine as James T. Kirk. While the 2009 film showed us Kirk's ability as Captain, Into Darkness finally forces the reckless, egotistical young man to actually grow up. Zachary Quinto is just as good as Spock, who continues to struggle with his dual identity as both emotional human and coldly logical Vulcan. Alice Eve is a welcome newcomer to the crew of the Starship Enterprise, and she imbues her character with both beauty and depth.
But the finest performance unquestionably goes to Benedict Cumberbatch as the movie's villain. It's been a long time since any Star Trek antagonist has so successfully evoked pure evil. Cumberbatch embodies the darkness of the title with an eerie malevolence that must be seen to be appreciated. Every time he's on screen, he dominates the moment and every other character in the film.
There are a lot of factors that make Into Darkness such a fine movie: suspense, an intelligent script, virtuoso direction, great acting, and a villain for the ages. The only marginal flaw in the film is that the script occasionally interjects humor where more sobriety would have worked better, momentarily breaking the tension. But overall, this is a great summer blockbuster and more than that a great science fiction extravaganza. Star Trek fans of all stripes should love it, as should anyone who enjoys a good action film or space opera. J.J. Abrams and his cast and crew have done the near impossible: they have created a sequel that is superior to the 2009 original in virtually every way.