Boldly going back for more of the same - but better!

Rating: 9/10 (9 May 2013)

In the time between this movie and the end of JJ Abrams' spectacular 2009 reboot the crew of the Enterprise have been enjoying a bit of galaxy hopping. However after a questionable decision on their last mission, Kirk finds himself out of favour with Starfleet command. Enter John Harrison, a rogue Starfleet operative with a taste for the melodramatic and a penchant for things that go boom.
Kirk volunteers himself and crew to track down Harrison and bring him to justice but along the way Kirk discovers that not everything he believes in may be true.
To go any further would be wrong and evil and spoil your enjoyment of the movie but let's just say there are some fantastic revelations which may take you by surprise.
The tone remains much the same as the first movie although the secondary characters seem to get a bit more screen time on this mission. Chris Pine is a solid Kirk, displaying the bull-headed nature and incredible ego that Shatner bestowed upon his creation. Zachary Quinto nails Spock, getting the underlying struggle between his human and Vulcan origins just right.
Newcomer to the series, Benedict Cumberbatch has an amazing screen presence, oozing menace yet at the same time capturing the essence of an arch manipulator who is just as deadly with his mind games as with a bomb.
The movie belts along close to warp speed and the action sequences are slick and polished. The interplay between the crew of the Enterprise is entertaining and believable, giving nods to fans of the original TV show as well as keeping things contemporary.
There is one moment in the film which Trek fans will either love or hate. I'm not going to spoil it but there is a section of the film where.....well I'm not going to say but if you are a fan you'll know it when you get to it!
This is near enough the best film that I've seen this year and it pretty much lives up to the hype. If you loved the first one then you're definitely going to enjoy this. If you didn't like the first movie - what's wrong with you? Go and watch it again and then go and watch this one.
Just for the record I saw this in 2D and it looked amazing. I don't really like 3D so you'll need to check out someone else's opinion on that.