A Nostalgic Ride

Rating: 8/10 (16 May 2013)

At first glance, Star Trek Into Darkness looks like it's going to follow a recent trend that highlights its villain who is plotting an ultimate destruction and serve some deep and compelling villainy speeches. Though, Star Trek already did that with The Wrath of Khan and it seems like they are doing it again but with the tone of a modern pretentious blockbuster. Surprisingly, it's a promotional trick and we instead get the same magic of its predecessor. Star Trek Into Darkness is as exciting as the last film. It also takes a lot of references to one of the series' classics which manifests nostalgia. But for some reason, it troubles finding enough innovations for the ones who've already seen that movie. Despite of that, it's still one of the most enjoyable blockbuster you'll see this year.
The 2009 film wasn't as smart as a Star Trek film would ask, but the real reason why it's so good is it has the heart of bringing everything back to life while using blockbuster elements. Noticeably, non-fans(or yet to be fans) of the series enjoyed it even more, mostly because it is more focused on the mainstream storytelling than science. It's easy to forgive that since it's just a re-introduction of its universe. Now in this sequel, they are trying to be actually Star Trek. The plot is basically like The Wrath of Khan but with bigger thrills and less Genesis. The film adds some clever ideas to the plot, but the result is barely innovating. Even though it's fun to point out the references, the film seems to be better when it shows something new.
The overall experience is nostalgic to both versions of Star Trek. Other than the references, it never abandons its own tone. The journey is full of life and the characters possess genuine soul. The performances are slightly the same from the last film. Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto however made the friendship between Kirk and Spock much compelling than before. Karl Urban provides more humanity to his Bones. Simon Pegg seems to mimic James Doohan this time but he still manages to play his own Scotty in some parts. As expected, Benedict Cumberbatch delivers his lines in an utterly terrifying way, makes his little dimensioned character a nerve shattering villain.
J.J. Abrams made it a total cinematic ride. The entire journey is perfectly big, letting the audience feel the thrill throughout the experience. In an era of over CG-ed blockbusters, this is probably the rare one that has the most impressive looking special effects. The CGI looks convincing enough in many details, even if you're seeing it in high definition. The action aims more to the fun. Unlike most blockbusters, this one lets the momentum and the camera do the best work while the effects are nothing more than just a background.
If Star Trek Into Darkness is not that fresh then it's nostalgic for recapturing the best moments of the 1982 film, but we still get to see some new ideas. The introduction of the film kind of summed it up, the very first sequence takes place in an intriguing Mayan-esque planet while Spock mentions one of his remarkable dialogues. If you can't be bothered by the similarities then it's a pure entertainment with real suspense. There is no denying how electrifying this sequel is. The scale looks grander than any recent "big" movie. It's amazing in craft and fortitude, and the characters are still a joy to watch. It's generally not perfect. There are potentials that didn't live up that much, but if you can get over it then it's absorbingly fun.