'Star Trek Into Darkness'

Rating: 9/10 (15 May 2013)

First up, I wouldn't say that I'm a huge Star Trek fan, probably more what you could call a casual fan (Did a bit of 'extra research' into the mythos to learn a bit more before I went down to the 'Destination Star Trek: London' convention last year), and I did enjoy JJ Abrams' first Trek film. And on that basis, was looking forward to his second installment.
Well, it was a whole lot of fun! To borrow a tagline from another film, it was an "epic of epic epicness!" A very entertaining entry into the world of Kirk, Spock and company. A blend of action, of which there was quite a lot, humour and a bit of emotion (especially, I felt, at the start with Noel Clarke that kick starts the events of the film).
The banter between Kirk (Chris Pine) and Spock (Zachary Quinto) and their clash of personalities is at the heart of the film, especially towards the end. Kirk does seem to have matured a bit since the last film, and Spock still plays by the rules, but they do play off each other very well. The rest of the cast have their moments in the sun as well, plus Dr Carol Marcus (Alice Eve) is a good addition to the cast as well. But it was Benedict Cumberbatch that stole the show for me. His character did remind of his excellent portrayal of Sherlock and in 'Into Darkness' he played a villain that was very manipulating and captivating when he was on screen. And to be honest, you wouldn't expect anything less from Cumberbatch!
The soundtrack from Michael Giacchino is typically Giacchino too and is very bold and sweeps you along throughout the film. The piano led piece 'London Calling' starts very emotional and definitely helps set the scene it's in at the beginning of the film. Giacchino is fast becoming one of my favourite score composers.
After watching this, it's definitely safe to conclude that JJ Abrams knows how to shoot an action film. The effects didn't seem to just be there for the sake of it and served a purpose. Although you might not say that about his tradmark lens flares, which were certainly present throughout (glad I was watching it in 3D and wearing those darker 3D specs!). With his next film being 'Star Wars Episode VII', I have no doubt that it'll be in safe hands, minus those lens flares hopefully.
With a decent villain being the perfect foil to the characters that we know and love, and with a few nods towards the Star Trek of the original series, you've got a pretty damn good film, and you don't really need to be a fan of Star Trek to enjoy it, but it will help!