Finally Stark Trek Has a Soul!

Rating: 8/10 (5 June 2013)

Star Trek: Into Darkness is the sequel to the overrated Stark Trek reboot from 2009. It's about how the Enterprise is sent on a mission to kill a terrorist who's been causing havoc in the city of London.
To be honest, I wasn't even planning on seeing this movie in theaters. But the critics praised it, calling it the best movie of the year so far. Skeptical as I was, I still gave it a chance.
Before I start rambling about Into Darkness, let's talk about the previous film. The previous film was a good movie with some likable characters and a good set-up. What it lacked, however, was a compelling story and an interesting villain.
Is Star Trek: Into Darkness an improvement over the original? Hell yeah it is! This is hands down the best movie of the year so far! I was worried it'd be the same as The Dark Knight craze; fanboys blinded by the overly serious plot, but Star Trek: Into Darkness has enough humor to make it fun and enough drama to make you care about the characters.
The writing in this movie is ten times better than the original. It's a lot faster-paced than the first movie, and the plot is actually interesting. On the surface, it's a very simple good vs. evil plot. But it's the characters that make this movie truly interesting. There's a lot more energy here than there was in the previous movie, and that makes the whole thing much more entertaining.
Probably the biggest improvement from the first movie is the villain. I won't spoil too much about this guy. All I'm gonna say is he is so good. Sometimes he's a bit too over-the-top, but the moral dilemma he brings up makes him a believable villain, and not just some bad guy who does bad things.
The main characters are much better this time around. Chris Pine as Kirk I've always liked, and he's just as good, if not better in this movie. Spock was a whiny and unlikable jerk in the first movie, but in this one he's a much better character who develops over-time. The rest of the characters have also seen improvements, and are all much more likable.
Overall, Star Trek: Into Darkness is a great movie. If you're a filmmaker looking for inspiration to make a sequel, this is one of the movies you should take notes from. I'm not necessarily calling it one of the best sequels ever, but I am calling it one of the most improved sequels ever. If you are a Star Trek fan, chances are you'll LOVE this movie to death. And even if you aren't one, like me, you'll still probably find it very enjoyable.