A Fine Movie among a selection of Fine Movies in Star Trek

Rating: 7/10 (20 May 2013)

I write this as a fan from the first wave of Star Trek fans, who first thrilled to the teaser commercials NBC ran on TV in the summer of 1966. Back in that day we could not have imagined what was in store for us in that tantalizing bit of sci-fi with a quick Enterprise flyby, Shatner leaping with his phaser, and Gary Lockwood's glowing visage taking a direct blast.
I write this: WHAT A SPECTACLE OF A MOVIE. Outstanding. Engaging characters, a vicious villain and a real sense of peril. I won't post spoilers, but I will advise any fan of Star Trek to see the movie.
I'm a constant lover and fan of all the Star Trek TV franchises, and I've been mildly to moderately annoyed with every one of the movies, but for the same general reasons; that movies by their nature are subject to complex and flawed assembly and writing, overly simplistic and broad performance, and sad to say a constant sense that what you see is so over-calculated for effect, rather than springing naturally from an engaging story.
Against this presumption, Star Trek Into Darkness does not fail more, and in fact succeeds much more, than the previous Star Trek movies as an interesting and watchable film.
I would post instead my general list of annoyances, for what they're worth.
1. Comment for JJ Abrams - too much borrowing from existing ST and past movies ... the promise was for something new to emerge from the reboot
2. Another comment for JJ Abrams - too much reliance on Star Wars sci-fi parlance and imagery, and perhaps not enough attention to what basic conventions specific to Star Trek should survive and apply past a sweeping time-incursion reboot of the franchise. I wouldn't be the first to advise Mr Abrams of the zero-sum net effect of discarding expected conventions up front, only to borrow from past story lines anyway.
I think the vast demographic appeal-demands of the movie medium makes it a harder place to try and tell a story with sufficient nuance and complexity. The previous movie series presumed the conventions of the TV series, but glossed over it for the movie-viewer and casual fan. This movie series pays no tribute to the previous conventions at all and that's what rankles fans the most.
IF this new series makes it to television, I look for it to greatly improve, so I hope that's in the cards.
If not, GO to this movie. It's fun, and it's got some wow-power.