J.J. goes full circle with Trek sequel

Rating: Null/10 (23 June 2013)

"THIS IS A MILITARY MISSION. I THOUGHT WE WERE EXPLORERS!" - Montgomery Scott
It has always bothered me that most Star Trek movies revolve around a military assignment instead of exploration. What makes the original TV series so brilliant is that it tackled social and political issues through the voyages of this space ship. J.J. Abrams clearly understands this and has finally made a Star Trek film where the militarization of the franchise is challenged.
In the story, a terrorist named John Harrison is attacking Starfleet and Captain Pike ends up being one of the causalities. Hungry for revenge, Kirk agrees to go on a covert mission in Klingon territory to kill Harrison. Everyone thinks this is a terrible idea and so Kirk decides to simply arrest Harrison instead. Once he does, he discovers Harrison isn't the man's real identity and that a Starfleet Admiral has tricked the Enterprise into potentially starting a war with the Klingon's.
As the movie comes to an end, Kirk realizes that there's more to him than being a bloodthirsty man-of-action and he agrees to Captain the Enterprise into the famous 5-year mission depicted in the original TV series. For that, I thank you, Mr. Abrams. And hopefully, whoever takes over the franchise will be smart enough to continue on this path and, once again, give us the socially and politically relevant stories that made Star Trek popular in the first place.
Overall, Star Trek Into Darkness might be the most satisfying Trek film since The Voyage Home. The cast got comfortable in their roles and played off each other beautifully. The action scenes are exciting and creative. The visual effects and overall design of the movie are top-notch. And, Michael Giacchino hits another home run with his music. If there's one complain I have about the film it's the lack of screen time for Benedict Cumberbatch. He's phenomenal as the villain, but if you blink, you'll miss him. Mr. Robocop, Peter Weller, had the meatier role. He's great too, but come on, more Sherlock would have been nice.