As good as its predecessor (which was excellent)

Rating: 10/10 (10 May 2013)

Starfleet discovers that its newest starship captain is disinclined to follow rules just as renegade John Harrison kicks off a campaign of terror.
I loved JJ Abrams reboot of Star Trek - I was completely won over by the clever way it was both within the original continuity and outside it at the same time, and how it was both a stand-alone movie for those who had never seen The Original Series and the movies which followed, but also full of referential moments for those who had.
Well, Into Darkness, while being its own story which is inhabited by an Enterprise crew which now knows each other and works well together, pulls off the same trick and, if anything, pulls it off better than the first movie did. The action is great, there are surprises, humour, a wonderful performance of depth and menace from mysterious villain Benedict Cumberbatch, and some great riffs on elements from the original continuity.
And when you factor in Mickey from Doctor Who and Alice Eve in her skimpies, what more can you ask for?