Solid Sci-fi Escapism

Rating: 8/10 (22 May 2013)

After a four year hiatus, J.J. Abrams has brought out a sequel to the critically acclaimed Star Trek reboot, and on the whole it is a satisfying return, if not as fresh.
After a series of terrorist attacks by former Starfleet agent "John Harrison" (Benedict Cumberbatch), the crew of the starship Enterprise launch a mission to retrieve the fugitive and make him face justice. As can be implied, there is more to Harrison's plot than mere anarchy, and returning leads Kirk (Chris Pine) and Spock (Zachary Quinto), are forced to face their own motivations and allegiances in this high-stakes sci-fi adventure.
What is always good about sequels is that, having already introduced the primary characters, the film can warp straight ahead (see what I did there) into the narrative. In doing so, we are treated to an awesome opening sequence, in which the Enterprise's crew must save a primitive civilization from an erupting volcano. This gives an idea of the overall pace of the film, one that hardly relents in its breakneck speed and overall aura of suspense and excitement.
The clash between Kirk's hot-headed approach to problems and Spock's logical conclusions is no longer one of the primary focuses of the film, though their unusual relationship is still covered, with humorous results. Scotty (Simon Pegg) is in fine form once again as a strong source of the film's comedy. Other crew members, such as Chekov (Anton Yelchin) and Sulu (John Cho), aren't given an awful lot of screen time, which is to be expected in a film that has just over two hours to explore multiple planets and plot devices.
The real highlight in terms of performances, however, is Benedict Cumberbatch as the elusive John Harrison, who obviously has much more significance in the Star Trek continuity than his name initially implies. Harrison is both brutal and demented, as well as sophisticated and ingenious, a kind of warped, evil version of the Sherlock Holmes that he is renowned for playing.
Michael Giacchino's score, as in the first film, is utterly fantastic, evoking the tone of epic swashbucklers and classic 80's blockbusters. The set pieces as well are well above the quality of those in most recent multimillion dollar action films. There is the odd moment where a reference to previous Star Trek films or series a thrown in awkwardly, though this is only sporadic.
On the whole, Star Trek Into Darkness is a commendable, solid action-adventure which I would rank more or less on par with its 2009 prequel, with highlights including Cumberbatch's performance, and the scale of some of the action sequences. I would recommend this for most cinema-goers who are looking for a fun escape that has a great balance of humour and action, something which J.J. Abrams has pulled off successfully numerous times.
Final note: Though not ESSENTIAL, I would recommend viewing the 2009 film if you have not already. It gives a proper introduction to many of this film's characters and provides a proper context for the reboot series' continuity.