Sorry for the delay but this week for my Throwback Thursday Review I'm reviewing Star Trek Into Darkness to correlate with the release of it's sequel Star Trek Beyond this weekend, a film I've seen and will review soon. Also I feel I should forewarn you that there will be spoilers in this review. This won't be the end of my Star Trek reviews this year as I might go back and review the original in celebration of Star Trek's 50th anniversary in one of the open slots for my Throwback Thursday Review schedule or I'll simply add it to a week where I think I can handle two Throwback Thursday Reviews. Next week I will be reviewing The Bourne Legacy to tie in with the release of Jason Bourne and the following week will review The Dark Knight along with the release of Suicide Squad. Till then expect reviews over all the films I just mentioned along with my thoughts on the Ultimate Edition of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and how I feel it compares to the theatrical cut since my Blu-Ray copy arrived yesterday afternoon.
'Star Trek Into Darkness' Review
Nominated For: Best Visual Effects.
Star Trek Into Darkness is probably one of the most divisive films in the franchise, simultaneously beloved by most critics as one of the best summer blockbusters of 2013 and voted the worst Star Trek film at a fan convention. Those are two very polarizing viewpoints, and since I grew up a massive Star Wars fan I wasn't bothered by many of the issues that plagued longstanding fans of Star Trek. Into Darkness builds upon the events of 2009's successful reboot Star Trek as the crew of the Enterprise must face Khan, a one man reign of terror.
One of the most controversial aspects of Into Darkness was director J.J. Abrams' decision to keep it under wraps who Benedict Cumberbatch's villainous character was, going as far as to fabricate a smokescreen identity of John Harrison. Unfortunately fans called him out on it and found the Khan twist to be predictable. I personally don't mind his decision as I love going into Abrams' productions with no clue what's going to happen and I can't fault a director for that considering everything else he brings to the table.
Abrams with the assistance of his fantastic screenwriters Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, and Damon Lindelof cleverly plays off the alterations previously made to Star Trek continuity in Star Trek by establishing direct links of the proceeding events to the destruction of the planet Vulcan causing the Enterprise to run into Khan much earlier than William Shatner and Leonord Nimoy did. Orci and Kurtzman once again manage to craft a fast-paced adventurous blockbuster and great dialogue for the crew of the Enterprise provided their familiarity with the characters writing the screenplay for Star Trek, while Lindelof is new to the table, his addition to the Star Trek Into Darkness writers room didn't shake things up too much.
Abrams ensures the pacing is quick and the visuals are sleek with ease and of course there are plenty of lens-flares to spot along the way. The visual effects are wondrous as the Enterprise looks gorgeous in warp speed and gallivanting about in space with slick costuming and makeup prosthetics, flashy production design, and all-encompassing sound design to accompany them. Into Darkness' score composed by Michael Giancchio evokes classic Trek leaving even the most casual viewer with a desire to venture where no one has gone before.
The action sequences are undeniably fun, but manage to feel hollow as some of the action is largely flashy effects and loud noise rather than proper service to the story. My main issues with Into Darkness are the lack of risks it takes with abundant small plot holes and an ending that's remarkably similar to that of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, but all things considered those are small nitpicks that don't detract too heavily from my opinion of the film.
The brilliant cast that make up the crew of the USS Enterprise are back and once again bring heart to the film with their great chemistry onscreen together and bring along some newcomers that only add to the film's grandeur. Chris Pine oozes charisma now that he's even more comfortable in the Captain's chair as Captain James Tiberius Kirk and Zachary Quinto once again captures the proper balance of logic and emotion stepping into the shoes of the Vulcan First Officer Spock. The two share a terrific chemistry onscreen likened to peanut butter and jelly and the exploration of their continuing friendship is one of Into Darkness' high marks. Quinto is afforded one scene where he gets to let loose with an emotional outburst as he fights Khan in the pivotal third act finale that's nothing short of incredible.
Zoe Saldana is provided with much more material this time around as Uhura and steps up to the plate proving to be capable supporting female action heroine. Karl Urban is terrific as Bones, although I'd like to see him onscreen a bit more he does make for great supporting comedic relief. John Cho once again doesn't have much to do as Sulu but is perfectly serviceable in the capacity used. Simon Pegg is infectiously delightful to watch as Scotty, bringing tons of levity to the series situations and Anton Yelchin's Russian accent hits the mark for a comedic Chekov.
Alice Eve's Carol is along for the ride purely to be a sexualized supporting character with little substance, so little that her character is absent from Star Trek Beyond. Bruce Greenwood's Pike gets his fair share of screen time with some emotionally grounded scenes vital to the plot and Peter Waller's Marcus makes for an interesting Star Fleet officer with his own motivation worth questioning. Leonard Nimoy even gets a chance to once again play a role in the proceeding events as an older Spock although this time it's more along the lines of a cameo.
Benedict Cumberbatch's British baritone lends itself naturally to the sophisticated and elusive Khan. Cumberbatch proves once again that he's an outstanding actor as Khan proves to be an enigma with both intellectual and physical strength determined to stop those in his way with any means necessary. Cumberbatch's Khan is another dividing point with fans due to the whitewashing of the role but I think he plays the villain with such gravitas it's difficult not to admire his performance, and he makes for much better villain than Eric Bana's Nero.
Overall, I found myself still enjoying the heck out of Star Trek Into Darkness regardless of it's flaws in it's story and think that it's not deserving of loyal fanboy hatred but rather find it to be an entertaining science fiction adventure. Thanks to stunning visuals, impressive production design, flashy action, a rousing score, and a talented cast, Star Trek Into Darkness is a worthy followup to Star Trek.
Star Trek Into Darkness is probably one of the most divisive films in the franchise, simultaneously beloved by most critics as one of the best summer blockbusters of 2013 and voted the worst Star Trek film at a fan convention. Those are two very polarizing viewpoints, and since I grew up a massive Star Wars fan I wasn't bothered by many of the issues that plagued longstanding fans of Star Trek. Into Darkness builds upon the events of 2009's successful reboot Star Trek as the crew of the Enterprise must face Khan, a one man reign of terror.
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