Review - Star Trek: Into Darkness

At The Theater - "Star Trek: Into Darkness" - Although it moves at too fast a pace for it's own good and there's a few notable logistical flaws to pick at, "Star Trek: Into Darkness" is mostly what BIG, fun summer movies should be all about. The movie LOOKS expensive- grand-scale action scenes are impressive to the say the least, with some of the sharpest, most detailed effects work you may see this year (courtesy of Industrial Light & Magic).  A sequence involving a free-falling Enterprise is absolutely thrilling. The film borrows a highly memorable scene from "Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan" (still my favorite of the franchise), the nature of which may divide fans- some may recognize it as an homage, while others may feel it's a blatant ripoff (I thought it worked and effectively tugged at my nostalgic side). Get used to the name Benedict Cumberbatch (BBC's Sherlock)- you've seen him before in other films, but not like this. 

Director J.J. Abrams continues to display a firm understanding of the necessary ingredients for a quality, involving adventure film- he's in tune to what works for the genre and it's audience, something that escaped George Lucas entirely for all three of the most recent Star Wars films.  I'm pleased that Abrams has taken the reins of that franchise, as well, and find myself confident that fans can expect a return to greatness. He handles the action scenes with respectable clarity (lens flares, be damned) and verve while utilizing some awesome, tangible/practical set pieces- those involving the interior of the Enterprise are absolutely stunning. I do believe the script-by-committee for this film (Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman and Damon Lindelof) could have used another polish with special attention given to fixing a few glaring plot holes that a youngster could point out.  I wish this particular story had been more centered and straight-forward- it's a little too layered and contrived, possibly too expansive for one film.  In contrast, the dialogue is first rate- expect a wealth of sharp, quick-witted and outright funny give-and-take exchanges.

The cast portraying the primary crew of the Enterprise in 2009's Star Trek reboot returns, with Chris Pine's (Unstoppable) "Captain Kirk", Zachary Quinto's (NBC's Heroes) "Spock" and Simon Pegg's (Shaun of The Dead) "Scotty" being this particular entry's standouts. Zoe Saldana's (Avatar) "Uhura" is given a bit more to work with than the first film and does a commendable job. I was a little disappointed to find Karl Urban's (Dredd) "Bones McCoy" relegated to little more than several one liners (however true to the nature of DeForest Kelley's long-running turn of the pessimistic Doctor), while other popular characters have been updated, so to speak. Urban's considerable presence goes largely underutilized here, he's as athletic and as capable an action star as anyone in the film, so why not take advantage of that?   Anton Yelchin's (Terminator: Salvation) "Chekov" and John Cho's (the Harold & Kumar films) "Sulu" fall victim to the film's overly complex story- their respective characters are given painfully little screen-time or purpose in this sequel.  Strangely, Scotty's vertically challenged alien engineer/sidekick, "Keenser" (played by Deep Roy), conspicuously disappears from the film's third act with no explanation. 

I'll go ahead and let the Mountain Lion (or Gorn) out of it's cage- Benedict Cumberbatch plays "Khan" here- fans of Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan (1982) should find themselves pleased with Cumberbatch's commanding villainous performance and how the character is handled.  The British Actor is making more of a name for himself with every role he takes on and he's excellent here.  That said, Ricardo Mantalban's Melville-quoting Khan in the '82 film remains firmly amongst my all-time, top 10 favorite screen villains. 

It's cool to see Peter Weller (Robocop) back in a larger-budgeted film and in a substantial role as "Starfleet Admiral Marcus".  Bruce Greenwood (Below) is back as "Rear Admiral Christopher Pike"- he's often referred to as one of the nicest guys in Hollywood and it comes across onscreen.  Brit Actress Alice Eve (MIB 3) is "Dr. Carol Marcus", a potential love interest for Kirk- fans know where their relationship is going...

Leonard Nimoy once again provides a cameo while Trekkies should be delighted with one helluva confrontation involving those nasty Klingons.  Overall, this is an excellent Summer crowd-pleaser that delivers the goods- needless to say, it's Highly Recommended.  It's a notch below the 2009 reboot but still well worth checking out in theaters.  Those inclined should shell out several more clams to see it at the IMAX.  The visuals are just that good...

8.0 out of 10

***Of Note*** It would help to have seen Wrath of Khan beforehand as those who have not will probably miss out on the many references to that film which add to the overall dramatic effect of Into Darkness.

FWIW-

Star Trek: The Motion Picture - 6.5
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan - 9.0
Star Trek III: The Search For Spock - 6.0
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home - 8.0
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier - 4.5
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country - 7.5
Star Trek: Generations - 5.5
Star Trek: First Contact - 8.5
Star Trek: Insurrection - 5.5
Star Trek: Nemesis - 6.0
Star Trek (2009) - 8.5