Star Trek Into Darkness

Star Trek Into Darkness had a lot of elements that I didn't expect as well as some that I did. 

Pretty open ended statement I know. But I can think of no other way to describe it. This is Abrams' second and most likely final foray into the Trekkie universe now that he is responsible for the new Star Wars films. Four years ago, he miraculously rejuvenated the Trek franchise with the superb Star Trek that made pretty much everyone a fan of the once nerd-only world. As good as that film was, I thought that it lacked a certain something...to this day I still cant put my finger on it but Ill just call it "magic". It was missing that certain "magic" that graces some of the most entertaining movies from the last few years. It was still a fantastic film in almost every sense of the word and I had a blast with it. But for me it was missing just...something. Maybe it's the fact that I was never a Trekkie, who knows?

When the first trailers for Star Trek Into Darkness (STID) starting coming in I thought that this might be The Dark Knight of the series; one of those movies that improves upon its predecessor in almost every way possible and becomes a phenomenon. I can confidently say that it is NOT The Dark Knight of this series, although it certainly tries to be. But while it may have not taken a step forward, it certainly didnt take a step backwards either. STID is still a very fun movie that is every bit as fun as the first one. I would say it is an almost perfectly parallel sidestep for the series. 

Abrams can certainly create vivid, imaginative worlds. The
opening in particular is incredible.

When you have a villain this good, why
not milk him for all he's worth?

Lately there has been a wave of villains-being-captured-and-outsmarting-their-captors scenarios in movies that are trying to replicate the insane stunts pulled by the Joker in The Dark Knight. Dont' believe me? Loki in The Avengers and Silva in Skyfall are two of the biggest examples. Benedict Cumberbatch (I won't reveal his villain's name) is in a similar scenario in STID and he is seriously compelling to watch. His character's arrogance and knowledge come across from his performance and almost every time he is on screen he is doing a great job. But whereas The Dark Knight, The Avengers,  and Skyfall had even balances between hero and villain, STID is heavily sided on the hero's screentime, focusing mainly on Kirk and Spock who are besties with testes now (aka they have a bromance). It makes the story somewhat more emotional, but I would have much rather had Cumberbatch wreak some more havoc and not disappear for 20 minutes near the end of the film. People may disagree with me here, but I really felt as if Cumberbatch was under-utilized so that STID could focus more on Kirk and Spock's relationship. As for the rest of the cast, they are all strong and give good performances. The script is pretty well done, although I dont remember this one being as funny as the last one, but there are still enough laughs along the way. Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto really come into their roles here, further solidifying that they are fantastic as Kirk and Spock respectively, and both get pretty equal "hero" screen time. 

THIS scene has the magic. I think I may have gotten pit stains from the intensity. 

The plot (dont worry Trekkies, it's spoiler free) I also had a bit of a problem with. It's entertaining and progresses at a rather breathless pace. But I thought that some character's motives were odd. There is one character in particular, Commander Marcus, who's motives were left almost completely unexplained and looking back I'm not really sure why he took the actions he did. I understand Cumberbatch's motives, but I never really had a full grasp of his endgame. I knew why he was doing what he was doing, but I didnt really know what it meant for Star Trek universe once he would have completed his agenda. 

Oh come on. You knew I had to add this in here.
Alice Eve in IMAX 3D anyone?

I feel like I'm being a real Negative Nancy in this review so I'll get on to the good points. The movie is almost nonstop action with sentimental scenes often being interrupted by laser fire or ship canons. Of the numerous action sequences, only a few are lacking while most others are incredible, particularly in IMAX 3D. There is a warp speed starship battle that looks insane. I feel like I say this every week, but the special effects in movies anymore absolutely blows my mind. Another scene that had my jaw dropped and my butt clenched was one where Kirk must shoot himself from one ship to another, across a debris field. Things start to go wrong right and left and the tension builds to almost an unbearable point. I almost stood up and cheered at the end of that scene, I was exhausted but I loved it. 

"Spock and I are in love and there's nothing
you can do about it!"
"Don't make me turn this starship around!"

Another aspect that STID nails along with its script and its action is the original score. I have adored Michael  Giacchino since LOST and every score he has done since then has been nearly flawless. He has an amazing way of capturing the emotion of whats happening on screen within his music and STID is no different. There are bumbly toons, somber areas, intense plays, and a memorable main theme that graces the movie throughout its entirety. 

STID is a film that has a lot of fan service in it. Maybe that explains why I dont feel the magic in it as much as a Trekkie might. It certainly wont disappoint anyone who has always loved the show and in fact they may see it as a near-perfect film. But for me, a non-Trekkie, I certainly enjoyed the ride, but I didn't ever feel the ride. Despite its attempts, STID is no Dark Knight and that is due mainly to the odd misuse of it's captivating villain. 

All that being said, it was still a ton of fun and to make a long review short, if you liked the first one, you will like this one. For me, it's still lacking that certain something that I feel in a lot of my favorite movies. Here's hoping that J.J. Abrams can find that "magic" when he takes on Star Wars.

Just calm down with the damn lens flares will ya, J.J.?

Pros: 

• Around 80% of the action is phenomenal and the special effects are outstanding. The standouts include a warp-speed starship battle and Kirk getting shot across space
• Bendict Cumberbatch is great as the villain when he is on screen and I really got a sense of power and hatred coming from his performance
• The other performances are all nicely done as well, particular Pine and Quinto as Kirk and Spock
• Decent amount of fan service. I probably didnt recognize or catch all the Trekkie references but there seemed to be quite a few of them
• Fun script that has a decent amount of humor and the plot moves forward at a breakneck pace
• Great original score by Michael Giacchino

Cons:

• Simply put, Cumberbatch is underused. There was a chance here for him to be an iconic villain. It's too bad that that opportunity was squandered in exchange for a Spock and Kirk buddy story (which if I remember correctly was basically one of the same themes of the first film)
• I wouldn't call the plot murky, I would just say that some characters' motives are not entirely explained
• After all of the cool action scenes this movie gives us, the finale battle is pretty lackluster and the movie just kind of...ends
• For me, and others (particularly Trekkies) may not feel this, there is something missing. I felt it in the last movie and I felt it in this one, there is just some gut feeling that I am missing from this franchise...the "magic"
• I really like J.J. Abrams' style of directing. I even like the lens flares. But honestly, there were a couple times in this film where it was just a character talking and I couldn't see their face because of a lens flare. That is not OK. Abrams has to learn when his style is appropriate and when it's not. I really hope that Disney puts the axe down when Abrams starts directing Star Wars and tells him to drop the lens flares, at least for that saga

Rath's Review Score: 8/10