Movie Review: ‘Star Trek: Into Darkness’

Even though filmmaker J.J. Abrams only became a fan of Star Trek in 2009, he has redeemed himself, because he was able to connect with repeat and new audience members. When a director makes the viewer forget that they are in a theater and are truly in the Trekkie world, then he has done his job. Abrams had the audience enthralled with the graphics and continuation of the theme from the last movie “Star Trek” with “Into Darkness.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=QAEkuVgt6Aw

Starting with the dramatic action of James Tiberius Kirk being chased through the forest by beings similar to a primitive tribe on Earth, Abrams introduces the primary tenets of scientific exploration which is being done by the Enterprise for The Federation of Planets. Knowing the difference between the young Kirk and the Kirk many of us grew up with brings excitement to the scenes but leaves us wanting more.

Chris Pine portrays a believable Kirk, but Zoe Saldana as Uhura steals the show, as a strong, confident and brave woman in the midst of many crises they face and overcome. The actors Karl Urban as Bones, Simon Pegg as Scotty, Anton Yelchin as Chekov, and John Cho as Sulu are great character actors who have studied their counterparts and nailed their personalities and idiosyncrasies.

Zachary Quinto is Spock with a cameo by Leonard Nimoy to advise himself during their time of crisis. The enigmatic Vulcan, played by Quinto, is as irascible as ever and tries to explain the Vulcan philosophy to the audience. This is not necessary for true Trekkies and stops the momentum of the action and continuity of the interplay between the characters.

Benedict Cumberbatch plays a powerful and intelligent villain, testing all the physical and mental abilities of the crew as a team.

A fan of Star Trek, Sean Welty said, “It is a good standalone movie which allows a neophyte to experience Star Trek with no previous knowledge of Star Trek. It is a modern day retelling of a classic Star Trek storyline. ”

Mark McIntyre replied, “I thoroughly enjoyed this movie better than the ones they normally put out.”

Empire online reported that “working with screenwriters Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman and Damon Lindelof, Abrams can flip between different tones in a heartbeat — a comedic lovers’ tiff in the midst of battle turns into an affecting meditation on fear — and will leave no stone unturned in trying to entertain…. Not all of it works — compared to the opener, the last-reel action is enjoyable rather than jaw-dropping — but there is the sense of a true showman at work.”

This movie is good enough to pay for but it definitely leaves the true Trekkie hungry for the next movie, which unfortunately will not be made until about 2016.