‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ keeps the twists and turns coming non-stop.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: JJ Abrams returns to his brand-new Star Trek universe with Star Trek Into Darkness, the first sequel to the hit 2009 film Star Trek, which completely rebooted the franchise by creating an alternate timeline for new stories to be told in parallel to the ones from the original TV series and subsequent films.
Trek fans take these things seriously, I’m told. I’ve always been a sci-fi fan, but I’ve never been much into Star Trek. My introduction to this universe was through Abram’s 2009 film, and although I enjoyed it, I never loved it as much as most people seemed to. I can happily report, however, that Star Trek Into Darkness lives up to the hype. It’s not a great movie by any means, but it’s definitely the best of this still-young summer movie season. Action, spectacle, romance, and comedy all get a chance to shine in this two-hour thrill ride.
Picking up some months after the first film, Into Darkness begins with Kirk breaking Starfleet protocol in order to save Spock’s life during a mission. As punishment, the USS Enterprise is taken from him. Meanwhile, a terrorist known only as John Harrison (the terrific Benedict Cumberbatch of BBC’s Sherlock) strikes a Starfleet archive in the heart of London before staging another attack on Starfleet headquarters itself. Kirk asks for the Enterprise back in order to track down Harrison and bring him to justice, a mission that ends up testing Kirk and his crew more than they could possibly imagine.
The film keeps the twists and turns coming non-stop, including one knockout twist about the identity of the villain. Those of you steeped in Trek lore may have already figured it out, and those of us who don’t know a Vulcan from a Romulan won’t really care. All that matters is that Cumberbatch knocks it out of the park here, and I sincerely hope this film helps him get more roles down the road.
Star Trek Into Darkness has its share of plot holes and inconsistencies, but the film moves so fast and is so entertaining while you’re watching it that these problems won’t really be noticeable until after you leave the theater. This is pure popcorn entertainment, something where you shut off your brain and get transported into another world for a couple hours of fun. The performances are all excellent – by now these actors know their parts well and work great as a team – and the technical credits are all great. Parts of the film were shot with IMAX cameras, just like The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises, and I’d urge you to see it this way if it’s available (the film was not shot in 3D, however, it was post-converted, which is why I didn’t bother seeing it that way).
The future of the franchise is in limbo now, with Abrams having been hired to resurrect Star Wars in 2015. I’m sure he’ll do a fine job, but I’d love to see what he could do with a third Star Trek first. Given the upward trend between Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness, a third entry into this series would end up being absolutely incredible.
Star Trek Into Darkness
Released May 16th
Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Benedict Cumberbatch, Alice Eve
Director: JJ Abrams
Rating: B+
Seen in 2D.
To contact the author, e-mail: deepakchitnis@americanbazaaronline.com