Spring and Summer means explosions and epic fights in blockbuster films. And you can be sure that Star Trek Into Darkness doesn’t lack on either of those accounts. While I waited for the screening to start, the sequel to the first remake of one of the most storied Sci-Fi enterprises had Trekkies giggling with excitement, and I can’t lie, I was feeling the hype. The future director of Star Wars Episode VII, and go to director for anything and everything that is epic, J.J. Abrams, fills in 132 minutes with a simple enough plot that allows you to get lost in all the shiny, expensive special effects and cliche “do or die” climaxes, without wondering what the point to all of it really is.
The film picks up where the last one left off, with the Enterprise running exploration missions, breaking intergalactic laws, and saving planets. The usual. Starting with the opening scene, the stunning color palettes, aerial camera angles, and 3D effects bring you up to speed for the action rollercoaster, throwing you right into another galaxy that small children couldn’t wouldn’t even think of in their wildest dreams. But of course, the movie is about way more than a fun ride. To many Trekkies’ joy, Star Trek Into Darkness centers around the introduction of a cold and calculating Khan (Benedict Cumberbatch), a superhuman whose origin slightly varies from the original universe of prior Star Trek films. In this universe, Khan has a bone to pick with Starfleet for the past injustices brought upon his crew, stopping at no costs to achieve his goal. Unfortunately for Kirk, that means losing the closest person he had to a father figure. Fortunately for us, that’s what makes Khan such a great character, in the best evil way possible. His character possesses Captain Kirk’s resolve and Spock’s intelligence and combat skills.
The same crew returns featuring a just as reckless leader in Chris Pine as Captain Kirk, a slightly human but mostly robitic Spock played by Zachary Quinto, and an ever doubting Bones with absurd metaphors, played by Karl Urban. Alice Eve makes her entrance into the series as the sexy yet competent weapons specialist, Carol, daughter of Admiral Marcus (Peter Weller). The somewhat rocky relationship between Spock and Uhura (Zoe Saldana) provide moments of comic relief between the peeks in action with Scotty (Simon Pegg) coming in the clutch yet again for Kirk just when he needs it most.
Besides Khan’s revenge plot and the overarching doubt Kirk fosters towards the higher ups in Starfleet, a majority of the plot developments is determined by the fundamental decision making differences between Kirk and Spock. While Kirk is the ultimate martyr who doesn’t follow any one else’s rules but his gut feeling which points him towards the right moral choice every time, Spock is a different kind of selfless, only looking at what the objectively legal and right options are. Although they are constantly in conflict, it’s the static between the two and the outcomes that heighten the suspense throughout the film.
So If you plan on spending the loan installment that is an IMAX 3D ticket on one movie this year, this could be the one that makes the cut.
Sidenote: Also, mad props to whoever was a part of the film that keeps sneaking Beastie Boys on the soundtrack, even if it’s for a few seconds. I hope the trend continues.
Bryan Hahn (@notupstate)
