Star Trek Into Darkness Movie Review

The adventures of the new Enterprise continue; this time around, an old enemy returns, reminding the crew of the spacecraft that space can be a very cold place. 

Genre: Action / Adventure / Sci-Fi

Director: J. J. Abrams

Cast: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Benedict Cumberbatch, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, Anton Yelchin, John Cho, Simon Pegg, Alice Eve & Peter Weller.

Run Time: 130 min.

US Release: 15 May 2013

UK Release: 09 May 2013

German Release: 09 May 2013

Welcome back to a new review… Before releasing my review for the newest Star Trek flick, I wanted to post my analysis of its predecessor, Into Darkness; however, due to my new employment - which I am aware have used as an excuse a lot in current reviews - I wasn’t able to finish it until now. As stated in my publishing for the 2009 Star Trek reboot, I am a big fan of this franchise, as well as really appreciating Abrams’ soft reboot, which brought a fresh perspective to the complete series. So of course I was looking forward to this first sequel. Let's get started, and jump right into the midst of it!

— WARNING, THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS! —

Following a mission on a primitive planet, Captain James T. Kirk (Pine) and the crew of the USS Enterprise are reprimanded after violating the Prime Directive. When a terrorist attack destroys a Starfleet archive in London, Kirk is ordered to hunt down its perpetrator, John Harrison (Cumberbatch), who launches another attack on a Starfleet meeting, killing several officers. Kirk pursues Harrison to the Klingon homeworld, where he discovers that he is actually Khan Noonien Singh, a genetically engineered superhuman awakened from cryogenic sleep by Admiral Marcus (Weller). Before Khan turned against him, he helped to develop advanced weapons for Starfleet.

Khan surrenders, but the truth becomes clear when Marcus sends the heavily armed USS Vengeance to eliminate both Khan plus the Enterprise. Marcus reveals his intention to militarise Starfleet by exploiting Khan's abilities, forcing the Enterprise into battle. Kirk boards the Vengeance, confronting Marcus, while Khan takes control of the ship and kills the admiral, then turns on the Enterprise. The two ships collide, leaving the Enterprise crippled, and Kirk fatally exposes himself to radiation while repairing its warp core. With Khan recaptured, his regenerative blood is used by McCoy (Urban) to revive Kirk, while the Enterprise is repaired, finally beginning its intended five-year mission of exploration.

Into Darkness is a unique phenomenon. While it is vastly inferior to its predecessor, a lot of people prefer it over the 2009 soft-reboot, me included. However, there is no denying that it does have some severe issues, largely stemming from the screenplay.

While the narrative does set a fast-paced, high-stakes, action-packed premise for the Enterprise crew, thanks to the divergent timeline, and the plot develops into an intriguing conspiracy thriller midway through, the revelation of John Harrison being Kahn Noonien Singh cheapens the story going forward. The third act is a complete logic gap. Add to that the bait-and-switch of the Wrath of Kahn’s death scene and the cop-out of Kirk’s death with a daft, convenient solution, it is a miracle this flick worked overall as well as it did.

Where the writing does mostly succeed is in its dialogue. The banter between Kirk and Spock is as fast-paced as it is in the forerunner, while Bones maintains his dry, witty humour that grounds the whole premise. However, due to its packed and rapidly moving plot, subtlety is replaced by on-the-nose deliveries of characters' emotional states.  

Chris Pine brings once again much charm and energy to the character of Kirk, who shows he has grown from a reckless rebel into a selfless leader, understanding the weight of the captain's chair. This becomes clear during the famous death scene, which is inverted here, while also cementing the friendly bond between Kirk and Spock. Regrettably, Kirk’s sacrifice is immediately undone by the cheap resurrection scene through Kahn’s super blood.

Zachary Quinto is once again brilliant as Spock, delivering a sharp, emotionally controlled performance, which captures the inner struggle between Spock's human side and his strict Vulcan logic. His loss of emotional control in the third act is a testament to how close his friendship with Kirk has grown. 

While a lot of the monologue written for Benedict Cumberbatch, who portrays John Harris/Kahn Noonien Singh, is partially incredibly cliché, it is the actor's delivery that made it all sound so chillingly threatening. Cumberbatch manoeuvres the characters with such gravitas that he automatically steals everyone's screen presence.

The rest of the crew give fine performances, rounding out the spaceship, yet compared to its forerunner are somewhat more sidelined. Stand outs Kar Urban as Bones and Simon Pegg as engineer Scotty, who brings back his British humour. Zoe Saldana, apart from her linguistic skills in the scene with the Klingons, is sadly demoted to simply being Spock’s worrying girlfriend.

Technically, this sci-fi blockbuster is a visual marvel! Every scene is framed with incredible depth, while the IMAX shot segments deliver staggering detail, making space look unbelievably vast on screen. The camera glides smoothly between the corridors of the Enterprise, as the action tracks character movements, giving it a kinetic touch. While I believe the lens flares are less this time around, they still manage to distract slightly. 

The visual effects are equally breathtaking, making digital models of the Enterprise, the Vengeance, plus the crumbling futuristic cities on Earth look hyper-realistic. The third-act crash-landing of the Vengeance in San Francisco perfectly blends lighting with debris and dust. Unfortunately, some of the explosions do feel artificial thanks to the film's digital gloss.  

Music-wise, the brass-heavy orchestral soundtrack, once again composed by Michael Giacchino, builds on his 2009 theme, deepening emotional plus action heavy scenes. 

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Verdict: Following the successful reboot of 2009, J.J. Abrams went on to produce and direct a sequel that would include Kahn, one of the most prominent Enterprise storylines, but with a twist. This gave the feature a fresh perspective, maintaining the suspense plus fast pace of the previous instalment while adding greater stakes to the plot. Unfortunately, it also sets it up for a direct comparison with The Wrath of Kahn, which is ultimately the superior film. Then there is the issue of the crumbling third act, which relies heavily on coincidence, as well as fan service. The cast gives once again a brilliant rendition, paying homage to the original actors. The cinematography is still breathtaking, adding striking visuals and nerve-wracking action sequences, while the music by Michael Giacchino is as beautiful as ever. Personally, I prefer this one; however, objectively, it is inferior to its predecessor, containing more issues. Which is why it gets a 7.5 out of 10!

Which Star Trek picture do you prefer? Are you a fan of the Abrams’ flicks? Be ready for my review of Star Trek Beyond next. Thank you for reading & please share and like.