Review of Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) by Stevenf — 17 Sep 2013

What I admire most about the new Trek films is how they manage to act alongside the previous era, they incorporate the stories and find room for them alongside these new films, Leonard Nimoy had a significant role in the 2009 reboot, but his role wasn't merely a nostalgic track, he was pivotal to the plot and was excellently written to co-exist with his younger Spock counterpart, Zachary Quinto. Into Darkness is another powerful return to the Trek universe, the main reason for this is how much the world is still evolving and characters are still trying to fit into the iconic roles filled before them, most sequels tend to establish their characters as the first film closes, but this return to the Enterprise still finds Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) in an uneasy friendship with Spock, while still making reckless decisions aboard his ship, but the most dire of enemies is just on the horizon, a man within the very ranks of Starfleet itself, Benedict Cumberbatch cuts a very calculated and driven individual in the form of John Harrison, a man whose motives are, at first glance unclear, but as the film progresses, Trek fans know exactly who he really is, the acting from Cumberbatch who speaks in a solid and unshakable tone as he has a mission which he intends to see through, one which tears the crew of the Enterprise apart. There is plenty of character development and also chemistry between the characters to give the whole lot purpose, impressive to look at, but still full of unique individuals.

While sticking true to its roots, JJ Abrams has also brought many new and fresh devices to reach out to the blockbusters of this generation, where the real visual marvels of the film, what we truly have is a riveting space adventure full of tasers, politics and a nice touch of humour from Keith Urban as the darkly comedic Bones and Simon Pegg as the talkative but amusing Scotty. The comedy comes alongside a very well-written tale of friendship and grief, Harrison isn't a run of the mill villain, he at times shows the demeanour of an anti-hero, out to exact revenge on those who wronged him and his companions in the past, but at other times he is cold and truly calculated in getting what he wants.

Into Darkness proves that the new generation of space explorers can confidently take the reigns, they take on the mission on explosive fashion, with Abrams having the eye for detail and resolution which is apparent in the film, it may not be as fresh as the first instalment, put this was an ideal continuation and a well-written piece to take its place among one of the best films of the year.