Movie Review: Star Trek: Into Darkness

Review: Star Trek: Into Darkness
While I have no “Trekthority” to claim that Into Darkness boldly goes where the iconic science fiction franchise has never gone before, I can and will claim that the newest J. J. Abrams flick takes us to a place that even the highly anticipated spring and summer movie lineup will have a tough time warping to.  

In my time and experience as a critic, which has been brief thus far, I can count on my hands the number of films I’ve seen that have such a harmonious blend of all their creative elements. Our journey Into Darkness begins before the opening scenes grace the screen during the pre-film production credits when the Enterprise theme floats through the speakers, majestically simple yet stirring and kinetic. Hearing it one could not but lust for the theme to play again over an epic shot of the Enterprise emerging through the clouded heavens on some distant world. And Abrams does not disappoint.  

Into Darkness is a bold voyage into the realm of desperate emotion. But we aren’t just watching the emotion; we’re feeling it. Abrams has managed to create a living and breathing experience all through the simplicity of things like a soft melody, a change in a character’s facial expression, and even the sound of breathing. Of course, this vision is accomplished with the help of solid performances by all the cast, particularly Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto who give a very human edge to Captain James Kirk and Commander Spock respectively.  

Relationships are a key focus of the movie’s tensions. Each character has his or her own personal demons to wrestle and these demons jeopardize external relationships. For example, we are constantly asking ourselves will Spock open up to his half-human nature before he loses those closest to him? Or will Kirk be able to confront and conquer himself before others come to harm?  

The outcome of these battles and the fate of the Enterprise “family,” as well as the fate of human civilization is besieged by the ruthless and genetically modified tyrant called Khan, played by Benedict Cumberbatch. Khan was the hardest part of the movie to digest, and that might simply stem from my lack of “Trekthority” outside of the movies Abrams has produced.  Khan’s origins and purpose speech felt a little rushed and hollow and didn’t fully strike out the “Who is he and why is he important?” question box. The connection just isn’t there consistently between the heroes and the villains, and when it is visible it never feels much more than a passing wisp of interstellar cloud that will never fully evolve into a steadily burning star of character conflict.  

Aside from Khan the movie is hindered by some pacing issues. While the action is non-stop and thrilling the plot and character development needs an extra bump of time at the end to wrap everything up; the end just doesn’t come when it’s truly expected though it does pull back from a level of boldness that would have pushed it into recklessness. Yet despite these shortcomings Into Darkness is a spring/summer must-see. Abrams has given not only the Star Trek Universe and cinephiles everywhere a visually stunning and epic voyage into the vast reaches of space but also hope that the future of the Star Wars franchise is in very good hands.  

Overall Rating: 9.2 out of 10