Review: "Star Trek Into Darkness", PG-13

Space: The Final Frontier, and the setting for my latest review. After having such a successful reboot JJ Abrams takes us on another adventure with the crew of the USS Enterprise.

On this latest outing, Kirk, Spock, Uhura, Scotty, Dr. McCoy, Sulu and Chechov battle a former member of Star Fleet named John Harrison who has an agenda to seek revenge on Star Fleet. Relationships are also tested as Kirk second-guesses his qualifications for captain, tests his relationship with his crew members, and Spock and Uhura hit rough waters.

Zachary Quinto, Chris Pine and the rest of the original cast members retunr to their iconic roles and remind us why we loved them so much the first time. Scotty (Simon Pegg) does not ahve as much screen time as he did in the first film but he commands the screen whenever he is in a scene.

However, it is newcomer Benedict Cumberbatch that steals the show as villian John Harrison (who may turn out to be someone very important in the Trek universe, but I will not reveal who). His commanding presence draws the viewer in and at times leads the viewer to sympathize with him. It is nice to see such a prominent British actor (watch BBC's series "Sherlock") finally get a chance to gain an American audience.

The visual effects in this film are amazing. The film follows its title by presenting a darker storyline as well as darker lighting and darker costumes. The cast now wears black uniforms with their particular color as lightning bolts on the front of their collars. 

This is not a film for children. There is a lot of violence and swearing. There is, however, a nice balance of humor, drama, romance, and the film captivates the viewer for the entire two hour running length.

I enjoyed this movie even though I am not a Trekkie. Some Trekkies will love it. Some will not, but I will let them judge for themselves.

Happy viewing!!