Star Trek Into Darkness Reviews

With his daughter lying terminally ill in a London hospital, a young father is approached by John Harrison (Cumberbatch), who claims to be able to cure her. In exchange for his child's salvation, the young man acts as a suicide bomber, destroying a Starfleet archive facility and killing 42 in the process. Hearing of this, an emergency meeting is conducted in Starfleet's San Francisco headquarters. During the meeting, Harrison attacks the building in a spacecraft and escapes to hide on the Klingon home-world of Kronos. Admiral Marcus (Weller) orders Captain Kirk (Pine) to take the Enterprise and kill Harrison.
With 2009's reboot of 'Star Trek', Abrams faced the considerable task of making the franchise relevant to the general public without alienating its fans, (who are arguably the most passionate in all of pop culture). For the most part, he succeeded. The first film in a new adaptation of a popular brand is always difficult as you have to spend so much time establishing the main characters, and their world, it leaves little room to inject a satisfying story into the mix. Thus, the first film featured a dull villain and not much of a story. We forgave this though as it set everything up for a potentially great sequel. A clever plot device meant Abrams' Trek was set in an alternate reality, allowing him to take things in his own direction. Strange then that the follow-up movie is, essentially, a remake, and a poor imitation, of a previous movie.

There's a mythical figure, let's call him 'Joe MidWest', who Hollywood execs have conjured up and consistently pander to, despite no real evidence he actually exists. Joe MidWest, we're led to believe, won't watch Judge Dredd unless he removes his helmet. He won't watch a 'Halloween' movie unless Michael Myers removes his mask. Now, it seems, he won't watch 'Star Trek' unless the guy with the pointy ears stops behaving like an alien and shows some emotion. What's done to Spock (Quinto) here is bizarre; turning him into a blubbering, emotional wreck which goes against everything that makes the character so fascinating. A huge part of the series' charm came from the interplay between the emotional Kirk, (and McCoy), and the logical Spock. Now that Spock is just as emotional as Kirk, this element is gone. The screenwriters seem intent on shooting themselves in the foot. (Considering the writers are responsible for such travesties as 'Transformers 2', 'Prometheus' and 'People Like Us', a wounded foot is the least they deserve, given the pain they've inflicted on audiences.)
Much of the marketing focuses on the casting of Cumberbatch, an actor who finds his star rising rapidly. Fans of the BBC 'Sherlock' reboot know what a great presence the actor is but he's sadly wasted here. His scenes with Kirk have none of the power of those seen in the older film this one references. The extent of his character amounts to a bit of poorly written exposition and an iconic name. As with the first film, McCoy (Urban) is pushed aside for Uhura (Saldana), seemingly for politically correct reasons. Scotty (the horribly miscast Pegg), by far the worst element of the previous installment, is, thankfully, less of a comedic presence here.

As a director, Abrams does some impressive work. The movie's highlight is a stunning pre-credits sequence set on a vivid red planet that recalls the opening of 'Raiders of the Lost Ark'. The FX work is equally impressive, particularly a glorious shot of the Enterprise falling through a thick blanket of clouds. The sets, costumes and production design are all spectacular too, as is Michael Giacchino's majestic score. Unfortunately, when it comes to narrative cinema, the most important element is the script. Hundreds of people did fantastic work on this film but three people did a terrible job. Those three wrote it.

J.J. Abrams' first "Star Trek" blew me away in terms of visual effects, and I'm pleased to see Benedict Cumberbatch play the villain in this good looking sequel.

I loved the first, I will love this one.

The original Star Trek was incredibly enjoyable, not being a trekkie, and I hope that this sequel is every bit as good.

Loved the first one, hopefully this will be as good, or even better.

The Star Trek franchise always had a bumpy ride when it came to the film industry, with its very first motion picture receiving a critical mauling and lackluster box office returns. While The Wrath of Kahn remains a successful and equally loved sci-fi hit, it wasn't until J.J Abrams' 2009 Star Trek that the series broadened its appeal beyond the Trekkie fanbase and reignited interest within modern audiences. Fours year on, the next stage of the planned trilogy has arrived. And believe me, it's nothing like you'd expect.

The reckless behaviour of Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) leads to his demotion from captain of the USS Enterprise; a rank he is soon forced back into when Starfleet is attacked by one of their own operatives, John Harrison (Bennedict Cumberbatch), who for years has been wanting to settle a personal score with his commanders. With the help of Commander Spock (Zachary Quinto), Leonard McCoy (Karl Urban) and the rest of his crew, Kirk must now journey into the depths of space and seek out this deadly new foe; but he finds out there is much more to these events than he initially expected.

Ignoring the excellent performances and thrilling set pieces, what made Star Trek such a fantastic reboot was the quality writing which developed likeable characters and exploited clever dialogue and plot advancement. All this returns in Into Darkness, with the main actors reprising their roles beautifully and the dialogue better than ever. The humour is timed to perfection with an excellent wit, and you'll never cringe at any of the lines. Cumberbatch truly shines throughout the cast, delivering an intimidating and monstrous performance as the villain but thankfully never resorting to philosophical and melodramatic statements every time he speaks - something I feared would happen. Also, dat voice.

The narrative is very faithful to the title, delving into darker themes and content that the first Star Trek merely touched upon. The relationship between Kirk and Spock is developed beautifully, really becoming one of the most important elements of the film that's complimented by stellar performances. The plot twists dramatically shift the focus; the film was not what I expected from the trailers, but this is a very good thing, delivering a deeper focus on character and surprises with perfect pacing. Into Darkness thankfully never gets too complex with its narrative structure - and what's better is how the alternative timeline explored in its predecessor is thankfully still acknowledged, forming it into a constant aspect of the plot instead of an abandoned one.

The special effects impress throughout and it's all made even better in gorgeous IMAX 3D. Whether we're talking about the makeup, CGI or excellent crafted sets, Into Darkness never disappoints visually and provides an incredibly rich aesthetic experience. Set pieces are shot well and consistently thrill, even if they can be a bit too noisy. The final battle ends on a somewhat anti-climactic note, but otherwise the film flawlessly threads together a gripping story with creative action sequences. Fans of the franchise will love the nods and subtle references, and Into Darkness is an essential watch for anyone remotely interested - which should be everyone.

It was always going to be near impossible to live up to the amazing 2009 Star Trek. But Into Darkness is as good a sequel as the 2009 reboot is a reboot. It's a smart, funny, action packed sci-fi film that delivers in what a Summer Blockbuster should be!

Bigger and better than the first film, this sequel is filled with energy. There is some old ground covered but my word what a fun adventure. Fast, funny, exciting and likely to appeal to fans and non-converts alike. Plus Cumberbatch's villain is sure to be one of the best this year. Thus far 2013's blockbuster to beat.

A excellent ride with Kirk, Spock McCoy and the crew of the Enterprise!

JJ Abrams re-assembles the excellent ensemble cast, adds a pitch-perfect villain in the form of Benedict Cumberbatch, and sets out to tell a more human story than the first. Whilst the plot sometimes verges on the 'all to convenient', Into Darkness is still a masterclass in big-budget hollywood filmmaking. As we have come to expect of the sci-fi maestro Abrams and his army of talented Bad Robots, it's a loud, beautiful and extremely enjoyable ride.

Great movie and a great addition to the Star Trek Franchise.

Completely satisfying, full of emotional, twists and exhilrating scene after exhilirating scene, this is a character film, will with ethics that pushes the characters and gets a few tears out of us. Visuals are incredible, 3D is terrific, direction and cinematography are energetic and it never loses pases. A few nitpicks here and there but the characters, and the villain (played brilliantly by Benedict Cumberbatch) are tremendous with Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto are tremendous in their roles and they make the film more powerful. One of the best Star Trek movies, if not the best next to Wrath of Khan. Go See It!!!

Definitely the better of the 2 blockbuster sequels released this month!

J.J. Abrams pulled all the right strings with his monumentally successful Star Trek reboot in 2009, demonstrating that flare and energy can be injected into even the longest running film franchises. Into Darkness is a beauty of a sequel, using the assembled parts of its predecessor to propel the series into a sparkling, energised mind-set, executed with frenetic and engrossing direction.Set just under a year after the events of Star Trek, the film opens to the established crew of the U.S.S Enterprise successfully preventing a volcanic eruption from engulfing an entire planet. Upon arriving back to civilisation, there is little time for celebrations, as a Star Fleet archive is attacked in London, culminating in casualties, grief, confusion, and an aggressive man hunt into the realms of an old enemy of Star Fleet.Abrams cooked up a remarkable dish in his first film, with the ingredients continuing to satisfy our taste buds. Chris Pine continues his rebellious yet charming persona of junior Jim Kirk, whilst maintaining bromance rivalries with helpings of ideological clashes of wit with Zachary Quinto's sharp-edged Spock and Karl Urban's sensible, grandstanding and vigilant medic Bones. And then of course we have Simon Pegg's engine boffin Scotty tagging alongside, trying valiantly to maintain a Scottish accent. Into Darkness invigorates the Enterprise crew's social mechanisms set up previously, stirring it in with the emotional politics warping around, giving the crew a thicker and more dramatic relationship. With the knots tied securely between our protagonists in the first act, just how can this established crew be efficiently paired with a villainous adversary to keep up the energy? The answer is simple: Benedict Cumberbatch.Portraying the infamous John Harrison, a Star Fleet agent gone rogue, Cumberbatch is the latest British addition to the cast of the Star Trek universe. Cumberbatch's performance affirms the notion that there are some villains who you simply cannot hate; Harrison is talented, knowledgeable and sinister, committing horrific crimes, but the respect for the character builds from the good intentions equating to the justification of his actions. He's also very, very adept in fighting off waves of Cling-Ons single handed, and enjoys a good session of neck breaking and roundhouse kicking. This paired with Cumberbatch's deep, aggressive and thunderous delivery of Harrison's dialogue form him into one of the most memorable villains since Heath Ledger's performance of the Joker. There is just one minute issue with Harrison - he feels a little under-scripted in the final act, which may leave audiences yearning for more. Yet once you cast your mind back to his many notable scenes, this blip is easily overlooked as you will certainly respect that Cumberbatch steals the show. J.J. Abrams has assembled the perfect crew for the job, and has thrown them into a luminescent and gorgeous sci-fi adventure. The film offers one sensational sequence after another; providing us with tense atmospheres and well-oiled visual effects, the edits of which maintain a hectic yet watchable stance. At no point does the film run out of steam, whenever we feel like the Enterprise is out of trouble, another explosion or ship bursts into view, and the entertainment begins once again. The decision to hire Abrams as director for Star Wars Episode VII is becoming the more logical choice by the day.Although it does not match the scale of innovation as its predecessor, Into Darkness provides us with a riveting sci-fi adventure in space that will suitably satisfy Trekies and non-Trekies alike, maintaining the balance between old school Star Trek and energetic Hollywood cinema. Throw into the mix powerhouse performances from the entire cast and a script which offers darkness, humour and politics, J.J. Abrams has produced a magical concoction, with minimal inconsistencies, which is arguably one of the strongest entries into the Star Trek cinematic canon.

An amazing sci-fi film; may be the best sci-fi film in 2013
I love how Abrams directed this movie, like he did in his first Star Trek movie. This movie is visually amazing. Its visual grandeur is completed by the use of 3D that is worth every single penny.
The plot itself is layered with surprises and filled with references from the original series of Star Trek that will certainly make Trekkies filled with happiness while watching this film. Humours and jokes are brilliantly put in the dialogues and make the movie seem lighter despite the intensity of the plot.
The ensemble cast are also amazing. The chemistry between Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto is as good as Shatner and Nimoy in the original series. Benedict Cumberbatch serves as a brilliant villain. His charisma makes him a memorable villain unlike Eric Bana in the first movie. Simon Pegg is also impressive as his character plays more important role in this movie.

Overall a really nice movie: It keeps the fast action of the 09 film, but adds a lot of core Trek. This film finally takes not only action fans, but also old Trekkies on board. The acting was fabulous and the chemistry between the cast is just right. On the downside of this film, we have the lack of an real philosophical or moral dilemma as plot background like in the TMP era films or the TNG series. I hope that Abrams incorporates these elements into his next Star Trek film. Definitely worth to see.

Can't wait to see it. Hopefully it will be as good as the first.

Another film like Iron Man 3 that has held some of it's cards close to it's chest so as not to give the plot away during the marketing, only difference is the surprise was one I enjoyed this time around. The first film is great, but the sequel is even closer to the source of the original series. The characters are played wonderfully well, but they also have new facets to them that we have not seen before and you also get to see some great role reversal. Like Iron Man 3 there is a lot humour with the action, but what makes it so much better is that is has heart and a sense of peril. Not quite five stars as the film slightly dips in the middle, but only for a few minutes. Easily the best blockbuster of 2013 so far.

Man the reviews have really lowered my expectations for this movie. If what they say is true then Into Darkness will be to Star Trek (2009) what The Dark Knight Rises was to The Dark Knight: A failure to top what came before, but a spectacular failure.

Well worth the wait, Star Trek Into Darkness was everything the previous film was but better. Engaging, with Benedict Cumberbatch playing the villain wonderfully complex, this film was quite a joy to watch, and was simply a visual feast, as one would expect from J.J. Abrams.