Star Trek Into Darkness Review

Now that the Iron Man 3 hype has settled, it's time for me to take a look at that other giant nerd event film released in May- "Star Trek Into Darkness." As with many others, I've been hyping this film since the last one, and it's been one of my most anticipated releases all year. While I'm not exactly a Trekkie, I have an enormous amount of respect for Star Trek due to its contributions to the sci-fi genre. When the reboot hit back in 2009, I loved it, mainly because, thanks to its time travel/parallel universe plot line, it managed to be a reboot, sequel and prequel all at once, honoring the Star Trek canon while doing its own thing and making it accessible to non-Trekkies like myself.

Even though I'm not a full-blown Trekkie, that doesn't mean I'm not familiar with the Trek mythos. I've seen several of the old films (Wrath of Khan and First Contact being my favorite, although I'm also fond of Voyage Home), and watched multiple reruns of The Next Generation, and even on occasion episodes of Voyager and Enterprise (although not as often). I prefer Captain Picard and Data to Kirk and Spock, but of course the old crew is comprised of a great cast of characters, which the reboot did a magnificent job of introducing to new audiences. I'm glad to say that this sequel continues that trend, introducing more classic Trek elements while finding ways to breath new life into the universe for newcomers.

As glimpsed from the trailers, the story concerns Captain James T. Kirk, First Officer Spock, and their loyal crew hunting down ex-Starfleet officer John Harrison, who is committing terrorist acts against the Federation.  The film begins with a great "Raiders of the Lost Ark" moment, wherein our heroes attempt to render a volcano inert on a primitive planet and end up exposing themselves to the natives. Since they violated the sacred Prime Directive (no interference with underdeveloped worlds), Kirk is demoted to First Officer under Admiral Pike and Spock is reassigned.

It is here where Harrison begins his attacks, causing Pike's death. As a result, Kirk becomes captain again and leads a vengeful mission to the Klingon homeworld Kronos, under orders from Admiral Marcus, to kill Harrison, carrying with him 72 prototype photon torpedoes. While Kirk is gung-ho about the mission, several of his crewmembers, including Scotty, are suspicious of the torpedoes' payload, and on edge about how traveling to Kronos could start a war with the Klingons.

First off, this is a great set-up. The opening screams classic Trek, and the story up to this point, while maybe too action packed for old Trek fans, displays the classic moral and ethical debates that defined old Trek films and episodes. Throughout the film there is a running theme of whether to use logic and seek diplomatic solutions, or go on gut instinct and possibly start a war. Like most genre films nowadays, there's a parallel to post-9/11 politics, in this case focusing on how the government is dead set on capturing a terrorist and willing to go to war to achieve this goal.

All the cast members perform their roles admirably. Zoe Saldana, Anton Yelchin, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, John Cho, and Bruce Greenwood all deliver, once again bringing these iconic characters to life. Peter Weller and Alice Eve also are standouts as Admiral Marcus and his daughter Carol, respectively. They are welcome additions to the cast and contribute to the story rather well, with the admiral in particular actually acting as a villain for a good chunk of the film. His villainous acts are the true catalyst for the plot, and play on the theme of the logic of going to war or desiring peace.

However, in the end this film belongs to Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, and Benedict Cumberbatch. Pine and Quinto's emerging friendship defined the previous film, and here it gains even more significance. Pine once again plays Kirk as rebellious and cocky, even in the captain's chair. Quinto for the second time nails the cold, logical presence of Spock. The great thing about this film, however, is that it really gives both of them the chance to really develop their friendship. If the first film was about them gaining respect for one another, this one is about them realizing how much they need each other, and that they are capable of using both logic and emotion when the situation calls for it. It's incredibly satisfying to see the chemistry these two share, and how the events of the film logically push them forward as characters.

But of course I also mentioned Cumberbatch, who very  nearly steals the film from everyone else. We are led to believe his name is John Harrison for the first half of the film, before in a not-so surprising reveal (several hints were given throughout the film) he is shown to be Khan Noonien Singh, the most iconic of Star Trek villains. Cumberbatch relishes his role here, delivering every line with eloquence and a subtle sense of innate superiority. He simply knows he's better than everyone else, and you can tell by the way he speaks and interacts with the characters.

With the reveal comes the revelation that the entire film is pretty much an alternate universe version of Space Seed/Wrath of Khan. Most die hard Trekkies would, understandably, cry foul at that. However, what they fail to understand is that the Khan story arc is one of the most important events of the Star Trek canon. Any parallel timeline would have to tackle it eventually, and the way they do it here is brilliant. Instead of using Khan when Kirk and Spock are older so they can reflect on their past mistakes, this film introduces Khan when Kirk and Spock are still young, in order to solidify their friendship and have them grow into the men they will undeniably become. Khan's inclusion in this film and at this stage in the rebooted timeline feels completely organic, and at no point feels shoe-horned in to play off the nostalgia of die hard Trekkies.

Several other homages to Wrath of Khan exist, most notably the ending. Instead of Spock sacrificing himself, Kirk does it instead, leading to an exchange where Kirk acknowledges this is something Spock himself would have done. It may feel lessened to older Trekkies since they've already seen this, but the scene itself is still sincere, features great acting from Pine and Quinto, and really drives home how much the two care about each other and how they can, in dire circumstances, act more like each other than they would care to admit. Spock's reaction to Kirk's death and following actions are solid proof of this, and by film's end it's clearly apparent that the two have forged their iconic friendship that Spock Prime hinted at the end of the first film.

Besides the top-notch story and character interactions, the film also delivers on action and still remembers to preserve the witty banter between the crew. Bones and Scotty in particular are standouts for their witty dialogue, even moreso when interacting with Kirk, Spock and Uhura. As for the action, it's simply stunning. The opening scene is probably my favorite, but a chase between a scout ship and Klingon warbirds on Kronos, a space jump between ships near Earth, and a brutal final (if short) brawl between Spock and Khan on floating barges are also highlights.

What I loved about the film was that these action scenes, and even the witty dialogue, did not overpower the film but instead just added to the story and characters. It gave everything a certain gravity yet prevented things from being overly serious, and allowed the audience to have fun without forgetting the stakes. There's some serious philosophical stuff mentioned here, as I said earlier, and the way the film presents it makes it seem like an actual war could be brewing in future installments. Just like the first film, there are enough nods to classic Trek to satisfy Trekkies and enough new elements to please causal viewers.

If I have any complaints, it's that once Khan is revealed, the use of iconic elements from that movie make it a little too predictable (did anyone really doubt Kirk would stay dead?), but the pace of the film and the amazing action and characterization make this more of a nitpick than a full-blown problem. It was interesting to see an old tale told again but different, bearing in mind that this is all supposed to be a parallel reality. Leonard Nimoy's Spock Prime even shows up to remind us of that.

As a fan of the first film, I was extremely impressed with the way J.J. Abrams decided to continue the story of the rebooted Trek universe while keeping it open for further adventures. I have full confidence in his ability to tackle Star Wars, if he holds that universe with the same level of esteem that he does this one. Thanks to its better story and character development, I would even put this film above the original in terms of ranking, although unfortunately it still doesn't hold a candle to the film it pays homage to. Then again, what Trek film has surpassed Wrath of Khan? If anything, what should be taken away from this is that Abrams has delivered two great Trek films in a row, which is an achievement in and of itself. The franchise will be celebrating its 50th anniversary in three years. As evidenced by this film, even if Abrams is jumping ship, the series will continue to live long and prosper.