Star Trek: Into Darkness (2013) Review

STAR TREK: INTO DARKNESS (2013)
Director: J.J. Abrams

Writers: Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, and Damon Lindelof

Producers: J.J. Abrams, Jeffrey Chernov, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Paul Schwake

Editors: Maryann Brandon and Mary Jo Markey

Cinematography: Daniel Mindel

Music: Michael Giacchino

Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinro, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Alice Eve

Best Credit: Ser'Darius Blain as "USS Enterprise Red Shirt"

Runtime: 2 hours 12 minutes

Rating: PG-13 (intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence)

Genre: Sci-Fi, Action, Adventure

Release Date: May 16, 2013

Before Watching the Movie: Just know you don't have to be a Trekkie or have seen the previous movie in the series to understand and enjoy Star Trek: Into Darkness.

Intro: Let me just start out by saying that I am in no way a Trekkie. My only experiences thus far with Star Trek are this movie, its prequel, and cultural references. Therefore, if you are looking for a Trekkie's perspective on the movie, look elsewhere. Anyway, after liking the original reboot, Star Trek, I was excited to see the sequel and also see J.J. Abrams' last film project before embarking on Star Wars Episode VII. Star Trek: Into Darkness is the perfect summer blockbuster. It's fun, extremely exciting and entertaining, and has amazing visuals and a good dose of emotion and humor as well.

Plot: After the events of the last movie, Star Trek, the crew of the Enterprise led by Kirk (Pine) and Spock (Quinto) gets in trouble for interfering with the fate of an indigenous tribe on a planet they are exploring. When they return to Earth, Star Fleet is very angry with Kirk, even though he is one of their better pilots. However, a terrorist attack on a  base in London by one of Star Fleet's own prompts the Fleet to get Kirk and his team to find this man (Cumberbatch) and bring him to justice. 

Things people may find “objectionable”: The main thing is violence. There is a lot of intense action throughout the movie. Also, there is some mild swearing, but no f-bombs and it's not pervasive.

What was Good:

     -Characters/Emotional Involvement: It takes more than you'd think to get me emotionally invested in the characters in a story, but I really did feel for all the characters and got pretty emotionally involved. This is good, especially for a summer blockbuster, where usually not a lot of emphasis is put on the characters or the emotional response. 

     -Music/Score: Very good score that helped the movie a lot. I really like composer Michael Giacchino, who has also written the scores for the first Star Trek movie in the new reboot series, The Incredibles, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, Up, and Ratatouille.

     -Adrenaline: Intense movie from start to finish. It really hooks you in right away with action and hardly ever lets up. The movie is essentially a thrill ride that will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat.

My reaction to the movie, for the most part

     -Directing/Cinematography: Absolutely beautiful visuals. The movie looked stunning. The shots were all picturesque and really added an extra level of enjoyment to a movie. I think cool visuals are kind of my weakness. It's easy to get me to like a movie that looks beautiful and/or has a lot of interesting shots. I think that's one of the main reasons I liked Skyfall so much. J.J. Abrams' efforts here give me a lot of hope for Star Wars Episode VII.

     -Acting: Pretty good acting, especially on the part of Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, and Benedict Cumberbatch. I really like Chris Pine as Kirk. He plays the perfect noble yet wild captain and is part of the reason you like the character so much. No one's going to win an Oscar for this movie, but the acting is decent.

     -Humor: Not a ton throughout the whole movie, but here and there, there are some funny lines, especially coming from Kirk, who at least at the beginning of the movie is a bit full of himself.

     -Special Effects: All the special effects were done very well, as expected for a movie of this type. The movie is total eye candy, and the special effects add immensely to its gorgeous look.

What Could Have Been Better:

     -Story: The story was kind of silly, but it's a summer blockbuster, what do you expect? There were also some unexplored subplots that were never really resolved and were kind of left open. The story was cohesive and didn't have a ton of plot holes, but it was just kind of silly. If you just go along with it while watching the movie and shut your mind off to it, the movie is thoroughly enjoyable. 

     -Script: Not the best, but it worked. Some of the lines, I felt, were a little cheesy and predictable, but they worked for the most part. I mean, unless you're paying attention, you don't notice it that much.

     -Intelligence: Not as mindbending as the first entry in the series (no time loops or anything weird like in the first one). Still entertaining, but it didn't require a ton of brain power to understand and enjoy.

Final Score: Star Trek: Into Darkness is more than your typical summer blockbuster. Though it has some weaknesses in its story, it delivers a more emotional response and better characters than most in its genre. It is a thoroughly enjoyable movie, and I recommend seeing it if nothing else for the visuals, which are spectacular. I am guessing this is probably going to be one of the best, if not the best, summer blockbuster 2013 has to offer (I liked it even better than Iron Man 3). Abrams' effort also gives me a lot of hope for his next project, Star Wars Episode 7.

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