Let's Review: Star Trek Into Darkness

 

Welcome back to the Geekdom, I’ll be your Guide. I’m going to be frank with you, I’m a Star Trek fan, but I wouldn’t say I’m an obsessive Trekkie. If you’re looking for a review where I point out every single continuity error that the producers of the film seemed to have missed, you’re going to have to wait for my review of the next Star Wars film. So being a casual Trekkie, how did I feel about the new film? Let’s review Star Trek: Into Darkness.

The Negative

Is it just me or did the Starfleet uniforms look really weird in this film. I don’t mean the typically yellow, blue, and red shirts; I’m talking about everything else they wore outside of those. Star Trek is well known for changing their uniforms over the course of its many series but all of the extra uniforms just didn’t seem right in this movie. I’m sure the new uniforms were supposed to be dressing for the occasion such as the need to be under cover or the need to be presentable for a meeting, but none of these new suits looked like a natural piece of clothing to wear.

The Opening. I get what they were trying to do. They were trying to show us a wacky ground mission that was fast paced and would get the audience into a lighthearted mood for the film, but the opening just seems too over the top and ridiculous with its execution. Why did the Enterprise have to be underwater? Why did Kirk have to steal the native tribe’s idol and lead them in a crazy forest chase (Similar to Raiders of the Lost Ark)? Why did Spock have to be in the Volcano in order to set off the bomb? I know that some of these were answered in film, but the entire opening situation was just too wacky for my taste. (But not for my editor who thought it was great.)

The Positive

Benedict Cumberbatch as Khan was amazing. This was a Khan unlike the previous depiction. This wasn’t a Khan without technology prowess like in the classic Star Trek episode Space Seed, nor was it a vengeful Khan out for blood like in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. This version of Khan was a tactical mastermind who had been awake for some time before encountering our heroes. This was Khan at his most powerful and Benedict Cumberbatch pulled it off perfectly.

The Vengeance. Star Trek has had a massive number of enemy starships over the course of its history, but I have to say The Vengeance was one of the scariest and most intimidating ships I have ever seen. This thing was awe-inspiring. It’s a massive, darker version of the Enterprise and it had the power to just shoot them out of warp speed if it wanted to. The Vengeance was a true threat to the Enterprise and I loved every moment it was onscreen.

Spoilers to the endings of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and Star Trek: Into Darkness follows. If you don’t want these endings spoiled for you, please proceed directly to the conclusion of the review. Everyone else, keep reading.

 

I know a few people disagree with me on this point, but I believe the reversal death scene was a brilliant move on Into Darkness part. The scene where Mr. Spock dies in Wrath of Khan is almost perfectly recreated, but with Kirk standing in Spock’s position. Mr. Spock’s plot in this film was to see him form a true bond of friendship with Kirk, a friendship that he wouldn’t fully understand until Kirk’s sacrifice. Before Spock viewed their relationship as Captain and Officer, but now he truly saw what their relationship meant in Kirk’s final moments. This event really peaked Spock’s arc in this film. This reversal also added a level of suspense. Spock died from the events that occurred in Wrath of Khan, and so, for the briefest of moments I didn’t know if they were bold enough to go through with Kirk’s death. Plot elements revealed how Kirk could be easily brought back, but for a moment I wasn’t sure where the plot was going to go.

In Conclusion

I’ve mentioned before how much of a fan I am of the 2009 Star Trek film, and I believe its sequel continued the winning streak. This was an amazing film with truly spectacular villains and fantastic character plots. My only problem with it was a few odd choices in costume and the beginning of the film. I honestly hope that J.J. Abrams can return to the Star Trek universe after his Star Wars film, because I can’t wait to see more. 4.8 out of 5