Star Trek Into Darkness Movie Review
"War is coming, who is going to lead us? You?” Admiral Marcus to Captain Kirk.
In this second installment of the regenerated Star Trek series. Captain James T. Kirk leads the U.S.S. Enterprise into a new adventure - with a slight detour. The movie opens with Kirk and Bones running through a colorful forest on a planet inhabited by creatures that “have not yet invented the wheel.” Trying to save the planet, and ultimately save Spock, they are unfortunately seen by the indigenous species, thereby, violating the Prime Directive. As a result, Kirk loses his position as Captain of the Enterprise and the ship is returned to the command of Admiral Pike (Bruce Greenwood).
On the love front, Spock and Lieutenant Uhura (Zoe Saldana) are having a spat. “Are you two arguing?” Captain Kirk asks Lt. Uhura. “What is that even like?”
Meanwhile in London, a despondent father sells his soul to the devil to save his daughter's life and agrees to detonate a bomb in a Starfleet installation. Fortunately, before the act, he notifies Starfleet. The two storylines collide as all of Starfleet’s captains and first officers, per protocal following an incident, are assembled in the Daystrom Room at Starfleet HQ. Super villain Khan (Benedict Cumberbatch) has his day of revenge against Starfleet. The crew of the Enterprise must battle Khan and corrupt internal forces to save 23rd Century Earth and the Federation, by going to the one place they really shouldn’t be going.
Great movie moments:
Who can you trust? Who will be betrayed? Trust is the underlying essence of all storylines throughout Star Trek into Darkness. Through much of the movie we see that trust questioned many times over. After saving Spock’s life, Spock files a report on the incident that causes Kirk to be demoted and lose his ship. “Never trust a Vulcan,” says Kirk. Doctor Wallace, a science officer boards the Enterprise under false pretenses. Kirk trusts Admiral Marcus, head of Starfleet. Kirk must also trust Khan in order to save the Earth and the Enterprise. Friendships, respect and trust are truly tested as never before.
After spending a few minutes watching the old Star Trek episodes, I truly enjoyed the comedic timing between Spock (Zachary Quinto), Bones (Karl Urban), Scotty (Simon Pegg) and Kirk (Chris Pine), more so in the reboot than the original series.
Sulu (John Cho) gets a chance to sit in “the chair” and does a great job as acting captain, even shocking Bones.
Leonard Nimoy returns as Spock – Spock’s older self. This would be Nimoy’s final appearance in the franchise prior to his death.
Lieutenant Uhura had the opportunity to speak Klingon. Loved it. It was refreshing to see a strong, woman character portrayed in an otherwise male-dominated movie.
Not so great movie moments:
Bones was a particular fan of metaphors this time. At times, they seemed forced and overly-scripted.
Overall, I give this movie a 3.5 out of five stars. Non-stop action, great dialogue and obvious chemistry between the actors. Star Trek into Darkness gave the reboot a great boost.
Details:
Director: J.J. Abrams
Rating: PG-13 – Violence without blood and one very mild adult scene (blink and you’ll miss it).
Run time: 133 minutes
Despite several attempts to find the movie for purchase in local stores, I ultimately borrowed the movie from my local library. The movie can, however, be found on Amazon:
Star Trek Into Darkness
You Should Also Read:
Star Trek Beyond
Related Articles
Editor's Picks Articles
Top Ten Articles
Previous Features
Site Map
Content copyright © 2023 by Dianne Walker. All rights reserved.
This content was written by Dianne Walker. If you wish to use this content in any manner, you need written permission. Contact Dianne Walker for details.
