Star Trek Into Darkness

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J.J. Abrams may be a famous/millionaire/ brilliant director but I don’t envy his job. He must of had a lot on his mind while directing Star Trek Into Darkness.

1. Keep Star Trek relevant among Marvel, Superman, Spiderman, Hobbit,  Batman and Bond franchises.

2. Keep all the spoilers under wraps

3. Keep the new Star Trek fans happy.

4. Keep Star Wars fans from turning on him.

5.  Keep Trekkies happy by appreciating the Star Trek lore and adding to it.

6.  Keep Benedict Cumberbatch’s fans happy.

7. Keep all the young and successful actors happy by giving them juicy roles.

JJ Abrams succeeded on all fronts and Trek  has another fantastic entry to it’s cannon. Abrams infuses Into Darkness with his brand of chic geek and has guaranteed millions of dollars will continue to be spent on merchandise, blu-rays and fan fiction.  The film excites, invents and builds a brave new world. Abrams and crew (Kurtzman, Orci, Lindelof) have also given Kirk a fantastic villain to battle for years to come. Benedict Cumberbatch mixes intelligence with a sleek physicality as John Harrison. The best part about his bad guy is that he unites the Enterprise crew into a cohesive whole.

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The film revolves around Cumberbatch’s character setting off an explosive chain of events that kills Kirk’s mentor and threatens the universe to intergalactic battle. Kirk blindly seeks revenge and endangers and alienates many on his crew. The results are disastrous, shields go down and Kirk learns to rely on his team. The main relationship in Trek is that of Kirk and Spock’s blossoming bromance.  The two are polar opposites and they learn that is what makes them a great team. Also, Kirk figures out that Scotty may be a pain but he is often right,  Sulu is a formidable leader, Uhura has untapped knowledge, Bones can fix anything (bomb or bone) and Checkov can fix something that is irrevocably broken.

My only complaint is with the 3D. I wish Checkov could have done something with it. . I’ve watched a plethora of films in 3D (Hugo, Avatar, Life of Pi being the best) and this was the only film that hurt my eyes. I am no expert in the technology yet I know that no movie has hurt my eyes like Trek did. There was a murky/dark feel and I barely noticed the third dimension. It didn’t add to the world so you shouldn’t pay the extra money.

The toughest aspect when writing about this film is not giving away the spoilers. I’ve read some reviews that are cavalier in giving away the minutia of the film. Normally, giving away small aspects of a film is not a problem. However, with Star Trek the small details can give away massive spoilers that will wreck the fun of moviegoers. You know certain films will happens in the Trek universe. Ships will explode, Kirk will hook-up with green aliens and somebody will be beamed. However, you shouldn’t know what ship will blow up or who will get beamed up. Abrams and Bad Robot have rejuvenated a boring series and introduced us to an old world that is home to the great unknown.

If you liked the 2009 Star Trek you will enjoy this film. If you are a Star Wars fan do not worry because your galaxy is in good hands. If you think Cumberbatch is the greatest thing ever you will continue to think he is the greatest thing ever. I can’t wait for Sherlock season three.