Star Trek: Into Darkness (3D - 2013)

When it’s over, I’m a Trekkie at heart, or some may argue the term is “Trekker.” Either way, I’m fascinated with Star Trek, and Into Darkness is a fun ride into outer space and even better, in 3D. The USS Enterprise is sent to Kronos, the Klingon home world, to capture a fugitive responsible for killing innocent lives. The film introduces the viewers to Earth’s adversary, the Klingons, and a human villain named Khan (first seen in Star Trek: the Wrath of Khan -1982), played by British actor Benedict Cumberbatch, who is well cast as the calculating, indestructible, and genetically altered man. The Enterprise crew returns for this sequel, and the performances are solid, picking up exactly where they left off in 2009, almost seamless. The film is bigger and more lavish in scope, but the story is somewhat lacking. Lots of physical action and CGI, but a displacement of human stories. The 2009 Star Trek took great care to introduce the crew and develop them parallel to the Romulan storyline. Into Darkness takes these characters, but doesn’t build on them. I don’t feel I know Kirk (Chris Pine) better, because he has not evolved. His selfless act in the end seems too sudden, and there’s no buildup to that behavior. Scotty (Simon Pegg) gets his share of screen time, but what about Chekov (Anton Yelchin) and Sulu (John Cho), who get decent screen time, but none of which move the characters forward. McCoy (Karl Urban) remains unchanged, linear. His comments add humor and falls in line with his character, but become boring. There has to be more to McCoy, and I feel he is completely underused in the film. I don’t like what they have done to Uhura’s (Zoe Saldana) character, making her seem childish in her relationship with Spock (Zachary Quinto). However, I do like how the film takes Spock and Uhura’s relationship to the next level. And this brings me to Spock. I think Spock’s journey/story is the best executed, thanks to Quinto’s  spot on “logical” portrayal. In his relationship with Kirk and Uhura, I see him struggling with his human side, and how he eventually uses it to his advantage. That kind of character development is the stuff of Star Trek. Trekkies will enjoy the film, while non-Trekkers will not be easily sold on the franchise.

My rating: 3.5 out of 5