MPAA Rating: PG-13/ Genre: Sci-Fi Action/Stars: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, John Cho, Benedict Cumberbatch, Anton Yelchin, Bruce Greenwood, Peter Weller, Alice Eve, Leonard Nimoy, Noel Clarke, Nazneen Contractor, Amanda Foreman, Jay Scully, Jonathan Dixon, Aisha Hinds, Joseph Gatt, Deep Roy, Jason Matthew Smith, Nolan North, Sean Blakemore, Heather Langenkamp, Ser’Darius Blain/Runtime: 132 minutes

I think it can be safely said that a wise person once said that the more ways in which the world around us decides to change, the more ways that it will also find in order to keep things exactly as they are. Or something to that effect. Any way you choose to word it however, I think that this saying is also the prime manner of introducing you to the slice of cinema I am reviewing for you today, 2013’s Star Trek Into Darkness. A film that manages to not only do an incredible job of reconceptualize bits of iconic Star Trek mythos with on-point and riveting work on both sides of the camera, but also manages to show a wonderful degree of respect for as well as attachment towards key iconic moments and thematic concepts from this franchise as a whole. In particular, this is a slice of cinema where the creative team has managed to triumph in a pair of distinct areas. Those being not only making a follow-up to their iconic debut entry in this storied franchise that is just as magical in every way as that entry, but also in reintroducing audiences to arguably one of the most legendary antagonists that this franchise ever sought fit to give them. Yet, rather than rolling the dice and gambling on the idea of outdoing what has already been done with this character, the film instead chooses to remold him externally whilst brilliantly maintaining the spine-tingling inner motivating factors of hate, rancor, vast intelligence, and despotic drive for power at all costs that made….this individual so memorable of a worthy foe (you didn’t really think I’d write their identity here did you?) Indeed when you manage to combine that creative choice alongside some story beats that are familiar yet given a distinct wrinkle so as to distinguish them from what went down before plus some riveting action beats, potent work behind the camera, and intriguing work in front of the camera by both the returning cast of players as well as from a collection of new performers, we see that this slice of cinema is one that might toy with audiences in how familiar this scenario seems to be, but is still able to make it fresh enough for those who are enjoying it. More than anything though, this slice of cinema, much like its predecessor, does a wonderful job at continuing to make the Star Trek universe where yes anything is possible, but there are still some events that are meant to be to say nothing of some organisms that crossing paths with is all but inevitable both for the better and for the worst.

The plot is as follows: Picking up a few years after the events of the 2009 installment, Star Trek Into Darkness gets underway as we see Captain Kirk in a very precarious position. A position which has seen him having to relinquish his post as captain onboard the Enterprise and which was caused due in no small part to Kirk committing a quite blatant violation of the Federation’s Prime Directive in the form of saving both the denizens of a planet called Nibiru, to say nothing of second-in-command Spock, from a horrific volcano eruption on the planet’s surface. As a result, Kirk’s mentor Christopher Pike has been given back the captain’s chair, Kirk will be his second in command, and Spock is to be sent over to serve aboard a different ship. As if things couldn’t get any worse though, we soon see that they do when an enigmatic individual calling himself John Harrison, with the compliance of a Starfleet officer by the name of Thomas Harewood, is able to enact a horrific bombing attack on an archive installation of Starfleet in London. A situation that is soon magnified when, during an emergency session on what has occurred by a group of the upper-tier senior officers within Starfleet’s hierarchy, Harrison decides to crash the meeting (how rude!) and utterly annihilate most of the senior officers in attendance before then fleeing to the planet Kronos. A planet, for those of you in the know Star Trek wise, also happens to be the home of a hostile alien race known as the Klingons. Thus, and finding himself without that many options, we see that an admiral in Starfleet who survived the attack named Marcus is reluctantly forced to reinstate Kirk to the rank of captain and charge him as well as the rest of the Enterprise crew in leading the mission to this war-torn locale in order to find, capture, and bring back this literal one-man army so he can face justice for his crimes. Yet as our band of heroes set out on this mission of grave and personal importance, we soon see that it isn’t merely a manhunt that they are involved in. Rather, it is more or less than a real-world game of chess against an opponent of such savagery and intellect that even the slightest wrong move could not only result in extreme peril to both ship and crew, but even more terrifying, the very real chance that none of the crew will make it out of this particular scrape alive…..

Now I must say that once again the work done by the various departments behind the camera on this cinematic outing for this franchise are all operating at the peak of their respective abilities. Yes I can see how there will be those who have issues with this slice of cinema depending a bit too much on…..other movies that I won’t mention here for quite a hefty chunk of its narrative. Having said that though, how the aforementioned copied narrative is delivered to us here is so incredibly sculpted and riveting in equal measure that I really can’t help, but pat Abrams on the back for being able to keep audiences so highly invested in a narrative that has been told at least once before. Of course, this IS the same guy who not only made a riveting movie that managed to merge together a smorgasbord of Steven Spielberg and John Carpenter cliches, but also made the first Star Wars film in over a decade which was pretty much a glorified remake of A New Hope into a dang good time so I guess I can’t say I am totally surprised by the man’s ability to make rehashed material into something definitely worth seeing. Wry observations about Super 8 and The Force Awakens aside dear reader, there is no denying that with this film Abrams is able to give movie goers another phenomenal production complete with that good ol’ headache-inducing lens flares (seriously Tylenol needs to have a word with this guy about those), truly grandiose FX moments, and a revved up and ready to go tempo that might take a little bit to get running, but once it does it thankfully does not halt for one second. It is also worth noting that there are quite a few moments in this that will do no less than leave you either with your jaw on the floor, in a state of wonder, or both. Such scenes include not only one with Kirk and another character zipping from one ship to another in the vast reaches of space, but also one where you get to see the Enterprise break through the water whilst in the distance a volcano blows its top. Yet as beautiful as these, and other moments, prove to be when shot by this crew, we also see thankfully that the human component hasn’t been tossed out into zero gravity by any means. I say that because this is a film that has put a lot of thought and gravitas towards the various characters in this film’s particular motives to say nothing of arcs throughout thus ensuring that this slice of cinema is able to conjure up stakes that feel refreshingly genuine for the characters as the movie goes on. Finally, it should also be noted in this section that the musical accompaniment in this slice of cinema by composer Michael Giacchino is nothing short of magnificent. To be sure, Giacchino’s work on this franchise as a whole does a wonderful job at lovingly paying tribute to all that has come before in this iconic saga, but in this film he manages to take that aforementioned loving tribute and find a way to, quite appropriately given what transpires in the film, make it a bit bleaker and significantly more ominous all while finding little moments throughout where the music might make you tear up more than what is happening on screen. Suffice it to say then that the work done behind the camera is nothing short of top flight in every sense of the word.

Of course, the other big element that helps this slice of sci-fi cinema take off in the way that it aspires to would be the fact that the cast is once again fanfreakingtastic. This starts with Chris Pine as Kirk and honestly I really like the arc that they give him in this. I say that because if the first film was about Kirk getting the captain’s chair then this film is about him learning what it takes to actually earn it. Thankfully, we also see that Pine does a great job at not trying to emulate Shatner’s take on this iconic character and instead makes him someone who yes has a degree of cockiness as well as a more than slightly snarky sense of humor to him, but who also ultimately is at heart a genuinely decent guy who definitely cares about his ship and, even more so, his crew. Suffice it to say that it is a wonderful performance and proof of Pine’s undeniable talents as a leading man. Just as great as Pine is however is Zachary Quinto as Spock. Indeed, Quinto does a great job at providing us with a take on Spock in this that may start out a bit like the stoic Spock that fans of the franchise have come to expect, but, over the course of the film, actually starts to get more and more in touch with his human side. An evolution in the character which culminates in easily one of the most heartbreaking moments in the entire film. Suffice it to say that Pine might get the bigger arc, but Quinto gets the better written character by far.  Along with our dynamic duo however, we also get wonderfully return work here from the rest of the crew from Karl Urban to Anton Yelchin and everyone in between. Of course in a slice of cinema like this, the heroes are really only good as the villain that they are going up against and in that regard Benedict Cumberbatch is absolutely phenomenal. To be sure, I think that Cumberbatch is already one of the most talented actors of his generation and yes it does take awhile for him to fully come into the picture due to being mostly an enigmatic threat that is built up over the first 45 minutes or so. With that in mind though, I can safely say that once he enters the picture in full, Cumberbatch manages to bring a genuine ruthlessness and menace to the proceedings right down to a dagger-like stare and a gravelly voice that is chilling to the spine in the best way possible. More than that though, Cumberbatch also does a grand job at bringing a physicality to the role that not only is downright intimidating, but also leads to a moment that is easily one of the highlights of the film through and through. To be sure, there isn’t a whole lot more I can say about his character due to spoilers, but trust me when I say that Cumberbatch manages to make the most of this role and then some in the best way possible. Finally, I also really did like the work that was done here by the returning Bruce Greenwood as Admiral Pike. Indeed Greenwood has always been one of our more underrated talents and, despite not as much screentime as in the first one, he does a wonderful job of bringing a firm yet patiently paternal authority to the role with a monologue he gives Kirk at one point easily being one of the powerful moments in the film to say nothing of leaving both you, the movie goer and Kirk with something to think about. Suffice it to say that when you also factor in wonderful efforts from such screen talents as Alice Eve and sci-fi legend Peter Weller (who was the bomb in 1989’s Leviathan….oh and some movie called Robocop) among others there is no denying that the cast of players which has been assembled here do a terrific job at bringing their characters to life in a way that they feel less like characters in a fictional movie and more like real life individuals.

All in all is Star Trek Into Darkness a perfect slice of sci-fi cinema let alone cinema in general? Honestly no, but that’s ok. As another wise man has been known to say from time to time “few movies ever are”. With that being said though, is this a terrible movie void of either merit to say nothing of anything worth spending 2+ hours of your hard-earned time watching? Honestly I wouldn’t say that either. To be sure, there might be those of you out there who, as previously stated, might raise an eyebrow in how much this slice of cinema chooses to act as a tweaked here and there rehash of another movie, but as for me dear reader I still found quite a lot to like about this slice of cinema. Indeed, it may have its flaws, but Star Trek Into Darkness excels at being a balancing act between bringing some novel ideas into the mix as well as tinkering with certain iconic lore from this franchise in such a way that, when these moments occur here, they manage to be both respectful to what came before whilst also feeling like they are their own thing. Suffice it to say that when you also factor in a consistent and wonderfully bleak tone, terrific performances from the fantastic cast of players in front of the camera, action beats that will leave you on the edge of your seat, and special effects work that is no less than movie magic at work I think it can be safely said that Star Trek Into Darkness is a genuinely wonderful film and one that both the everyday movie goer as well as the avid Trekkie are sure to embrace in equal measure. Live long and prosper! On a scale of 1-5 I give Star Trek Into Darkness a solid 4 out of 5.