Rated
PG-13 (Intense Sequences of Sci-Fi Action and Violence)
Running
Time: 2 Hours & 12 Minutes
Cast-
Chris
Pine-Captain James T. Kirk
Zachary
Quinto-Commander Spock
Karl
Urban-Dr. Leonard 'Bones' McCoy
Zoë
Saldana-Lieutenant Nyota Uhura
John
Cho-Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu
Simon
Pegg-Chief Engineer Montgomery 'Scotty' Scott
Anton
Yelchin-Ensign Pavel Chekov
Benedict
Cumberbatch-John Harrison
Alice
Eve-Dr. Carol Wallace
Peter
Weller-Fleet Admiral Alexander Marcus
Bruce
Greenwood-Admiral Christopher Pike
Noel
Clarke-Starfleet Officer Thomas Harewood
Nazneen
Contractor-Rima Harewood
Jennifer
Morrison (voice)-Winona Kirk
Chris
Hemsworth (voice)-Commander George Kirk
Leonard
Nimoy-Future Spock
Directed
by J.J. Abrams
 |
| A beaten and battered USS Enterprise plummets toward the Earth in "Star Trek Into Darkness." |
Note: At AMC Loews 34th Street 14.
On
September 8, 1966 at 8:30 PM on NBC, television viewers all across America were
greeted by these now-famous words: 'Space: the final frontier. These are the
voyages of the starship Enterprise.
Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and
new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before!' And just like that,
a pop culture phenomenon was born. The brainchild of Gene Roddenberry, the original
"Star Trek" television series almost didn't air, having been rejected
by both MGM and CBS. Thankfully, NBC's vice president of programming, Mort
Werner, decided to give the show a shot and commissioned Roddenberry to write
three story outlines, with NBC choosing one to turn into a pilot. The outline
they chose was for an episode titled "The Cage" and this is where the
hard part began as Roddenberry now had to develop an entirely new universe…from
scratch. This brainstorming process lasted for three months, with numerous people
assisting Roddenberry in designing his vision of the future. Unfortunately,
when the pilot was screened to NBC officials in February 1965, it was rejected.
Fortunately, all hope was not lost and convinced that "Star Trek"
could be turned into a viable series, NBC made the unprecedented move to order a
second pilot. They requested three story outlines once again and selected the
most expensive one, "Where No Man Has Gone Before." The entire cast
from the previous pilot (with the exception of Leonard Nimoy) was replaced, along
with most of the production staff when shooting began. Television history was made
nine days later when NBC accepted the pilot and ordered a full season's worth
of episodes. It took almost six years but "Star Trek" had finally arrived.
Fast
forward to 2005, thirty-nine years later. Just three years prior, "Star
Trek Nemesis," the tenth film in the venerable sci-fi franchise and the
fourth to feature the cast of "The Next Generation," flopped at the box
office with a paltry worldwide gross of $67.3 million, which barely covered its
production budget. Reviews were also overwhelmingly negative (38% on Rotten Tomatoes),
with critics noting that 'the whole affair feels a bit tired.' Making matters
worse, the underrated prequel television series "Star Trek Enterprise"
was suffering from low ratings, forcing UPN to pull the plug after four seasons
despite protests from fans. It seemed, for the time being, that "Star Trek"
was dead. Almost immediately, Paramount Pictures began work on reviving the franchise.
The studio contacted writer Roberto Orci for ideas and rumors began circulating
online of an eleventh "Star Trek" film with "Lost" creator J.J.
Abrams at the helm. The film was officially green-lit in 2007, with Abrams
confirmed as director. The simply titled "Star Trek" arrived into theaters
two years later as a summer tentpole and successfully reignited an aging franchise
for a modern audience. Buoyed by fantastic reviews (95% on Rotten Tomatoes) and
almost $400 million in worldwide box office receipts, the announcement of a sequel
was a no-brainer and was already in development a month ahead of the first
film's release. It's been an agonizing four-year wait for us Trekkies but
rejoice, the highly-anticipated "Star Trek Into Darkness" is finally
here, proving once and for all that the success of the 2009 film was no fluke.
A perfect blend of drama, emotion, action, and spectacle, "Star Trek Into
Darkness" is not only a rousing sci-fi adventure but also a thematically
relevant film that reflects the cynicism of our post-9/11 world.
A
routine mission to the Class M-planet Nibiru turns into a life-and-death situation
when Commander Spock (Zachary Quinto) finds himself trapped in an erupting volcano.
In an effort to save the planet's natives and his friend, Captain James T. Kirk
(Chris Pine) of the Federation starship USS
Enterprise violates the Prime Directive by revealing themselves to the alien
beings. Spock is beamed aboard with only seconds to spare and the volcano is
rendered inert thanks to the use of a cold fusion device. The Enterprise is recalled
back to Earth, where Kirk is demoted and stripped of his rank by Admiral
Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood) due to his careless actions. When the Kelvin
Memorial Archive in London is destroyed in a vicious terrorist attack, Starfleet
Command convenes an emergency meeting with Pike, Kirk, and Spock in attendance.
Admiral Alexander Marcus (Peter Weller) reveals that the attack was perpetuated
by a rogue Starfleet officer named 'John Harrison' (Benedict Cumberbatch) but before
a course of action can be decided, a gunship suddenly appears and opens fire. Although
Kirk manages to save the day, the attack leaves scores of Starfleet officers dead.
Harrison flees to the Klingon homeworld of Qo'noS and in order to pursue him, Kirk
asks Marcus to reinstate him as captain of the Enterprise. With the help of his beloved crew, which includes Uhura
(Zoë Saldana), McCoy (Karl Urban), Scotty (Simon Pegg), Sulu (John Cho), Chekov
(Anton Yelchin), and newcomer Dr. Carol Wallace (Alice Eve), Kirk travels to Qo'noS
to capture Harrison but soon learns that he is more than just a simple
terrorist.
I
have to admit that I felt a fair amount of trepidation going into "Star
Trek Into Darkness." Let's not kid ourselves here; one of the main reasons
the previous film was so successful was because of its accessibility to general
audiences…or to put it another way, it was 'dumbed down.' For much of the franchise's
forty-year history, "Star Trek" appealed to a very devoted yet very
niche group. This all changed when Abrams came onboard, who shedded all the baggage
that kept the Average Joe at arm's length and updated the tone to be hipper,
sexier, and more modern. Of course, Trekkies were worried and although it was
certainly different from the "Star Trek" that we grew up with, the spirit
of Roddenberry's creation remained intact. "Into Darkness" continues
in that same tradition, opening with an exciting prologue that's ripped straight
out of the "Indiana Jones" playbook as our old friends Kirk and
'Bones' McCoy run through a forest full of red fauna while being chased by a group
of primitive aliens. This all culminates in a very triumphant moment where the USS Enterprise slowly rises from its underwater
hideout, with Michael Giacchino's brilliant score blaring in the background.
It's enough to send chills down your spine. Every set-piece is nothing short of
astounding, backed up by excellent CG effects that turn the 23rd century into a
living, breathing world. There are so many memorable scenes to choose, from the
tense stand-off between Kirk and Marcus to the epic climax that finds a battered
Enterprise plummeting toward the Earth.
Great
set-pieces need to be supported by a great story and "Into Darkness"
has that in spades. The pacing is relentless yet Abrams and his writers don't skimp
on the character development, with Kirk and Uhura finding themselves frustrated
by Spock's continued suppression of his own emotions. The best "Star Trek"
tales are always the ones that dealt with topical issues and this one is no different.
Using the destruction of Vulcan in the previous film as its own 9/11, a wave of
fear and paranoia permeates the sequel, with rogue elements within Starfleet
looking for an excuse to start a war with the Klingons in the name of 'safety and
security.' Even John Harrison's actions feel Bin Laden-like: Starfleet hurt him
so now he's hurting them back by striking at their very heart. It all functions
as a potent rejection of the military-industrial complex and how it weakens a
society's moral fabric. For a summer blockbuster to tackle such heavy themes
without coming off as preachy is rather brave and I have to give the filmmakers
credit for that. Similar to the Mandarin in "Iron Man 3," there is a
twist regarding the true identity of John Harrison. I won't spoil it for those
who aren't overly familiar with Trek-lore but it shouldn't come as a total surprise
if you've already seen that film.
Perhaps the most controversial aspect is an extended segment that's lifted almost
virtually intact from that film, albeit
with a role reversal. Some will view it as blatant theft but I see it as a
loving homage, an emotionally powerful moment that reaffirms Kirk and Spock's
friendship, and dare I say, almost brought me to tears.
The
returning ensemble cast is, of course, first-rate as they bring both humor and drama
with their interactions. As a still-inexperienced Kirk, Chris Pine is excellent
but what I really loved was that he also instilled a creeping sense of self-doubt
as his character grappled with decisions that have far-reaching moral consequences.
Zachary Quinto continues to be a joy to watch as Spock and his verbal sparring
with Pine contributes to a lot of classic Trek moments where they weigh the pros
and cons of their situation. Completely stealing the entire film is Benedict Cumberbatch
as the villainous 'John Harrison.' His casting once again proves the age-old adage:
if you want a great villain, hire a British actor. Cumberbatch purrs with sociopathic
intent, his voice dripping with delicious malice as he coolly threatens the crew
of the Enterprise with death. It's a brilliant
performance that'll stay with you long after the credits have rolled. The rest
of the cast unfortunately feels somewhat marginalized, especially John Cho and
Anton Yelchin. Cho at least gets to sit in the captain's chair at one point. Karl
Urban delivers a lot of fun, sarcastic quips and Zoë Saldana looks absolutely
sexy during the action scenes but only Simon Pegg is given any real subplot.
Alice Eve is fine as Dr. Carol Wallace, although the scene where's she stripped
down to her underwear should've been left on the cutting room floor. Lending support
is Bruce Greenwood and Peter Weller, who will forever be RoboCop in my eyes.
Released
on May 16, 2013, "Star Trek Into Darkness" has received largely
positive reviews with 87% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics described it as 'a rock-solid
installment in the venerable sci-fi franchise, even if it's not as fresh as its
predecessor.' Box office wise, the film didn't open to $100 million as
predicted and is currently performing along the same lines as its predecessor. Still,
it's already doing a lot better overseas so a third part is pretty much set in
stone, even with Abrams signing on to direct that other sci-fi franchise. Cementing its status as one of summer's
best blockbusters, "Star Trek Into Darkness" will no doubt rankle
some of the Trek faithful but the film ends at a place that will be quite
familiar to them. Perhaps the human adventure is just beginning after all…
Final
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
"There
will always be those who mean to do us harm. To stop them, we risk awakening
the same evil within ourselves. Our first instinct is to seek revenge when
those we love are taken from us. But that’s not who we are. When Christopher
Pike first gave me his ship, he had me recite the Captain's Oath. Words I
didn’t appreciate at the time. But now I see them as a call for us to remember
who we once were and who we must be again. And those words: Space, the final
frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Her five-year
mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new
civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before!"
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