Star Trek Into Darkness Review

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!"