Star Trek Into Darkness: Movie Review

"Star Trek Into Darkness" is an exhilarating thrill ride no doubt. There's nary a moment of slowdown once the action starts (and the action starts extremely early). Included is a mix of intrigue, surprise, morality and human emotion that would surely make anyone gasp. Unfortunately, "Star Trek Into Darkness" isn't perfect even with a well-rounded package. No doubt that this is not a bad film but it is not great either and definitely one that isn't remarkable or memorable. "Star Trek Into Darkness" is disappointing considering how much more its predecessor was and how we wished it could have done more to make a resounding statement.

In London, Starfleet agent John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch) bombs a secret "Section 31" installation. Captain Jim Kirk (Chris Pine) attend an emergency meeting of high ranking officers at the Starfleet headquarters to discuss the bombing. During the meeting, the group is attacked by a gunship piloted by Harrison. Proving that John Harrison is extremely dangerous, Kirk decides to hunt down Harrison, who has used transwarp beaming and fled to the Klingon homeworld of Kronos. Since Kronos lies deep in Klingon territory and the Federation is on the brink of war with the Klingon Empire, Kirk must avoid being detected or at least associated with the Starfleet. Additionally, the Enterprise is also supplied with 72 long-range prototype torpedoes and ordered to fire them at Harrison's location once he is found. But when the true nature of the mysterious weapons are found, the Enterprise mission takes a drastic turn.

"Star Trek Into Darkness" makes most of its steps correctly. In fact, we are hard-pinned to find any crucial mistakes that could bog down the film. In fact, "Star Trek Into Darkness" presents a frolicking good time from start to finish. There's just something magical with how J.J. Abrams is able to entangle heavy special effects with reality. The film's action feels raw, heavy, fast and heart-pounding. But we did hate the lens flare effect that Abrams is well-known for. It's ridiculously excessive and at times even distracting. But beyond the action, "Star Trek Into Darkness" excels in its penchant to play with different emotions. Even the character of Spock begs the audience for some and considering that his character "suppresses all emotions" is some feat. Unfortunately, the action-heavy plot device takes it toll in the logical end of the story. Plot holes abound will frustrate scifi fans and less details are explained as characters find themselves more enthralled in fighting than speaking. In the end, "Star Trek Into Darkness" is an enjoyable watch. It could have been more though if it found a compelling way to balance action with logic.

Rating: 4 reels





Why you should watch it:
- end-to-end action makes the film extremely watchable to anyone
- plot has its surprises
- human emotions warp speeds this film into good territory

Why you shouldn't watch it:
- even with an action-heavy style, the story unfolds extremely slow
- less details are explained and plot holes abound will frustrate scifi fans
- J.J. Abrams' visual style is getting old very fast