STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS (MOVIE REVIEW)

May 30, 2013 The Dork Knight Uncategorized 0

Two weeks ago, I gave a spoiler free review of the latest Star Trek film Into Darkness. Today I’ll give a more in depth review that will include a spoiler for those who have yet to see it.

I truly believe that director J.J. Abrams was the right person at the right time to bring new life into the Star Trek franchise. Some film goers think that four years between films is too long but if it’s done right, it’s worth the wait. Into Darkness, is worth the wait.
The legacy that creator Gene Roddenberry had for Star Trek has always been to mirror the real world we live in and put a science fiction spin on it. This latest installment honors that legacy by questioning the moral implications against an unknown enemy and the consequences of such decisions. This is by far the most politically aware Trek film ever made. Its social commentary parallel’s today’s post 9/11 world.
The plot is very simple: A branch of Starfleet headquarters out of Londoncomes under a terror attack by one of “their own”, the mysterious John Harrison (played hauntingly wonderful by Benedict Cumberbatch). It turns out to be just a red herring as the main target would be the main Starfleet headquarters in San Francisco and the gathering of the senior staff of Captains and their First Officers. To cripple them to its core.

Here is the “SPOILER” for all those who have yet to see STID… John Harrison turns out to be a re-imagined version of the iconic Trek bad guy Khan Noonien Singh made famous by the late Ricardo Montalban.
I admit at first I was concerned that taking such a character would undermine the whole point of rebooting the Trek franchise. But from the moment Cumberbatch enters the film he is mesmerizing. When he surrenders to Kirk and later brought aboard the Enterprise and reveals his true identity, I’m hooked and I’m a believer. He doesn’t try to outdo or mimic Montalban. Instead, he makes Khan his own. If there was anything I wish Abrams and the writers did differently, it would be to give Cumberbatch more of a story to build on. At times, it seemed rushed. Perhaps it is because I’m a long time Trek fan and know Khan’s place in Trek lore, that I wanted more and felt like something was missing. This could be the only downside for the hardcore fan as oppose to the new fans that was born out of the 2009 reboot.
As the story takes shape and unfolds, we learn that Khan and his crew of 72 “supermen”, who were living/sleeping in cryo pods for nearly 300 years was captured by Admiral Marcus of Starfleet. Only Khan would be revived. Realizing what he had or rather what he could, Admiral Marcus wanted to use these supermen to not only start but finish the inevitable war against the Klingons. Bring the fight to them. Hence the “Into Darkness” title reference. Going into the unknown as you will. In a sense it mirrors today’s war on terror, identifying who your true enemy really is and at what cost to democracy. 
When Khan is double crossed, he plots his revenge against all those he finds responsible, including Kirk and his crew who hunted him down for his crimes against the Federation. Khan all but destroys the Enterprise and its warp core. Sound familiar? Well, it should. But in a twist from its inspired story-line of the past, it is Kirk rather than Spock who makes the ultimate sacrifice for his crew… his family.
The final battle takes place between Spock and Khan in spectacular action that takes us  through the streets of San Francisco. Both on the ground and above it, with a little help from Uhura. While Spock was ready to open up a can of Vulcan whoop-ass on Khan, McCoy warns Uhura that he needs Khan alive in order to save Kirk’s life.
In the aftermath, Kirk is saved and returns as Captain of the newly christened Enterprise. As for Khan, he along with the rest of his crew is sealed in his cryo pod and stored away. Do I sense a potential follow-up?  Dare I even say a Wrath Of Khan? Maybe . Maybe not. Either way, at the end of the film Kirk and his crew embark on a 5-year mission to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one had gone before.
In the end, do I think Into Darkness is better than its predecessor? No. There are some holes albeit not big enough for a Starship. It is however, great fun with great action with wonderful visual effects. It is also very Roddenberry-esque with its political and social commentary.
Finally, if you get a chance to see it in 3D, you will not regret it.
Star Trek Into Darkness opened nationwide on May 17th.

STAR TREK: INTO DARKNESS ***1/2 (out of 4)
May the Dork be with you,
JPB
The Dork Knight
About The Dork Knight 521 Articles
James aka “The Dork Knight” is a blogger and writer based out of Upstate New York. For James, it all started with a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away… when he dragged his mom to see The Empire Strikes Back 10 weeks in a row. He lives and breathes nerd culture. James is proof that a Star Wars fanatic can be a passionate Trekkie as well. So much so James dressed up as Captain Kirk to the premiere of Star Trek VI in 1991 and still has the uniform. When it comes to Comic Books, Sci-Fi or Fantasy whether in print or digital, in the theatre or on my TV screen, I’m all about it and I love it. So bring your Phaser (set to stun), Lightsaber, Sonic Screwdriver, a Wand, Mjolnir or the Ring to rule them all, because this site is for the dork in all of us.