Star Trek Into Darkness: We’ll follow this crew wherever they boldly go

Seems like other reviewers have soured on Star Trek and we have no idea why. It is a great cosmic ride with spot-on character development and a worthy adversary. For us, director J.J. Abrams (Mission Impossible III, Super 8) did an incredible job rebooting the Star Trek franchise four years ago and Star Trek Into Darkness is another terrific chapter in the ongoing saga of the crew that aspires to “boldly go where no man has gone before.” With its snappy dialogue, the film’s script stays true to the spirit of the original and Abrams does a good job of creating a variety of exotic settings, too. The film is perfectly cast (though we’re not sure scientist Carol Marcus was a necessary addition) as all the actors from the first installment return for this sequel and Benedict Cumberbatch (BBC’s Sherlock) makes for an intense and worthy adversary.

The opening scene takes place on a planet of primitive people who are in danger of dying if a volcano explodes. Spock (Zachary Quinto) has entered the volcano in the attempt to prevent it from destroying the planet. When things go awry and he’s trapped, Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) further defies the Prime Directive and attempts a daring—and very public—rescue. It’s an incredibly intense moment, and that’s just the film’s first 15 minutes. The rest of the plot involves an alleged Starfleet agent John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch) who’s gone rogue and is hiding on the Klingon planet Kronos. Kirk is sent to kill him but quickly realizes that he’s been misled about Harrison’s motives. He and his crew must use all their resources to try to defeat Harrison.

While there’s a certain amount of gratuitous action/violence packed into the movie, Abrams still manages to keep the emphasis on the heart and humor of the crew’s relationships. Abrams gives a nod to past Star Trek episodes and does a capable job of making sure supporting characters such as Scotty and Bones, played respectively by Simon Pegg and Karl Urban, get their share of screen time. Here’s to hoping it’s not another four years before we get another installment of their adventures.