-Written by Kyle Bain.
After an internal attack, Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto), and the rest of the beloved Enterprise team must band together to stop the menacing Kahn (Benedict Cumberbatch). A follow up to Star Trek (‘09), Star Trek Into Darkness looks to expand into the far reaches of the universe, introducing new races and planets, and reigniting a love for previous Star Trek antagonists.
I think the question that every single person will (should) ask before, during, and after watching this film is whether or not Star Trek Into Darkness is able to keep pace with previous Star Trek installments and entertain the way in which other installments had. Can it keep pace tonally? Thematically? Narratively? While Star Trek (‘09) did a wonderful job of ushering in a new generation of Trekkies, Star Trek Into Darkness had the unique job of ensuring that those viewers remained curious, ready for future installments in the greater canon.
So I ask: “Does Star Trek Into Darkness keep pace with its predecessors?”
In short, I don’t believe that it does. To be clear, playing the role of sequel to such an incredible film in Star Trek (‘09) is a tall task, but Star Trek Into Darkness shifts too much in order to be a great Star Trek film. In a franchise that has effectively been a sixty-plus year character study up to this point, Star Trek Into Darkness abandons that to a degree–using action to drive the film forward rather than the characters like had been done in the past. This action-packed journey is incredible if that’s what you’re looking for (and some of you may have been looking for just that), but it’s not what I was looking for. While the characters are still compelling, and what we know about the lovable characters remains intact–their stories take a back seat, as they are no longer the primary focus of the film.
Now, don’t get me wrong, the action sequences are brilliantly choreographed and displayed with supreme expertise. They are fun and incredibly effective in what they attempt to accomplish. Star Trek Into Darkness thrives in the moments of action, and though it’s not necessarily what I was looking for in a Star Trek film, it’s most certainly impressive.
I keep giving myself reasons why I don’t like this film, however, that couldn't be further from the truth. I’m trying to articulate what it is that I like about Star Trek Into Darkness, and the only thing that I can come up with is that it’s fun. That’s not a strong argument for it being a good film, and I get that–but that’s ultimately where I land. I’ve argued in the past that fun doesn’t equal good, and I still believe that, but it’s what I was able to grab ahold of throughout the course of Star Trek Into Darkness. Nothing else about the film is bad, but so much seems to regress in one way or another.
Star Trek Into Darkness feels similar to the money grabs that we’ve seen so many times before, especially in more recent memory. With the overabundance of sequels and larger-than-life budgets, the movie-watching world has gotten used to films looking for money and not much else–and I’m not necessarily accusing Director J.J. Abrams or Paramount of simply looking for money–but Star Trek Into Darkness feels more like your standard, money-seeking blockbuster than anything I’ve seen from Star Trek before.
Star Trek Into Darkness is still full of interesting characters, it still has a compelling storyline, it still leans into the ideas of humanity and emotion–but these things don’t feel as prominent as before, and that’s holding the film back from being great.
Directed by J.J. Abrams.
Written by Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, & Damon LIndelof.
Starring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Benedict Cumberbatch, Leonard Nimoy, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, John Cho, Anton Yelchin, Bruce Greenwood, etc.
6.5/10 = WATCH IT FOR FREE
