Spoilers Follow for Star Trek Into Darkness...
J.J. Abrams (Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Lost, Super 8, Mission: Impossible III) chose to take a very bold move with his second installment of in the Star Trek reboot series. It was one that was criticized by many trekkies, but turned out just fine among critics. He chose to take on the storyline used in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. With his cast from the first film Abrams added Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug), Peter Weller (RoboCop), and Alice Eve (Men in Black 3) in big roles. All of them performed to the audience's expectations, with Cumberbatch pulling off a role that was created by the great actor, Ricardo Montalban. Cumberbatch twists the character a bit, but generally is a similarly maniacal egotistical enemy that Kirk and crew have to face off with. Cumberbatch has proven himself at this point to be one of the best actors alive with roles ranging from Frankenstein to Sherlock Holmes. On a side note, he is my favorite Detective Holmes ever on screen.
Abrams once again takes us on a journey through intricate set designs, costuming, and special effects. In this feature, we start off on a foreign world where a volcano is about to explode. Taking on an erupting volcano in the very first scene is a crazy task, but Abrams gives us detailed camera angles and grand mis-en-scene. We even get to go inside of a realistically active volcano as it intensely bubbles up. As the volcano begins to erupt, Spock is trapped and our hearts start to tear as we fear his possible death. Again, this first scene is bold and unpredictable for an audience coming out of the successful first installment of the series. All of Into Darkness's scenes are like this, with the audience unsure of what is going to happen next. Even with the original Khan storyline, this one has so many twists and turns that we are truly left in the dark until the end.
So, lets talk a bit about those angry Khan fans and their reasonings. Logically, I can see how a trekkie might be mad at Abrams for the stolen storyline. However, his film is not an exact replica of the original. There is an updated set, cast, and story with new twists that captivate the audience and hold them on the edge of their seats. Similarly to Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Abrams takes some ideas from the original and creates his own version. Sure I might have liked a totally new story more, but honestly this is a move that is bold enough to call itself a Star Trek film. Its as though Abrams was testing his audience for his direction of the new Star Wars. If this is so, it clearly worked!
The Bottom Line: This refresher of an older storyline still brings along intrigue and adventure as we join the crew once more on their journey to go where no one else has gone before.
Score: 9.3/10
Image credit: http://static1.squarespace.com/static/50710c28c4aa65eb3b63d154/t/51901bbfe4b065f56494d2af/1368398785869/StarTrek_INTODARKNESS_illo_FIN1_S_e.jpg
Abrams once again takes us on a journey through intricate set designs, costuming, and special effects. In this feature, we start off on a foreign world where a volcano is about to explode. Taking on an erupting volcano in the very first scene is a crazy task, but Abrams gives us detailed camera angles and grand mis-en-scene. We even get to go inside of a realistically active volcano as it intensely bubbles up. As the volcano begins to erupt, Spock is trapped and our hearts start to tear as we fear his possible death. Again, this first scene is bold and unpredictable for an audience coming out of the successful first installment of the series. All of Into Darkness's scenes are like this, with the audience unsure of what is going to happen next. Even with the original Khan storyline, this one has so many twists and turns that we are truly left in the dark until the end.
So, lets talk a bit about those angry Khan fans and their reasonings. Logically, I can see how a trekkie might be mad at Abrams for the stolen storyline. However, his film is not an exact replica of the original. There is an updated set, cast, and story with new twists that captivate the audience and hold them on the edge of their seats. Similarly to Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Abrams takes some ideas from the original and creates his own version. Sure I might have liked a totally new story more, but honestly this is a move that is bold enough to call itself a Star Trek film. Its as though Abrams was testing his audience for his direction of the new Star Wars. If this is so, it clearly worked!
The Bottom Line: This refresher of an older storyline still brings along intrigue and adventure as we join the crew once more on their journey to go where no one else has gone before.
Score: 9.3/10
Image credit: http://static1.squarespace.com/static/50710c28c4aa65eb3b63d154/t/51901bbfe4b065f56494d2af/1368398785869/StarTrek_INTODARKNESS_illo_FIN1_S_e.jpg
