Star Trek Into Darkness: A Review (without spoilers)

Alrighty ladies and gents, this is going to be where most of you tune out. We’re going to talk Star Trek Into Darkness today. There’s nothing I would consider to be a spoiler. If you’d like to chat about those, drop me a line.

So here we go.

In terms of characters, the old crew is all back. Kirk, Spock, Uhura, Scotty, Sulu, Bones. They were all there. There were also some newcomers, namely Carol Marcus (Alice Eve), and our villain, John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch). Throughout the movie, character development is the name of the game. We see Spock and Kirk (Zachary Quinto and Chris Pine) growing and learning from each other. More than anything, we see how the enemies from the last movie can one day be friends. Sulu is great in this one. He’s really on top form. John Cho gives a fantastic performance that left me laughing constantly, but with him, not at him.

Unfortunately, not all of our characters were really on top form. It felt like Carol Marcus was thrown in to be a new pretty face more than anything. It would have been nice to see her do something that was more exciting. Bones (Karl Urban) was more of an annoyance than anything else. His quips were nagging and annoying, to the point where there is even a line of dialogue telling him to stop. In a movie where it seems like every thread is laid out for a reason, it seemed extraneous. Just space fillers, really.

I am mixed about our villain. John Harrison is a badass. Benedict Cumberbatch is playing to win, and is the centre of attention in every single scene that he is in. The brickwork is laid for you to feel some sympathy for him; however it is difficult to be on his side. He’s unpredictable, erratic, and fascinating. It’s striking to watch him working in his cold, calculating, ruthless manner. But he will always be just that, the villain. Without the sympathy there, he will always just be the bad guy. It's apparent that he will never be anything more.

The primary recurring theme across the movie is the consequences of the decisions that we make. Kirk and Spock both, throughout the film, make many mistakes that show off their true colours as leaders and as friends. It’s often a choice of the ends justifying the means, and how that effects the decision making process. This is played up to great effect as a plot device, forcing our heroes into tough, no-win scenarios. Further, there is a large emphasis put on family, and who you consider to be yours. This ties in with the concept of these tough decisions in that often the choices we make effect and are affected by those who we love. This movie wasn’t so much about catching the bad guy and putting him away forever as it was about building characters for what I am sure will be another film.

Technically, the film is a marvel. I saw it in IMAX 3D and was simply blown away. The only piece of special effects work that I took offence to was one of the kicks during a fight scene obviously did not make contact, but that was minor compared to the many marvels that waited. When the Enterprise enters warp it leaves a shimmering blue contrail that dances on screen. One particular technique that was used several times throughout the film was illuminating the area out the windows, leaving the characters in darkness, but the view outside lit. It made you feel immersed in the scene, like you were a crew member, which is every Trekkie’s dream. There was one scene of blatant gratuitous nudity (yeah, it’s the bit from the trailer) that I could have done without, but no complaints overall.

This movie was a love letter to fans, both new and old, of the franchise. It had many elements reminiscent of Star Trek movies and series from decades ago that appealed to older, more die-hard fans, while still maintaining that link to the new generation of Trekkies. The people who pick up on the references will be excited and awed, but the new fans will not feel left behind, out of loop.

Parts made me laugh, some parts made me cry. It’s that perfect combination of touching and emotional and hilarious. There were real tears involved. The entire thing was a tense whirlwind. I felt physically exhausted by the end. This is a large contrast to the pleasant tidy ending that you got from the first movie. There are so many emotions that it is difficult to know what to feel first. Still, it’s a wonder. You’ll never be bored. Whether you have only seen the 2009 movie, or have watched all the seasons and series, this is one you won’t want to miss.