Star Trek Into Darkness

After disobeying the Starfleet Prime Directive in order to save Spock (Zachary Quinto), James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) is stripped of his captaincy of the USS Enterprise. However, the demotion proves to be short-lived. When rogue Starfleet operative John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch) launches a terrorist attack against Starfleet, Admiral Alexander Marcus (Peter Weller) sends Kirk and the Enterprise crew on a covert mission to take Harrison out.

Set aside what you believe about sequels: J.J. Abrams’ follow-up to his 2009 Star Trek reboot is a superior film in nearly every way. Into Darkness brings back much of the previous entry’s cast, but instead of struggling to find their bearings, they seem more comfortable in their roles. This allows for some back-and-forth banter that fans of the original series will likely appreciate. For the non-fans, Simon Pegg’s Scotty has a larger role, and he steals nearly every scene he’s in.

In addition to the returning stars, Alice Eve shows up as a science officer, and Cumberbatch makes for a chilling, utterly ruthless, yet somehow still sympathetic antagonist. Both characters initially hide behind false identities, and their respective reveals tap into years of Star Trek lore.

While retaining its predecessor’s quick pace and exhilarating action sequences (an Abrams specialty), Into Darkness also adds some degree of gravity to the proceedings. Whereas the plot felt almost perfunctory in the last film, this one tells a more personal story. The stakes are higher, blood is shed, and given the characters’ added depth, there is more reason to care.

Despite these myriad improvements, Into Darkness still falls short of greatness. Whether killing off a character in overly dramatic fashion or bloviating on the value of friendship, the film is often saccharine and ham-handed. It’s also aesthetically vexing: several sequences are obscured by shadows (which suits the title but does little else) or bathed in gratuitous blue light.

For better or for worse, Into Darkness leaves the door wide open for future installments. But while this film did demonstrate considerable improvement, it may very well be the resurrected franchise’s plateau.

7.75/10