Star Trek: Into Darkness (review)

Review by Caitlyn Thompson

The crew is back and they are wonderful.

And oh my jeez. Benedict Cumberbatch. Heaven.

Now I’m not a Trekkie but I thought J. J. Abrams’ second installment of Star Trek was awesome.

It was accessible and exciting and while I may have missed a few references to the television series, I didn’t feel left out.

I sincerely enjoyed Into Darkness.

From the first sequence, Into Darkness quickly takes off (warps away I suppose) on a fast paced adventure that’s original and fun. Captain Kirk and his crew are faced with an impossible mission: follow a Starfleet terrorist into war-zone space to enforce justice for his attack on an agency base.

Recently reprimanded for his characteristic risk-taking, rule-breaking tendencies, Captain Kirk must lead his crew through unknowable risk only to discover further secrets and danger far more menacing than anyone could have imagined.

The movie is sentimental without feeling trite and the comedic relief during the tense moments is balancing and doesn’t feel forced.

Kirk (Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto), Uhura (Zoe Saldana), Bones (Karl Urban), Scotty (Simon Pegg), Sulu (John Cho). Everyone is on point; their temperaments are complimentary and entertaining. The cast really works amazingly together as a family – J. J. Abrams has a knack for making entire ensembles of different personalities very lovable and relatable (i.e. Lost, Super 8, etc).

The chemistry between the actors is undoubtedly wonderful, but that being said, I did expect every retort from Bones and every silly line from Scotty. Their delivery is impeccable and true to their characters, but the retorts felt a bit more genuine in 2009.

Benedict. Cumberbatch. Epic.

Villain or not he is the most enjoyable character in the film. I might be biased because I am in love with him as Sherlock Holmes, but his delivery is emotionally charged, perfectly timed, and regardless of his intentions, I was rooting for him just because his presence is that fantastic. Best kind of villains are the lovable kind. His demeanor is icy, powerful, and sexy. And his voice. Oh my god his voice. I think Benedict Cumberbatch is epic. Can’t say a bad thing about him. And I do love saying his name. Benedict Cumberbatch.

Star Trek Into Darkness certainly get’s my thumbs up vote.